Playoff Review: Write a short review of the playoffs and each of the matchups.
The S2 playoffs have ended with the Arizona Outlaws taking the trophy in a game against the Baltimore Hawks. Congratulations! But how did we get to this matchup? Let's do a quick review of the playoff games.
First of all, in the NSFC championship game the Hawks faced off against the Yellowknife Wraiths in a pretty interesting matchup. There's a few things I want to mention. The Hawks defense stopped one of the most talented QBs in the league - Orosz, allowing him to complete for only one touchdown, intercepting him one time and letting him end the game with 113 passing yards which resulted in a horrible 57.6 rating. If that wasn't enough, ground game didn't save them either. Bubba Nuck managed to gain only 78 yards and he didn't score a single touchdown. However, the Hawks were quite dominant in this matchup, and the total yardage shows that, with the Hawks gaining over 250 yards more. That helped them to build the lead, since they were able to get a better field position and allow their kicker to score 3 field goals which in the end were enough to hold onto the lead and move to the NSFL championship game.
In the ASFC, the Otters faced the Outlaws. In a game which could just as well be the NSFL championship game, the Outlaws gained a lead in the first quarter after a touchdown by Tuck, and held onto it throughout the game despite the fact their quarterback got intercepted 3 times. The game was actually quite similar if you look at the box score, so in my opinion what decided the game was just the Outlaws playing a calm and collected game, allowing no errors.
They needed the same mindset in the cup game against the Hawks, and boy, did they do that. They absolutely DISABLED the offense of the Baltimore team, allowing 0 touchdowns, holding Kyubee to a horrible 27.8 passer rating and managing to get 2 safeties. Cristiano Ronaldo was on point, allowing the Outlaws to build on the lead almost every time they had possession. A well deserved victory, yet I think everyone would have liked a more interesting matchup. But that's for the future!
Offensive comparison
In the NSFC championship game much was decided by the game of both quarterbacks - S. Kyubee and C. Orosz. Let's break down their statistics in this game.
First of all, the actual pass attempts. Kyubee threw about 2 times more than Orosz, and completed a pass almost 3 times more than him. That's the first thing you could say lead the Hawks and Kyubee to success - you complete 0 passes you don't throw, and Kyubee definitely tried to establish a good passing game, and it's clear that the did that just as needed. That resulted in an obvious difference in passing yards. 336 by Kyubee and 113 by Orosz. However, the next stat is a bit interesting. You see that Kyubee gained 9.9 yards on average with his throws, but Orosz wasn't too far behind with 9.4. What does that mean? Maybe Orosz just didn't throw enough? Even more, at the end of the game, both quarterbacks had 1 touchdown and 1 intercepted pass. Maybe the Wraiths just had a poor decision making and they didn't let Orosz do the same as Kyubee did - gain field position to let their kicker do the work? That's a question that will never get an answer.
Defensive comparison
In the NSFC championship game defense played a big part. But now I’m going to compare two linebackers from each team - J. Lee and S. Harrison. Just looking by the statline, you can find the guy who had a bigger impact on the game - it was Lee. Twelve tackles vs nine, and one interception versus none. Both had 1 pass deflection. Okay, yeah, Lee had a better statline, but they aren't too different, did it really make a difference? My answer is yes. Lee, in my opinion, played a huge part in establishing fear in opposition. He stopped the first Hawks rush of the game and tackled the receiver in a 3rd and 7 situation, letting them take over the possession which ended up deciding the game - the Outlaws scored a touchdown. And what did Lee do on the next Hawks drive? Stop them again. He didn't let Farlane gain anything much, tackling him early and the defense managed to do a 3 and out much thanks to Lee. On the other side, Harrison didn't impact the game as much, racking up his tackles mid game, mostly on plays that didn't impact the game much. Yet Lee, just to put a cherry on the cake and make him look real solid, intercepted Kyubee in field goal range in the 4th quarter, eliminating any of Hawks chances of scoring a touchdown that game. Therefore, you can see how players can have similar statlines yet have a very differing impact on the game.
