1) Playoff Predictions, Reviews:
Written: Give a short write up of one or multiple playoff matches. If completed before the airing of the sims have predictions, after if it is a review the game.
Graphic: Make a graphic displaying the matchups in the playoffs. If completed before sim, predict scores and show stats, if after, give a summary of game showing stats and top performers.
The NFC Championship game was certainly one that went exactly as expected. The Coyotes and Pythons had split their series this season, with two wins each exclusively in the favor of the home team. Since the NFC Championship was being held in Portland, the advantage had to be given to the Pythons. Nobody could've predicted the game would've been as one-sided as it was, as both teams ended the season with the same record and had split their series, but it appeared that the home-field advantage truly was insurmountable for Kansas City. However, despite the victory, the game was an ugly one for Portland. With 5 turnovers, including one on the very last play of the game, Portland's offense didn't look like it had any chemistry or cohesion. The mixture of fumbles and interceptions on that side of the ball absolved any single player from all the blame, but it resulted in some ugly football. While the Portland defense was only able to force turnovers twice, keeping the Kansas City offense to only one score, especially under those conditions, is truly remarkable. One statistic that might be overlooked from the game is the penalties that really crippled the Coyotes. The Coyotes had 12 brutal penalties for 100 yards while the Pythons only had 4 for 35. While the game didn't end up very close, those 65 yards could've sparked a momentum shift in Kansas City's favor. In addition, if you actually solely take a look at time of possession and total yards, this game would appear much closer than it was. There was only an 8 second difference in time of possession and the Pythons only had 67 more yards (390 total) throughout the game. And yet, despite that and all of the troubling turnovers, the Pythons were still able to almost shut the Coyotes out. That resilience through numerous mistakes could be the deciding factor in the upcoming Ultimini game.
2) Underdog
Written: Write about one of the away teams in any matchup and explain why they can win. Must be completed before the sim.
Graphic: Create a graphic showing why the underdog will win
The returning Ultimini-champion Python team can't be looked at as anything but underdogs in this year's Ultimini Championship game. Both times that the Pythons and Solar Bears faced off this year, the Solar Bears came out with the victory. Regardless of in Palm Beach or Portland, the Pythons were unable to figure out how to outmatch the Solar Bears. In addition, the Ultimini game will be taking place in Palm Beach, which confers home-field advantage to the Solar Bears. While the Pythons have proven they could do it last year, they had home-field advantage and arguably a better squad to do it with. In the NFC championship game, the Portland offense gave the ball away 5 times. However, I believe that the Pythons still have a great chance to win the Ultimini game this year. Despite these 5 turnovers in the NFC championship game, the Pythons were able to hold the Coyotes to only 7 total points throughout the entire game. In addition, the Solar Bears only beat the Pythons by 3 and 2 points in each game this season. That is not an insurmountable mountain to overcome and with the proper preparation, Portland could cause an upset. In addition, the Solar Bears are 3rd and 5th in the league in points scored and allowed, respectively. The Pythons have been able to hold 2nd place in the league for both of these categories. Home-field advantage may not be enough to help the Solar Bears overcome their 5th in the league defense when faced with a 2nd in the league offense. When it comes to yards and yards allowed, the teams are much closer, but as the NFC championship game showed, yards and turnovers don't necessarily reflect how the game will go. One thing to watch out for is the Solar Bears' 2nd in the league rushing yards going against Portland's 4 in the league rushing defense. However, with all of the other things in Portland's favor, I can definitely see them pulling out the victory even in Palm Beach.
3) All about the QBs
Written: Write 200 words on one of the QB matchups in this year's playoffs. What are you most excited to see (Or excited to have seen), who will play better (Or who played better), etc.
Graphic: Create a graphic on a QB matchup, (Pictures with side-by-side statistics).
