New Talent:
I think the Season 11 trade that had the biggest impact on the playoffs was the trade between the Colorado Yeti and the Philadelphia Liberty. This trade saw the Yeti send Andre Bly Jr. and Eli Kamaka to the Liberty in exchange for the Liberty's second round pick. However, I think the biggest impact of this trade was not the presence of Bly and Kamaka on the Liberty, but rather their absence on the Yeti. After trading away two of their best defensive players, the Yeti had the worst defense in the league this year, giving up a league leading 417 points. This showed in the NSFC Championship Game as the Yeti surrendered 45 points against the Hawks. The Yeti's offense also struggled to get going in that game, but I think it could have been a completely different game with Bly and Kamaka on the Yeti as a better defense would have given the offense better field position. But also the bigger potential impact is the fact that the Yeti finished just one game behind the Hawks in the standings. If the Yeti had even an average defense, they likely would have been able to win a few more games with their high powered offense and could have been the team with home field advantage in the playoffs. It's possible that the Yeti would have been the team representing the NSFC in the championship if not for this trade. However, I don't think the Yeti necessarily regret this trade. They made it as part of a movement to accumulate assets so that they can build for more sustainable success in the future rather than trying to go all in for a one year run this season. But it is interesting to wonder how this year's playoffs may have been different if that trade didn't happen.
Playoff Predictions:
NSFC Championship Game:
@ 
The NSFC Championship Game will pit the Hawks and the Yeti against each other for a third year in a row. However, they are closer matched this time as they are separated by just one game in the standings. They split the season series with both teams winning in a blowout at home. I think the playoff match up will be closer than the regular season games, but will still be high scoring with two top offenses going against each other. I think the Hawks' superior defense combined with home field advantage will make the difference in this one.
Prediction: 31 41
ASFC Championship Game:
@ 
The ASFC Championship Game will see the Otters and the Second Line facing each other for a fourth consecutive season. They were had a tight race in the standings with the Second Line finishing in the lead by one game. Both of their games this season were pretty close, with the home team winning both games. Though the Otters have a slightly better defense, the Second Line have a much better offense, which I think will be the key to this game along with home field advantage.
Prediction: 24 31
NSFL Championship Game: @
The NSFL Championship Game will be another familiar matchup with the Hawks and the Second Line facing eachother for a third year in a row. With both teams winning once, this will be the rubber match. The Second Line appear to have the advantage in the matchup this year as they won both regular season games, though both were single score games. The Hawks were slightly better defensively, but the Second Line were better on offense by a larger margin. I think it will be a close one, but home field advantage will be the key for the Second Line to come away with a win.
Prediction: 30 33
Playoff Series MVP:
Looking at the NSFC Championship Game, I would say that the MVP of the game was Ryan Applehort. When a team has a big offensive performance, it is often due to their quarterback having a good day, which was the case for the Hawks in this game with Applehort having a huge game. The Hawks put a lot of trust in him as they had him throw the ball 58 times. He finished the game 40/58 for 410 yards and 4 touchdowns with 1 interception. He put up big numbers as he spread the ball around with four different receivers finishing with 80 yards or more, with Declan Harp finishing with 82 yards and a touchdown, Verso L'Alto finishing with 115 yards and a touchdown, Trey Willie finishing with 107 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Vincent Valentine finishing with 87 yards. There was no one receiver who carried the load for the Hawks as Applehort spread the ball around and got everybody involved, which made it nearly impossible to stop the Hawks' passing attack. This was a big game for Applehort as he was facing his former team in the playoffs, but he delivered on the big stage and was a driving force behind the Hawks advancing to the championship game. Without Applehort's big performance, this could have been a very different game instead of a dominant win for the Hawks.
Root for the Underdog:
Coming into the NSFL Championship Game, the New Orleans Second Line look to be the favorites. They have home field advantage, they have a better record and point differential than the Hawks, and they swept the Hawks in the regular season series. However, the Hawks shouldn't be written off as they still have a very real chance to win this game. Even though the Second Line won both regular season games, both went to overtime, so the Hawks are definitely capable of playing the Second Line close and they could have easily won both games instead if a few more plays had gone their way. The Second Line have the highest scoring offense in the league, but the Hawks' defense is currently on a roll as they just went against the second highest scoring offense, the Colorado Yeti's, and held it to just 7 points. The Hawks are a very well built team as they have a top quarterback surrounded by playmakers in the receiving game in addition to potentially the league's best running back on offense and they have playmakers at all levels of their defense. As the defending champions, the Hawks have plenty of experience in big games and won't back down from this tough challenge. Though the Hawks will enter this game as underdogs, they have already played the Second Line very close this season and they have the talent and experience to continue the momentum from their previous win and pull off an upset in the championship game.
