
Panthers Travel to Vegas in Western Conference Showdown
June 28, 2024 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Bay Area Panthers News Release
In a meeting of the top two teams in the Western Conference, the Bay Area Panthers and Vegas Knight Hawks will square off Saturday with massive playoff implications.
The Panthers (10-2) lead Vegas (9-3) by a game in the chase for the top mark in the conference and home-field advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs. A Bay Area win would add some separation that increases the likelihood of hosting as many as two playoff games at the SAP Center. If Vegas defends its home field, then the teams would be tied while the Knight Hawks would have the edge with a better record within the conference. The conference record is the first tiebreaker rather than head-to-head games.
Northern Arizona is two games back and Wranglers' fans will be doing some scoreboard watching. NAZ will host San Diego and a win combined with a Bay Area loss would set up a game the following week for a share of first place.
On May 4, the Knight Hawks took advantage of three turnovers and left San Jose with a 62-43 win to snap the Panthers' 10-game winning streak dating back to last season. Ja'Rome Johnson accounted for eight touchdowns in the win. Vegas peeled off 27 straight points to open a 62-27 lead in the fourth period. The Panthers made no excuses while missing two defensive lineman and three defensive backs who started the season. The loss dropped the Panthers one-game back in the chase for the top record in the West.
The Knight Hawks are the highest scoring team in the league (52.8 ppg) and will face a Bay Area defense that ranks second behind Green Bay in points allowed (37.3) and second behind San Diego in yards allowed per game (199.0). Vegas is fourth in rushing (93.5 ypg) and will try to penetrate the Panthers' defense that's top-ranked against the run (57.3 ypg). Johnson is third among quarterbacks in rushing yards and his 26 scores are one behind TD Edwards of Frisco for the IFL lead.
The Panthers' seventh-ranked offense (45.3 ppg) will duel the Knight Hawk's eighth-ranked defense (44.4 ppg). Establishing the run has been a priority with Bay Area second behind Frisco in rushing (108.6 ypg). Daquan Neal leads all quarterbacks in rushing yards and has 19 scores after running for five touchdowns in the hard-fought win at Duke City.
With a win or an Arizona loss, the Panthers will clinch a playoff spot while Vegas can punch its ticket with a win and losses by Arizona and San Diego.
Kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m. on Saturday from Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, NV.
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