The NFC championship game was surprisingly full of a lot of ugly quarterback play by both Armstrong and Jenkins. With three picks between the two of them and one touchdown pass each, neither ended the game with a particularly impressive QB rating. In addition, both quarterbacks hit on about 50% of their pass attempts, but they at least did have strong average yards per catch. Armstrong attempted 12 more passes than Jenkins, but was only able to land 5 more completions, which isn't a particularly impressive feat. In addition, Armstrong attempted to run the ball twice in the game, but each time only provided the team a single yard. One important statistic, though, is that Armstrong only had 9 3rd downs and he was able to convert 6 of them. Now, this is a result of both an efficient offensive showing and also the frequent turnovers that plagued the Portland offense. Jenkins was only able to lead the Coyotes to 3 3rd down conversions out of 13 attempts, which is an ugly showing for that offense. Jenkins also led the Coyotes to convert 2 out of 3 4th down attempts while Armstrong never needed to try for a 4th down conversion. In addition, this disparity is not a result of time of possession, as Portland was able to create 18 first downs while Kansas City was able to convert 16 first downs. While the Pythons were able to truly dominate the Coyotes, based on quarterback play alone, it is hard to say if either Armstrong or Jenkins truly stood out as the superior player.
6) Our Time
Written: Why should your team be looked at the favorite to win the Ultimus or Ultimini.
Graphics: Show with a graphic why your team is/was the best team.
There are a lot of reasons why you should bet on the Pythons to win the Ultimini this season as well. Obviously, we are the reigning Ultimini champions, but with the player turnaround in the DSFL, that doesn't always lead itself to imply that we would have an advantage. A lot of key players stayed around after last season though, such as our star quarterback Franklin Armstrong. With him leading the offense and defensive veterans such as myself and Lanzer Grievous on defense, the Pythons didn't start the season even close to square one. On the contrary, us three were able to take the league by storm from the beginning and even though the team isn't quite what it was last season, it maintained a dominance appropriate for the reigning champions. In terms of statistics and numbers, the Pythons are second in the league for both points scored and allowed, which, at the end of the day matters much more than yards or any other metric. Points win games after all, not yards. In contrast, the Solar Bears are only 3rd and 5th in points allowed and scored, respectively, which puts the Pythons at a distinct advantage for the numbers that really matter. Even without home-field advantage, the Pythons are looking to show off their playoff experience and maintain that positive point differential that they've had all season. In addition, the Solar Bears were able to beat the Pythons twice this season, including once at home, but the difference in score was only 3 and 2 in the games. A deficit of 3 is definitely conquerable, especially with the adrenaline of the Ultimini rushing through the players. While it may seem that the Solar Bears have this one in the books based on the previous meetings this past season, I expect the Pythons to surprise many people in the Ultimini.
Written: Give a short write up of one or multiple playoff matches. If completed before the airing of the sims have predictions, after if it is a review the game.
Graphic: Make a graphic displaying the matchups in the playoffs. If completed before sim, predict scores and show stats, if after, give a summary of game showing stats and top performers.
The NFC Championship game was certainly one that went exactly as expected. The Coyotes and Pythons had split their series this season, with two wins each exclusively in the favor of the home team. Since the NFC Championship was being held in Portland, the advantage had to be given to the Pythons. Nobody could've predicted the game would've been as one-sided as it was, as both teams ended the season with the same record and had split their series, but it appeared that the home-field advantage truly was insurmountable for Kansas City. However, despite the victory, the game was an ugly one for Portland. With 5 turnovers, including one on the very last play of the game, Portland's offense didn't look like it had any chemistry or cohesion. The mixture of fumbles and interceptions on that side of the ball absolved any single player from all the blame, but it resulted in some ugly football. While the Portland defense was only able to force turnovers twice, keeping the Kansas City offense to only one score, especially under those conditions, is truly remarkable. One statistic that might be overlooked from the game is the penalties that really crippled the Coyotes. The Coyotes had 12 brutal penalties for 100 yards while the Pythons only had 4 for 35. While the game didn't end up very close, those 65 yards could've sparked a momentum shift in Kansas City's favor. In addition, if you actually solely take a look at time of possession and total yards, this game would appear much closer than it was. There was only an 8 second difference in time of possession and the Pythons only had 67 more yards (390 total) throughout the game. And yet, despite that and all of the troubling turnovers, the Pythons were still able to almost shut the Coyotes out. That resilience through numerous mistakes could be the deciding factor in the upcoming Ultimini game.
2) Underdog
Written: Write about one of the away teams in any matchup and explain why they can win. Must be completed before the sim.
