Arena Football One: Week 10 Preview
May 16, 2025 - Arena Football One (AF1) News Release
The Arena Football One season continues to roll along as we head into Week 10 action. Four teams are in action, with the other four taking advantage of a bye week to rest, recover and get ready for that final push to the AF1 playoffs.
With the revised playoff format just announced by the league that will include four of the eight teams, every game from here on out is a big one for every team, but the Albany Firebirds, who've already locked up their playoff berth and home field advantage. Week 10 is no exception, with a game on both Saturday and Sunday to get your weekend fill of high-flying Arena Football action.
Southwest Kansas Storm at Billings Outlaws
Saturday, May 17th, 8:00 p.m. ET VICETV
We'll start the weekend off with the Game of the Week on VICETV from MetaPark First Interstate Arena in Billings, Montana. It's a rematch of Week 8, where the Southwest Kansas Storm defended United Wireless Arena in Dodge City with a 49-31 victory largely carried by their stifling defense. Just two weeks later, they'll battle again, this time on Outlaw turf.
It hasn't been as smooth a season as expected by the Billings Outlaws. They won the championship in 2024 and entered the year with high expectations. They started the season off with a bang, blowing out the Lightning and Wolfpack. But their next two games proved to be a tougher task. The Albany Firebirds humbled the Outlaws in back-to-back games, and Billings also dropped games to the Salina Liberty and this Storm team. They bounced back in Week 9 by stomping the Washington Wolfpack with new quarterback Malik Henry. The Outlaws sit at 3-,4, just a half game back from the Corpus Christi Tritons for that final playoff berth.
The Southwest Kansas Storm have had a stellar season through nine weeks of action. At 5-3, they have the second-best record in the league. Their only losses came at the hands of the Firebirds and in last-second losses to the Lightning and Kats. They've scored victories over five different teams, including the Kats, the first time around. Their MVP candidate quarterback, Jalen Morton, signed and played with the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL during their bye week, but now he's been re-signed to the Storm roster this week.
Players to Watch:
It'll be all about the quarterbacks in this one. With Jalen Morton being re-signed by the team after the UFL stint, it's likely we see him ready to start this game and continue that MVP chase. Morton has led the league in every rushing category since the first game of the season in Week 0.
After the slow start for the Billings Outlaws, they called up Last Chance U star quarterback Malik Henry. Henry shined in his first start last week for the team, completing 15 of his 20 pass attempts and tossing six touchdowns. He added a seventh touchdown on the ground and had an instant connection with Darius Prince. Can the duo's newfound connection put the Outlaws over the Storm in Week 10?
Washington Wolfpack at Oregon Lightning
Sunday, May 18th 9:30 p.m. ET on EVERGREENNOW
These Northwest Rivals will meet Sunday night at First Interstate Bank Center in Redmond, Oregon. They have already played three times in 2025, with the Wolfpack taking the first two meetings, but the Lightning fought back and won in convincing fashion in Week 8.
The Oregon Lightning struggled out of the gate, dropping their first two games before pulling off a miracle Hail Mary win against the Storm. Now they are on a two-game win streak behind the excellent play of quarterback Dalton Cole and are hoping to compete for that final playoff spot and even the score with the Wolfpack.
It has not been a great season thus far for the Washington Wolfpack. Their only two wins are over the Lightning, and they've really struggled to even compete with any other team. The good news, they play the Lightning again this week. They made the switch last week to quarterback Dominique Shoffner, and it was a rough outing with four interceptions thrown.
Players to Watch:
Dalton Cole, the quarterback for the Lightning, has been balling out in 2025. He leads the league in total passing yards with 1,555. He's second in the league in passing touchdowns (24) and second in both rushing yards (201) and rushing touchdowns (9). Cole is one to watch anytime he has the ball in his hands.
Wide receiver Deshon Williams is an explosive playmaker on the Washington side of the ball. For a game where they didn't have a ton of success last week against the Outlaws, Williams quickly got on the same page with his new quarterback. They connected five times for 34 yards. Watch for this quarterback-to-receiver connection to continue to grow in Week 10.
Arena Football One Stories from May 16, 2025
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