Last week, the Most Subjective Ranking on the Internet received its first ever reply to my ranking. A Blackjacks fan named Steve (I assume that’s his name and not a pseudonym) replied that he would have ranked the Blackjacks at #3. I had ranked them #4, but not by much because three other teams had the same record at the time.

Steve left me no choice. I had to reply with gaming related puns.

The season goes on (and so will my puns) and the rankings will fluctuate, so let’s dive into this week’s “Power” Rankings.

1. Albany (5-0): Five weeks into the season, there are three certainties: death, taxes, and the Empire winning a game to remain in the top spot. Albany was in a tight contest with Atlantic City for the first half, but three turnovers by the defense in the second half sealed a win and a sweep of their three-game road trip. Those three turnovers were converted into 21 points, including two fumble returns for touchdowns by DB Juwan Offray and DL Joe Sykes. The offense continued their efficient ways, going 3-of-3 in the Red Zone and 2-of-3 on fourth down.

Next Week: The Empire return home and hope to continue their winning ways against a Washington team that has won three straight games.

2. Washington (3-2): In the first half of their game in Columbus, it seemed as if the Valor would be the first team to lose to the Destoyers. But Jack LB Alvin Ray Jackson’s pick six swung the momentum the for the Valor defense as it turned the screws to allow only six second half points. A sloppy, penalty-filled second half featured WR Reggie Gray’s ejection on a questionable call. But the Valor would have the ball last as they forced a safety on Grant Russell’s intentional grounding in the end zone and Arvell Nelson’s touchdown pass to Doug McNeil sealed the Valor’s third consecutive win.

Next Week: The Valor travel to Albany as they attempt to continue their win streak and break the Empire’s perfect record.

3. Baltimore (3-2): In their previous match against Philadelphia, the Brigade arguably had their worst quarter of football as QB Shane Boyd was forced into 11 consecutive incompletions. This week, their defense flipped the script on the visiting Soul, as their defense forced Soul QB Dan Raudabaugh into his worst game of the young season. Raudabaugh’s pass completion percentage was only 44% (15-of-34). That’s because of their secondary: collectively, they were credited with 9 pass breakups, including 5 from DB Josh Victorian.

Next Week: The Brigade will travel to Atlantic City for the second time in three weeks to face the Blackjacks in a budding rivalry.

4. Atlantic City (2-3): The Blackjacks looked to make a jump in the “Power” Rankings as they put their perfect home record on the line against Albany and it looked as if they were on their way to a giant upset, They went into the locker room with a 28-27 lead as WR Kendrick Ings was singlehandly beating the Empire to the shed with four touchdowns. However, the Empire defense locked down Ings and the Blackjacks offense as Atlantic City managed to score only 7 points in the second half. QB Randy Hippeard appeared to be hurt in the third quarter, possibly one reason why Atlantic City’s offense struggled for the remainder of the game.

Next Week: The Blackjacks look to get back to their winning ways against Baltimore, who shut down Philadelphia’s offense this past week.

5. Philadelphia (2-3): After a 2-0 start, the Soul lost two close games in a row and were hoping to snap their losing streak going into Baltimore. They even had Darius “Money” Reynolds returning to the lineup. However, this would not be the case as Baltimore’s defense shut down the vaunted Soul offense. It was evident that his was Philadelphia’s worst game of the season: upon taking a 13-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Soul scored only 14 points for the remainder of the game. The offense struggled as converted 1-of-7 opportunities on third down and 1-of-3 on fourth down. It didn’t help that WRs Aaron Wascha and Lonnie Outlaw were each lost to injury.

Next Week: The Soul looks to get back to their winning ways at home as they will host winless Columbus.

6. Columbus (0-5): The Destroyers hoped that this was the week that they would end their slide. They played like a team that was hungry for a win in the first half, playing effectively on both sides of the ball. The Destroyers went into the locker room with a 21-7 lead, but on the first play of the second half, QB Grant Russell threw a pick six. The wheels fell off the rest of the way on the offense as old patterns returned and they managed only six points in a chaotic second half. The defense did all that it could to keep the Destroyers in the game, but in the end, couldn’t close it out.

Next Week: The Destroyers go back on the road to Philadelphia in search of that elusive first win against a struggling Soul team.

Ryan McCarthy has been an on-and-off Internet columnist and blogger since 1997. He has been an avid follower of Arena Football since 1990 when the Albany Firebirds were established. Ryan currently attends Regent University, where he is pursuing his Bachelors degree in Communications with a Journalism concentration. He anticipates graduating toward the end of 2019. You can follow Ryan on Twitter at @rwhoisryanmcc