AFL ArenaFan Power Ranking: Week 2
Mike Delrio
Wednesday April 8, 2015
The second week of 2015 Arena Football League action included the AFL defending champion Arizona Rattlers losing to the Las Vegas Outlaws, a team in their inaugural season, in the upset of the week.
Week 2 Power Ranking
1. San Jose SaberCats (2-0) (LW: W vs. LA 54-28) – San Jose opened its home schedule with a 26-point win against Los Angeles on Saturday night. The victory over the KISS improved the Cats to 2-0 and moves them into the No. 1 spot in this week’s ArenaFan Power Ranking after Arizona lost to Las Vegas to clear the way. For the second week in a row, quarterback Erik Meyer threw six touchdown passes in the win for his new club. San Jose will be on the road in Week 3 against Tampa Bay.
2. Philadelphia Soul (2-0) (LW: W @ SPO 54-43) – Philadelphia had a battle with Spokane that saw the Soul do just enough to win their second consecutive road game after defeating Orlando in Florida last week. Philly QB Dan Raudabaugh threw six TD passes and broke the 300-yard mark (305) while the Soul defense held the Shock to just 185 total yards. Philadelphia will play its first home game of the season on Sunday when Jacksonville visits.
3. Arizona Rattlers (1-1) (LW: L vs. LV 70-53) – Arizona was outscored by Las Vegas in the second-half of last week’s game by 16 points en route to a stunning loss to the first-year Outlaws. The Rattlers were held to just six points in the final quarter of the loss. Arizona will try to bounce back against a tough Cleveland team on the road this week.
4. Orlando Predators (1-1) (LW: W @ JAX 55-54) – Orlando earned a big Southern Division road win against Jacksonville in a game that was as statistically close as the one-point margin would suggest. Both teams came in following open week losses and fought for a W, but the Preds came away with the win as well as the early season advantage in the division. Orlando will play New Orleans on the road in Week 3 and must guard against a letdown against a reenergized VooDoo squad.
5. Jacksonville Sharks (0-2) (LW: L vs. ORL 55-54) – Touted by many as the most-improved team coming into the 2015 season, Jacksonville has opened the season with back-to-back, one-point losses and is at risk of a 0-3 start if it doesn't find a way to win on the road against a good Philadelphia team this week.
6. Cleveland Gladiators (2-0) (LW: W @ NO 70-42) – Cleveland played well on both sides of the ball resulting in a workmanlike 28-point win over New Orleans. Gladiator quarterback Shane Austin threw seven touchdowns, five to Dominick Goodman, and has 14 TD passes in the first two games. Cleveland is home against Arizona this week.
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7. Spokane Shock (0-2) (LW: L vs. PHL 54-43) – Spokane managed just one double-digit scoring quarter in an eleven point loss to Philadelphia after scoring just 16 points in the second half in a loss to Arizona last week. The Shock have turned the ball over seven times in the first two games. Spokane will visit Portland this week looking to get in the win column, but must find a way to put points on the board and reduce turnovers to beat a Portland team that plays hard for four-quarters and will be in front of the home fans.
8. Tampa Bay Storm (1-1) (LW: W @ PO 54-48) – Tampa Bay cut their number of turnovers from four in a Week 1 loss to Cleveland to one in a win against Portland and QB Jason Boltus delivered another solid effort (6 TDs, 294 yards) after throwing for 383 yards and six TDs last week. Tampa Bay is home against San Jose on Friday.
9. Las Vegas Outlaws (1-1) (LW: W vs. SJ 59-41) – After outscoring San Jose by 11 points in the last two quarters of last week’s loss, Las Vegas put more points on the board in three of four quarters against Arizona to beat the defending AFL champion Rattlers by 18 points in the upset of the week. The Outlaws have a opportunity for back-to-back wins when they travel to Los Angeles to take on the KISS in a Week 3 pairing.
10. Portland Thunder (1-1) (LW: L vs. TB 54-48) – Portland lost to Tampa Bay but continues to show improvement from their inaugural season. The Thunder will be visited by Spokane in Week 3.
11. New Orleans VooDoo (1-1) (LW: L vs. CLV 70-42) – New Orleans was outscored by a TD in every quarter by Cleveland in a 28 point loss but continues to improve from last season. The VooDoo host Orlando this week.
12. Los Angeles KISS (0-2) (LW: L @ SJ 54-28) – Los Angeles scored just 28 points in a loss to Cleveland and have managed only 65 points in two games. The KISS will play the home opener against Las Vegas this week and desperately need a win to avoid being relegated to the cellar dweller just three weeks into the season.
Game of the Week: No. 3 Arizona @ No. 6 Cleveland
The team with the higher power ranking won three of six games in Week 2, eight of 12 for the season.