Orlando moves into top 5 in Week 14 AFL Power Rankings
Mike Delrio
Thursday June 12, 2014
Arizona, Pittsburgh, San Jose, and Cleveland all won to keep the Nos.1-4 unchanged, but losses by Philadelphia and Iowa allow Orlando to move into the No.5 slot
Power Rankings: Week 14
1. Arizona Rattlers (12-0) (LW: W @ PO 70-59) – Arizona hung 70 points on the Portland defense on their way to their twelfth straight win this season. The Rattlers offense has now scored 70 points in four of their last six games, and there is little chance San Antonio will bring Arizona’s undefeated run to an end when they host the Rattlers this week..
2. Pittsburgh Power (9-3) (LW: W vs. NO 65-26) – After handing Cleveland their first loss of the season last week, Pittsburgh was business-like in their dismantling of New Orleans in Week 13 action. The Power scored 65, winning by 39 points. Pittsburgh will square off with in state rival Philadelphia on the road this week in one of the games to watch. This matchup promises to be a heavyweight battle.
3. San Jose SaberCats (8-4) (LW: W vs. LA 63-35) – The San Jose defense delivered another solid effort, holding Los Angeles to 35 points, in a 28 point win last week. The SaberCats will be home against Spokane this week.
4.Cleveland Gladiators (10-1) (LW: W vs. IA 86-49) – Cleveland came back with a vengeance after losing their first game of the season last week, putting 86 points on the board on their way to a 37 point victory over Iowa. The Gladiators are capable of beating any team in the AFL, but continue to play inconsistently. Cleveland is home again this week, and should have little difficulty against New Orleans.
5. Orlando Predators (7-5) (LW: W @ SA 58-39) – After a 10-point loss to Iowa, Orlando faced a must-win game when they traveled to San Antonio last week. A loss, even a road one, to the 1-10 Talons would have been disastrous. The Predators did what they had to and came away with the W. Orlando will be home this week to face instate rival Jacksonville and joins Pitt @ Philly as one of the games to watch.
6. Philadelphia Soul (6-6) (LW: L @ TB 56-49) – Philadelphia fell to Tampa Bay on the road, and has now dropped two of their last three games. The Soul will be home this week against the Power, and need to pull an upset of their own against their instate rival. Pittsburgh has played consistently over the last couple of months, and will present a big challenge as Philly attempts to stop their slide.
7. Iowa Barnstormers (6-6) (LW: L @ CLV 86-49) – Iowa got hammered by Cleveland in Week 13 to fall back to .500 on the season. The Barnstormers are home this week against a Tampa Bay team that is coming off an upset win over Philadelphia, and are a threat to do the same to the Barnstormers. Iowa is 3-2 at home this season, while Tampa is 2-3 on the road. This looks like a fight that will go to the end. Iowa is a slight favorite due to the home field, but momentum is in favor of the Storm.
8. Tampa Bay Storm (6-6) (LW: W vs. PHL 56-49) – Tampa Bay looked solid in their upset win over Philadelphia in Week 13, and have now put together three consecutive wins following a five-game losing streak. The Storm go on the road to play the Barnstormers in one of the three games to watch this week.
9. Jacksonville Sharks (4-7) (LW: W vs. SPO 34-28) – Jacksonville beat Spokane in a game that saw the scoring done in the first half. The Sharks continue to struggle to find consistency, but will take the W and try to build on it when they travel to Orlando this week.
10. Spokane Shock (6-6) (LW: L @ JAX 34-28) – Spokane falls back to .500 after losing to Jacksonville in a low-scoring game. The Shock will improve upon the return of their starting quarterback, but will continue to have trouble scoring until then. The Shock will travel to California to play San Jose in Week 14.
11. Portland Thunder (3-9) (LW: L vs. AZ 70-59) – Portland played well against the best team in the AFL, but fell to Arizona by a 70-59 count. After a 0-5 start to the season, Portland has gone 3-4 and continues to move in the right direction. The Thunder travel to Los Angeles to play a KISS team that is 1-4 at home, and has lost eight straight games. Portland needs a win against Los Angeles, or they will take a step backwards.
12. New Orleans VooDoo (2-9) (LW: L @ PGH 65-26) – New Orleans continues to show little improvement on either side of the ball, and are now 2-9 after a 39 point loss to Pittsburgh. The VooDoo will travel to Cleveland to play the Gladiators, a team that put up 86 points at home against Iowa in Week 13, and are likely to do the same to New Orleans this week.
13. San Antonio Talons (1-11) (LW: L vs. ORL 58-39) – San Antonio played better than they have in weeks, but came up 19 points short against the visiting Orlando Predators. The Talons look to be win No. 13 for Arizona this week when the Rattlers pay a visit.
14. Los Angeles KISS (2-9) (LW: L @ SJ 63-35) – Los Angeles lost to San Jose by 28 points last week, and have now lost eight straight games. The KISS will be home this week against Portland, a team that is playing better than Los Angeles currently, and will be trying to end the league’s longest losing streak.
The Power Rankings are determined by Total Wins, Division Wins, Road Wins, Home Losses, results against common opponents, and Head-to-Head results. The higher-ranked teams are 54-19 since the first week the rankings were released (Week 4), 36-8 since Week 8.
Mike began his third season reporting on the Georgia Force in March, 2012. Coverage includes weekly game previews and recaps, exclusive interviews and AFL news. Mike has been a Gwinnett County resident (the home of the Force) for two decades and provides coverage of the counties other pro sports franchises, the Gwinnett Braves (Braves Triple-A affiliate) and the Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL, player development deals with both the Phoenix Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres) as well.