Arena Football One Playoff Picture: Week 12

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Arena Football One Playoff Picture: Week 12

May 29, 2025 - Arena Football One (AF1) News Release


With only three weeks remaining in the Arena Football One season, teams are still jockeying for playoff position, and five teams are still trying to secure their playoff berths. The Albany Firebirds and Southwest Kansas Storm have both punched their tickets to the playoffs, and Albany has clinched homefield throughout the playoffs. Southwest Kansas has locked up a playoff spot, but they are still battling to lock down the number two seed and a home playoff game. Behind the Storm and Firebirds, the Nashville Kats, Billings Outlaws, Salina Liberty, Corpus Christi Tritons, and Oregon Lightning are all fighting for their playoff lives.

Arena Football One Playoff Format

For the 2025 Arena Football One Playoffs, four teams will make the playoffs, with the number one and number two seeds hosting first-round games and the highest remaining seed hosting the Arena Championship Game. Currently, the Albany Firebirds have secured the #1 Seed and homefield all playoffs long. Currently sitting at #2, the Southwest Kansas Storm are close to locking that up. The Nashville Kats and Corpus Christi Tritons are currently holding onto the remaining playoff spots.

Albany Firebirds (9-0, #1 Seed) CLINCHED

100% to Make Playoffs

100% to Secure Homefield

The Firebirds have been on a mission all season. They have been systematically dismantling opponents all season long. Through nine games, the Firebirds are outscoring opponents by 313 points, and their offense looks unstoppable. With quarterback Sam Castronova and dynamic receiver Duane Brown in the fold, the Firebirds' offense is the most dangerous in the league, and there are few teams that can keep up offensively.

Defensively, they are almost as impressive. Their defense is allowing the fewest points per game and has come up big in crucial moments all season. With a dynamic duo up front in Ezekiel Rose and Harold Love, the Firebirds' defense has disrupted opposing offenses in key moments. Even in tight contests, the defense has stood tall and preserved the Firebirds' perfect record. They will be tough to beat down the stretch.

Southwest Kansas Storm (7-3, #2 Seed) SECURED PLAYOFF SPOT

100% to Make Playoffs

64% to Secure Round One Home Game

Way out in Dodge City, Kansas, there's a strom a brewing, and at the center of it is Jalen Morton and Michael Lawson. Morton has the Storm offense humming and has looked like an MVP candidate all season long. He is a dual-threat quarterback who sits second in passing yardage, tied for second in passing touchdowns, and leads AF1 in rushing yards, yards per game, and rushing touchdowns. He has developed a potent rapport with veteran Demarius Washington and newcomer Charles Hall IV, both of whom are carving up defenses. Add in the shifty Shiloh Flanagan, and the Storm have a three-headed monster in their receiving corps that gives defenses fits.

Defensively, this secondary has been locking teams down. Michael Lawson, Dontra Matthews, and Keon Clary all have multiple interceptions on the season, and up front, Nick Evans, Robert Cooper, all have more than five sacks as well. The Storm Defense is creating havoc, and they are hungry to prove the doubters wrong.

In order to lock down the #2 Seed, the Storm have two paths. First, and most simply, is to win out. This will be a tough road to travel as they have a home and home with the Salina Liberty in Weeks 13 & 14. Salina has been on a tear lately and would love to steal one or two games from their in-state rivals. Path two involves them splitting with Salina and the Billings Outlaws beating the Nashville Kats in Week 13, or Corpus Christi stealing a game from the Kats in Weeks 12 or 14.

Nashville Kats (4-3, #3 Seed) IN THE HUNT

72% to Make Playoffs

33% to Secure Round One Home Game

Head Coach Darren Arbet has the Nashville Kats humming his favorite tune right now, Playoff Bound and Down! The Kats have bounced back from some tough early season loses and are currently sitting in the #3 seed. With Kulkamania sweeping the nation, the Kats' offense has proven they have klaws. With a receiving corps that is deeper than some fresh, homemade corn bread, Nashville is ready to take on Albany and Southwest Kansas in the playoffs and has the firepower to put them on their heels.

Defensively, it all revolves around their stellar defensive secondary. Isaiah McFarland and Shaun Lews are first and second in AF1 in interceptions and will punish offenses that are careless with the ball. Up front, the Kats are no slouches, and new addition Jaquan Artis is joining with Justin Alexandre to ratchet up the pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Nashville has a favorable schedule up ahead, and even if they drop a game or two, they are still in prime position to secure a playoff spot. So long as they do not drop all three of their remaining games, the Kats are likely a lock for the playoffs. Where this gets interesting is in Nashville's quest for a home playoff game. They are currently trailing the Storm in win percentage and need some help to catch them. If Salina can steal one game against Southwest Kansas and Nashville can take down Billings, then the Kats will vault into the #2 seed. The Billings Outlaws vs Nashville Kats in Week 13 will likely be one of three games that are central to defining playoff positioning.

