New World#1 Seed Buenos Aires Gauchos- Coming off an 11 game winning streak the Guachos look like they could be the best team in the league, but non of it will matter if they lose in the playoffs. They are really good at creating turnovers and not giving them with a +18 turnover margin. They haven't been in many close games so they actually run the ball double the amount they throw the ball resulting in 126 rushing yards a game. They rank last in pass attempts but they have the 2nd best completion percentage. The Gauchos rank top 10 in yards for and against. They should be the favorite to win the new world.
#2 Seed San Fransisco Bayhawks- The Bayhawks will need their bye week as their star RB Maki needs to heal from his ankle injury. They are 9-3 in one possession games so you don't want to play them close. They lead the league in rushing yards per game. Without Maki last week they had 61 rushing yards when they average 129.
#3 Seed Vancouver Trident- The Trident just barely won the division with 1/2 a game lead with a big win against the Kraken last week. They don't seem to wow you in any way as every stat looks like they are an average team. QB Bowers has double the number of interceptions to TDs, that is never a good sign.
#4 Seed Mexico City Golden Eagles- The Golden Eagles won the tie breaker over the Tide with one more divisional win. They seem to do everything well but nothing great. They are 11th in both offense and defense.
#5 Seed Quebec Kraken- Being on the losing side last week against the Trident lost this team the division. QB Shane Sharp will need to come up big as he has all season. They lead the league in pass completions. The Kraken have been shut out 2 of the last 3 weeks even though they are 3rd in yards from scrimmage.
#6 Seed Tijuana Tide- The Tide lost the tie breaker to the Golden Eagles, but they still made the playoffs. Anything can happen in the playoffs. They have a very good offense, 2nd in yards. They like to run the ball with 3 good RBs. But they need to figure out which one will hold onto the ball. They have a -11 turnover rating despite just 4 ints. 25 fumbles between the 3 of them. They are 1-4 versus teams that made the playoffs.
Old World#1 Seed Dublin Strongbows- Dublin looked like the best team in the league for the first 11 games only to lose the next 4 and finish the season against the 1 win Spires. This team has one thing going for them which is a +15 turnover margin. Other than that they are actually slightly below average. They got lucky to get the 1 seed they were 1/2 a game from being the 5 seed.
#2 Seed Toyama Zippers- The Zippers are coming off a 7 game win streak and should be the favorite to win the new world. They had their share of struggles to begin the season against some tough teams. But unlike the strongbows they found their stride at the end of the season. 5 of those 7 wins were blowouts making a statement for the Zipper to be the best team in the new world. Trading for QB Ben Luna before the season turned out to be huge. Coming from someone who has a QB with undeveloped pass accuracy it would have been very difficult to win with their future QB this season. They rank top 5 on offense and defense.
#3 Seed Lagos Lions- They are a good all around team but there is a big concern for the playoffs with QB Reggie Gunn. He has 3 TDs and 11 INTs on the season. That is not a recipe for success in the playoffs. However they do rank top 10 on offense and defense.
#4 Seed Auckland Anchors- The Anchors finished the season strong winning their last five to edge out the sharks. They are hoping they don't have to go on the road anytime soon as they are 2-6 on the road and 7-1 at home. They rank top 10 in offense and defense but their pass defense is not very good.
#5 Seed Oxford Street Urchins- Oxford lost 2 OT games to end the season. If they had won either of those games they would have the 1st seed. They have a below average offense but a top 10 defense. Their running game has really struggled with just 2.2 YPC. They lead the league in sacks per game.
#6 Seed Tel Aviv Kings- They lost the division in the last game to the Zippers in a loss to the Zippers. It was an embarrassing 30-0 home game loss. That is the first time they have been shut out and the first time they have given up more than 20 points. The good news is they lead the league in completion percentage. The bad news is they don't throw very often and they are below average in offense and defense. The have a good run defense but the pass defense is not very good.
Last edited at 2/25/2021 12:27 pm