The S2 playoffs have ended with the Arizona Outlaws taking the trophy in a game against the Baltimore Hawks. Congratulations! But how did we get to this matchup? Let's do a quick review of the playoff games.
First of all, in the NSFC championship game the Hawks faced off against the Yellowknife Wraiths in a pretty interesting matchup. There's a few things I want to mention. The Hawks defense stopped one of the most talented QBs in the league - Orosz, allowing him to complete for only one touchdown, intercepting him one time and letting him end the game with 113 passing yards which resulted in a horrible 57.6 rating. If that wasn't enough, ground game didn't save them either. Bubba Nuck managed to gain only 78 yards and he didn't score a single touchdown. However, the Hawks were quite dominant in this matchup, and the total yardage shows that, with the Hawks gaining over 250 yards more. That helped them to build the lead, since they were able to get a better field position and allow their kicker to score 3 field goals which in the end were enough to hold onto the lead and move to the NSFL championship game.
In the ASFC, the Otters faced the Outlaws. In a game which could just as well be the NSFL championship game, the Outlaws gained a lead in the first quarter after a touchdown by Tuck, and held onto it throughout the game despite the fact their quarterback got intercepted 3 times. The game was actually quite similar if you look at the box score, so in my opinion what decided the game was just the Outlaws playing a calm and collected game, allowing no errors.
They needed the same mindset in the cup game against the Hawks, and boy, did they do that. They absolutely DISABLED the offense of the Baltimore team, allowing 0 touchdowns, holding Kyubee to a horrible 27.8 passer rating and managing to get 2 safeties. Cristiano Ronaldo was on point, allowing the Outlaws to build on the lead almost every time they had possession. A well deserved victory, yet I think everyone would have liked a more interesting matchup. But that's for the future!
Offensive comparison
In the NSFC championship game much was decided by the game of both quarterbacks - S. Kyubee and C. Orosz. Let's break down their statistics in this game.
First of all, the actual pass attempts. Kyubee threw about 2 times more than Orosz, and completed a pass almost 3 times more than him. That's the first thing you could say lead the Hawks and Kyubee to success - you complete 0 passes you don't throw, and Kyubee definitely tried to establish a good passing game, and it's clear that the did that just as needed. That resulted in an obvious difference in passing yards. 336 by Kyubee and 113 by Orosz. However, the next stat is a bit interesting. You see that Kyubee gained 9.9 yards on average with his throws, but Orosz wasn't too far behind with 9.4. What does that mean? Maybe Orosz just didn't throw enough? Even more, at the end of the game, both quarterbacks had 1 touchdown and 1 intercepted pass. Maybe the Wraiths just had a poor decision making and they didn't let Orosz do the same as Kyubee did - gain field position to let their kicker do the work? That's a question that will never get an answer.
Defensive comparison
In the NSFC championship game defense played a big part. But now I’m going to compare two linebackers from each team - J. Lee and S. Harrison. Just looking by the statline, you can find the guy who had a bigger impact on the game - it was Lee. Twelve tackles vs nine, and one interception versus none. Both had 1 pass deflection. Okay, yeah, Lee had a better statline, but they aren't too different, did it really make a difference? My answer is yes. Lee, in my opinion, played a huge part in establishing fear in opposition. He stopped the first Hawks rush of the game and tackled the receiver in a 3rd and 7 situation, letting them take over the possession which ended up deciding the game - the Outlaws scored a touchdown. And what did Lee do on the next Hawks drive? Stop them again. He didn't let Farlane gain anything much, tackling him early and the defense managed to do a 3 and out much thanks to Lee. On the other side, Harrison didn't impact the game as much, racking up his tackles mid game, mostly on plays that didn't impact the game much. Yet Lee, just to put a cherry on the cake and make him look real solid, intercepted Kyubee in field goal range in the 4th quarter, eliminating any of Hawks chances of scoring a touchdown that game. Therefore, you can see how players can have similar statlines yet have a very differing impact on the game.
![[Image: 5sMCmtf.png]](http://i.imgur.com/5sMCmtf.png)
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