Corpus Christi Tritons (3-4, #4 Seed) IN THE HUNT

8% to Make Playoffs

>1% to Secure Round One Home Game

Things have been up and down for Corpus Christi this season, but they looked more sure of themselves last week at Albany. The offense had flashes of productivity, and the defense was not completely out of sorts. With quarterback Fred Payton leading the offense, Corpus Christi could be dangerous against Nashville in Weeks 12 and 14. Add in a key game in Week 13 against fellow playoff hopeful Oregon, and the Tritons are right in the thick of it.

Corpus Christi has had a rocky season and now appears to be stabilized. Their remaining schedule is going to be incredibly challenging with a home and home against Nashville and a trip to Oregon to take on the Lightning. The Tritons need to find some magic, but two wins will likely put them into the playoffs.

Oregon Lightning (4-6, #5 Seed) IN THE HUNT

24% to Make Playoffs

>1% Secure Round One Home Game

In year one, the Oregon Lightning have been entertaining as hell. Their offense has flashed brilliance at times, and left-handed quarterback Dalton Cole has been at the center of those efforts. Cole has developed a rapport with Kris Lewis, and Lewis is carving up defensive secondaries left and right. Offensively, Oregon can punch with anyone in arena football so long as Cole is firing on all cylinders. He does have moments where the ball gets away from him, and those turnovers have been backbreakers.

Defensively, the Lightning can create splash plays, but have not always been able to put a lock on games down the stretch. Jeremiah Spicer is the heart and soul of this defense from his linebacker position and is central to the Lightning's ability to create opportunities. If the defense can tighten up against Billings this week, they could springboard themselves into a strong playoff position.

In order to lock down the #2 Seed and a home playoff game, the Lightning need a lot of things to break exactly right, and they need to win out. However, to lock down a playoff slot, the clearest path is for the Lightning to split with Billings (Week 12 & 14) and beat the Tritons (Week 13). If they win out, they can lock down their playoff spot with no help required, but if they can close out winning two of their last three, then they still have a good shot of making it with a tiny bit of help from Southwest Kansas or Nashville.

Salina Liberty (3-5, #6 Seed) IN THE HUNT

14% to Make Playoffs

0% to Secure Round One Home Game

After a rocky start to the season, Salina has turned their season around thanks to the arrival of quarterback Rakeem Cato. He has revitalized the Liberty offense with the help of dynamic playmakers Malik Honeycutt and Ed Smith. Both Smith and Honeycutt are carving up defenses, and Cato is dropping dimes on arena defenses from coast to coast.

Against Albany, the Liberty took the Firebirds to overtime and looked like they were in position to knock off Albany's undefeated season. Now they are up against the wall with three games remaining and little margin for error. They have a less strenuous matchup against a Washington Wolfpack team that is desperately trying to find things to build on for 2026 this weekend. But in Weeks 13 and 14, the Liberty have to try to take down the Southwest Kansas Storm in back-to-back weeks.

Salina does not have to win out, but winning all three games guarantees them a playoff slot. Taking two games off of in-state rival Southwest Kansas will be a tall order, but if the Liberty offense keeps humming, they may just be up to the task. If they split with Southwest Kansas, they are going to have to be scoreboard watching as they try to stay ahead of Billings, Oregon, and Corpus Christi.

Billings Outlaws (3-6, #7 Seed) IN THE HUNT

11% to Make Playoffs

0% to Secure Round One Home Game

After a mid-season roster shakeup, the Outlaws have looked like a dangerous team. Unfortunately for Outlaw Nation, that danger has not translated into wins in the win column. They have lost tight and hard-fought contests to Salina and Southwest Kansas, and now are in a place where they need to win out to have the best shot at making the playoffs.

With new quarterback Malik Henry slinging it all over the turf, the Billings' Offense has found its stride. Darius Prince and Arthur Anderson have been welcome additions as well to the Outlaws and have helped to make Henr's life easier. However, the Outlaws struggled in a crucial game against Salina last week, but they have a great opportunity to rebound against Oregon this week.

As favorites against Oregon in Week 12 and Week 14, the Outlaws' season hinges upon their Week 13 showdown with the Nashville Kats. Both teams are in the thick of the playoff race, and both squads need to keep winning to lock in a playoff spot. Billings has almost no margin for error, and if they drop a game, it is unlikely that they make the playoff,s barring a collapse by Salina.

Check out all the action this weekend on EvergreenNOW and VICE TV.



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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.


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