Rattlers Remain No.1, KISS Fall to No. 13 in Week 8 AFL Power Rankings
Mike Delrio
Saturday May 3, 2014
Arizona and Cleveland both won in Week 7 to hold the top two spots in the Arena Football League Power Rankings for Week 8. Pittsburgh lost, allowing Spokane and San Jose to pass them. Los Angeles’ skid continues, falling from No. 9 to No. 13 this week.
Power Rankings: Week 8
1. Arizona Rattlers (6-0) (LW: W vs. SA 69-59) – Arizona improved to 6-0 after a win over San Antonio at home. After battles with San Jose and Pittsburgh in back-to-back weeks, Arizona was looking forward to an easier opponent last week, but the one-win Talons played well and kept the game close. The Rattlers will travel to Jacksonville this week.
2. Cleveland Gladiators (6-0) (LW: W vs. PITT 55-28) – Cleveland won going away against Pitt to remain undefeated and keep the No. 2 spot in the week’s rankings. The Gladiators are on a bye this week.
3. Spokane Shock (4-2) (LW: W @ TB 53-41) – Spokane went on the road and defeated Tampa Bay by 12 to move up a notch, from No.4 to No.3. The Shock will travel to Los Angeles to face a KISS team that is reeling after three consecutive losses, including two at home.
4. San Jose SaberCats (4-3) (LW: W @ LA 48-32) – San Jose beat Los Angeles for their second straight win after a three-game losing streak, and are over .500 for the second time this season. The Cats are home against Orlando this week, and need to step up and earn a W against a solid team-which Orlando is.
5. Pittsburgh Power (3-3) (LW: L @ CLV 55-28) – After coming within four points of handing top ranked Arizona their first loss of the season (on the road at that), Pitt looked drained against Cleveland on their way to a 27 point loss. The Power will have to regroup and deliver a better effort to beat a visiting Philadelphia Soul squad.
6. Philadelphia Soul (3-3) (LW: W vs. IA 60-55) – Philadelphia played well for the third week in a row in beating Iowa by five, and have now evened their season mark to 3-3 after opening the season with three straight losses. The Soul and Power play this week and have momentum (three wins in a row) on their side. The Power will have to gut it out and find a way to snap their losing streak against a Philly team that is on a roll.
7. Orlando Predators (5-2) (LW: W vs. NO 63-48) – Orlando improved to 4-1 at home after beating a New Orleans team that got pounded in front of their home fans by San Antonio, 68-33, the week before. The Predators have an opportunity to move up in the Power Rankings this week when they travel to San Jose to play a SaberCats team that has been inconsistent the last few weeks.
8. Iowa Barnstormers (3-3) (LW: L @ PHILLY 60-55) – Iowa played well on the road in losing to Philadelphia by five. Despite the loss, the Barnstormers move from No. 8 to No. 10 due to losses by both Jacksonville (to Portland, 0-5 coming in) and Los Angeles.
9. Tampa Bay Storm (3-4) (LW: L vs. SPO 53-41) – Tampa Bay played better than they have in the last three weeks, but fell to Spokane by 12 points for their third consecutive loss, fourth in five games. The Storm will host Portland this week and should snap the losing skid.
10. Jacksonville Sharks (2-4) (LW: L vs. PO 69-62) – Jacksonville lost at home to previous winless Portland by a touchdown in Week 7 action. The loss is the latest setback for a Sharks team that has had trouble playing consistently on the offensive side of the ball, and now has to play No. 1 Arizona this week. Jacksonville will be at home, but must deliver a better effort not to get blown out this week. The Sharks need a win badly, but the Rattlers are not likely to cooperate.
11. San Antonio Talons (1-6) (LW: L @ AZ 69-59) – San Antonio has played well over the last three weeks. In that span, the Talons have lost to Iowa by a point, beat New Orleans by 37 for their first W of the season, and lost to top ranked Arizona by 10 on the road. The Talons are home this week against Iowa and would like to keep the momentum going they have built up over the last few weeks. Win or lose, San Antonio needs another solid effort to keep improving.
12. Portland Thunder (1-5) (LW: W @ JAX 69-62) – Portland played well for the second straight week, and this time were rewarded with a win, their first of the season, against Jacksonville. The Thunder travel to Tampa this week and hope to hand the Storm their fourth consecutive loss. With Portland’s win and Tampa’s losing skid, this game shapes up to be very competitive.
13. Los Angeles KISS (2-4) (LW: L vs. SJ 48-32) - Los Angeles lost by 16 at home to San Jose in Week 7, and desperately need a win this week when they play host to Spokane. The KISS has lost three straight after a 2-1 start in their inaugural AFL season, and need to stop the bleeding. It will be a tough task against the No. 3 Shock.
14. New Orleans VooDoo (1-5) (LW: L @ ORL 63-48) – New Orleans fell by 15 points to Orlando, and continues to struggle. The good news for the VooDoo is that they did put 48 points on the board, more than their last two games combined (47), but New Orleans needs a win. The VooDoo has a bye this week, and will need the extra week to prepare to play the Soul in Philadelphia in Week 9 action.
The Power Rankings are determined by a formula that considers Total Wins, Division Wins, Road Wins, Home Losses, and results against common opponents. The rankings were first released after Week 2 action. Thus far, the higher-ranked teams in the rankings are 24-11 for the season.