I think the Season 11 trade that had the biggest impact on the playoffs was the trade between the Colorado Yeti and the Philadelphia Liberty. This trade saw the Yeti send Andre Bly Jr. and Eli Kamaka to the Liberty in exchange for the Liberty's second round pick. However, I think the biggest impact of this trade was not the presence of Bly and Kamaka on the Liberty, but rather their absence on the Yeti. After trading away two of their best defensive players, the Yeti had the worst defense in the league this year, giving up a league leading 417 points. This showed in the NSFC Championship Game as the Yeti surrendered 45 points against the Hawks. The Yeti's offense also struggled to get going in that game, but I think it could have been a completely different game with Bly and Kamaka on the Yeti as a better defense would have given the offense better field position. But also the bigger potential impact is the fact that the Yeti finished just one game behind the Hawks in the standings. If the Yeti had even an average defense, they likely would have been able to win a few more games with their high powered offense and could have been the team with home field advantage in the playoffs. It's possible that the Yeti would have been the team representing the NSFC in the championship if not for this trade. However, I don't think the Yeti necessarily regret this trade. They made it as part of a movement to accumulate assets so that they can build for more sustainable success in the future rather than trying to go all in for a one year run this season. But it is interesting to wonder how this year's playoffs may have been different if that trade didn't happen.
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Playoff Predictions:
NSFC Championship Game:
@ The NSFC Championship Game will pit the Hawks and the Yeti against each other for a third year in a row. However, they are closer matched this time as they are separated by just one game in the standings. They split the season series with both teams winning in a blowout at home. I think the playoff match up will be closer than the regular season games, but will still be high scoring with two top offenses going against each other. I think the Hawks' superior defense combined with home field advantage will make the difference in this one.
Prediction:
31 41ASFC Championship Game:
@ The ASFC Championship Game will see the Otters and the Second Line facing each other for a fourth consecutive season. They were had a tight race in the standings with the Second Line finishing in the lead by one game. Both of their games this season were pretty close, with the home team winning both games. Though the Otters have a slightly better defense, the Second Line have a much better offense, which I think will be the key to this game along with home field advantage.
Prediction:
24 31NSFL Championship Game:
@ The NSFL Championship Game will be another familiar matchup with the Hawks and the Second Line facing eachother for a third year in a row. With both teams winning once, this will be the rubber match. The Second Line appear to have the advantage in the matchup this year as they won both regular season games, though both were single score games. The Hawks were slightly better defensively, but the Second Line were better on offense by a larger margin. I think it will be a close one, but home field advantage will be the key for the Second Line to come away with a win.
Prediction:
30 33Quote:345 Words
Playoff Series MVP:
Looking at the NSFC Championship Game, I would say that the MVP of the game was Ryan Applehort. When a team has a big offensive performance, it is often due to their quarterback having a good day, which was the case for the Hawks in this game with Applehort having a huge game. The Hawks put a lot of trust in him as they had him throw the ball 58 times. He finished the game 40/58 for 410 yards and 4 touchdowns with 1 interception. He put up big numbers as he spread the ball around with four different receivers finishing with 80 yards or more, with Declan Harp finishing with 82 yards and a touchdown, Verso L'Alto finishing with 115 yards and a touchdown, Trey Willie finishing with 107 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Vincent Valentine finishing with 87 yards. There was no one receiver who carried the load for the Hawks as Applehort spread the ball around and got everybody involved, which made it nearly impossible to stop the Hawks' passing attack. This was a big game for Applehort as he was facing his former team in the playoffs, but he delivered on the big stage and was a driving force behind the Hawks advancing to the championship game. Without Applehort's big performance, this could have been a very different game instead of a dominant win for the Hawks.
Quote:231 Words
Root for the Underdog:
Coming into the NSFL Championship Game, the New Orleans Second Line look to be the favorites. They have home field advantage, they have a better record and point differential than the Hawks, and they swept the Hawks in the regular season series. However, the Hawks shouldn't be written off as they still have a very real chance to win this game. Even though the Second Line won both regular season games, both went to overtime, so the Hawks are definitely capable of playing the Second Line close and they could have easily won both games instead if a few more plays had gone their way. The Second Line have the highest scoring offense in the league, but the Hawks' defense is currently on a roll as they just went against the second highest scoring offense, the Colorado Yeti's, and held it to just 7 points. The Hawks are a very well built team as they have a top quarterback surrounded by playmakers in the receiving game in addition to potentially the league's best running back on offense and they have playmakers at all levels of their defense. As the defending champions, the Hawks have plenty of experience in big games and won't back down from this tough challenge. Though the Hawks will enter this game as underdogs, they have already played the Second Line very close this season and they have the talent and experience to continue the momentum from their previous win and pull off an upset in the championship game.
Quote:252 Words
![[Image: 24-win-MVP.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/h48H8mVk/24-win-MVP.png)
