NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



AFL's Inside the Numbers: Week 8

May 26, 2017 - Arena Football League (AFL)
Portland Steel News Release


AFL's Inside the Numbers: Week 8 May 26, 2017

Raudabaugh On Verge of 30,000-Yard Club - Dan Raudabaugh is within range of the 30,000-yard mark in his career. Only nine have done it in the past, but the Philadelphia Soul quarterback is sitting on 29,698 heading into this week's game with the Washington Valor. Raudabaugh hasn't thrown for 300+ yards in a game this season, but will need 302 to reach the coveted 30,000-yard mark this week.

Toliver 50 Yards Shy of 16,000 - Last week, Valor receiver T.T. Toliver became the fifth man in AFL history to reach 2,000 career points. This week, he's got a shot at becoming the first to ever amass 16,000 receiving yards in AFL history. Toliver needs 50 yards against the Soul on Saturday afternoon to reach said feat.

A 7-0 Sweet 16? - There have only been 15 teams in the history of the AFL start off a season at 7-0. The Soul are primed to do so in 2017, and they'll hope to finish off their first half of their season in perfect form when they travel to Washington on Saturday. Philadelphia has started 7-0 or better twice before in its history, most recently in 2015.

Benson's Push to 100 TDs - Mykel Benson already has 56 carries on the season for the Soul, nine of which have gone for touchdowns. He's a goal-line threat every time he has the ball in his hands, and if he can reach the end zone four times this week, he'll reach the 100-touchdown mark in his career on the ground. Just four others have done so in AFL history.

6K for SK - Shaun Kauleinamoku has evolved into one of the most consistent receivers in the AFL, and he's been a superstar for the Soul for the past three seasons. He enters Week 8 with 5,960 career receiving yards, and with 40 more, he'll become one of the six active players in the league to hit the 6,000-yard mark.

Feelin' 100 - One of Raudabaugh's other top targets, Ryan McDaniel, can make a little bit of personal history himself on Saturday afternoon. McDaniel has 99 career receiving touchdowns, and he's got a great chance of getting to 100 this weekend. There are nine other active receivers who have reached the triple-digit mark in touchdown receptions in their careers.

Washington's No Fly Zone - There have only been a total of 17 men in the history of the AFL that have picked off 39 passes or more, and the Valor happen to have two of them in their secondary. Cameron McGlenn is one INT away from 40 career interceptions, while Tracy Belton is a pick away from becoming the seventh in AFL history to intercept 50 balls.

A New Return - New Baltimore Brigade acquisition, Brandon Thompkins has been one of the masters at kick returns over the course of the last several seasons. Last week, he returned a kick for a TD as a member of the Cleveland Gladiators. Now, he can return the favor to his old club after being traded to the Brigade this week. Thompkins has 17 career kick returns for touchdowns, tied for the eighth most in AFL history. He also needs 170 return yards to become the 26th man to ever hit the 5,000-yard mark in kick returns for his career.

A Close Encounter - The Valor and Brigade are both at home in Week 8, and their games are separated by just six hours. More importantly, the site of the AFL's first game of the week, the Verizon Center in Washington D.C., and its second game, Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore are separated by just 37.4 miles. There is only one time that there were two AFL games played on the same day closer than that, that being on June 19, 1998. That day, the New Jersey Red Dogs beat the Florida Bobcats, while the New York CityHawks were beaten by the Grand Rapids Rampage. The two arenas were separated by a total of just 8.7 miles. The only other time in AFL history there have been games played between teams separated by fewer than 40 miles were when the New York Dragons and New Jersey Gladiators were separated by just 38.3 miles in 2001 and 2002. Those two teams both played home games on the same day four times.

• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League message board...

Arena Football League Stories from May 26, 2017


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Portland Steel Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central