Graphic: Create a graphic showing why the underdog will win
The returning Ultimini-champion Python team can't be looked at as anything but underdogs in this year's Ultimini Championship game. Both times that the Pythons and Solar Bears faced off this year, the Solar Bears came out with the victory. Regardless of in Palm Beach or Portland, the Pythons were unable to figure out how to outmatch the Solar Bears. In addition, the Ultimini game will be taking place in Palm Beach, which confers home-field advantage to the Solar Bears. While the Pythons have proven they could do it last year, they had home-field advantage and arguably a better squad to do it with. In the NFC championship game, the Portland offense gave the ball away 5 times. However, I believe that the Pythons still have a great chance to win the Ultimini game this year. Despite these 5 turnovers in the NFC championship game, the Pythons were able to hold the Coyotes to only 7 total points throughout the entire game. In addition, the Solar Bears only beat the Pythons by 3 and 2 points in each game this season. That is not an insurmountable mountain to overcome and with the proper preparation, Portland could cause an upset. In addition, the Solar Bears are 3rd and 5th in the league in points scored and allowed, respectively. The Pythons have been able to hold 2nd place in the league for both of these categories. Home-field advantage may not be enough to help the Solar Bears overcome their 5th in the league defense when faced with a 2nd in the league offense. When it comes to yards and yards allowed, the teams are much closer, but as the NFC championship game showed, yards and turnovers don't necessarily reflect how the game will go. One thing to watch out for is the Solar Bears' 2nd in the league rushing yards going against Portland's 4 in the league rushing defense. However, with all of the other things in Portland's favor, I can definitely see them pulling out the victory even in Palm Beach.
3) All about the QBs
Written: Write 200 words on one of the QB matchups in this year's playoffs. What are you most excited to see (Or excited to have seen), who will play better (Or who played better), etc.
Graphic: Create a graphic on a QB matchup, (Pictures with side-by-side statistics).
The NFC championship game was surprisingly full of a lot of ugly quarterback play by both Armstrong and Jenkins. With three picks between the two of them and one touchdown pass each, neither ended the game with a particularly impressive QB rating. In addition, both quarterbacks hit on about 50% of their pass attempts, but they at least did have strong average yards per catch. Armstrong attempted 12 more passes than Jenkins, but was only able to land 5 more completions, which isn't a particularly impressive feat. In addition, Armstrong attempted to run the ball twice in the game, but each time only provided the team a single yard. One important statistic, though, is that Armstrong only had 9 3rd downs and he was able to convert 6 of them. Now, this is a result of both an efficient offensive showing and also the frequent turnovers that plagued the Portland offense. Jenkins was only able to lead the Coyotes to 3 3rd down conversions out of 13 attempts, which is an ugly showing for that offense. Jenkins also led the Coyotes to convert 2 out of 3 4th down attempts while Armstrong never needed to try for a 4th down conversion. In addition, this disparity is not a result of time of possession, as Portland was able to create 18 first downs while Kansas City was able to convert 16 first downs. While the Pythons were able to truly dominate the Coyotes, based on quarterback play alone, it is hard to say if either Armstrong or Jenkins truly stood out as the superior player.
6) Our Time
Written: Why should your team be looked at the favorite to win the Ultimus or Ultimini.
Graphics: Show with a graphic why your team is/was the best team.
There are a lot of reasons why you should bet on the Pythons to win the Ultimini this season as well. Obviously, we are the reigning Ultimini champions, but with the player turnaround in the DSFL, that doesn't always lead itself to imply that we would have an advantage. A lot of key players stayed around after last season though, such as our star quarterback Franklin Armstrong. With him leading the offense and defensive veterans such as myself and Lanzer Grievous on defense, the Pythons didn't start the season even close to square one. On the contrary, us three were able to take the league by storm from the beginning and even though the team isn't quite what it was last season, it maintained a dominance appropriate for the reigning champions. In terms of statistics and numbers, the Pythons are second in the league for both points scored and allowed, which, at the end of the day matters much more than yards or any other metric. Points win games after all, not yards. In contrast, the Solar Bears are only 3rd and 5th in points allowed and scored, respectively, which puts the Pythons at a distinct advantage for the numbers that really matter. Even without home-field advantage, the Pythons are looking to show off their playoff experience and maintain that positive point differential that they've had all season. In addition, the Solar Bears were able to beat the Pythons twice this season, including once at home, but the difference in score was only 3 and 2 in the games. A deficit of 3 is definitely conquerable, especially with the adrenaline of the Ultimini rushing through the players. While it may seem that the Solar Bears have this one in the books based on the previous meetings this past season, I expect the Pythons to surprise many people in the Ultimini.
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