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Week 14 Preview

June 14, 2024 - Indoor Football League (IFL) News Release


The 2024 season has reached Week 14, as all 16 teams return to action this week with an eight-game slate kicking off on Friday. The action begins with one game on Friday at 7:05 p.m. CT, six games taking place on Saturday and one Sunday.

In the first matchup of Week 14, the Jacksonville Sharks (2-8) face off against the Green Bay Blizzard (9-2) on Friday night. This marks the first time these two teams face off. Green Bay can win their sixth game in a row with a win on Friday, while the Sharks look to win back-to-back games for the first time this season.

The Green Bay Blizzard are on a mid-season hot streak, winning their last six games in a row. Last week was their first one-score game in over a month, as the Blizzard have been dominant on both sides of the ball. During this six-game span, Green Bay has outscored opponents 263-169. This week, the Blizzard take on a team with plenty of momentum following their first win since May 3. However, Green Bay looks to win their sixth game in a row, adding insurance to their lead in the Eastern Conference, with Frisco dropping their game last week.

Jacksonville comes into this week with momentum riding high after their thrilling victory last week against Tulsa. Following a three-game homestand, the Sharks make the trip to Green Bay, WI, taking on one of the hottest teams in the IFL this month. Facing off against the top defensive unit in the league, the Sharks look to get an upset on the road. Through 13 weeks of the season, Jacksonville ranks as the lowest-scoring offense in the league while allowing the third-most points on average in the league.

Beginning Saturday's action, the San Antonio Gunslingers (5-5) take on the Massachusetts Pirates (6-5) in a cross-conference battle. These two teams have yet to meet, as both sides aim to make a strong first impression on Saturday evening. San Antonio comes into this meeting off a win last week, while the Pirates look to bounce back from two straight losses.

Last week was a nail-biter for the Gunslingers, coming away with a victory against Duke City in the game's final seconds. Sam Castronova had another four-touchdown performance through the air, adding two touchdowns on the ground and leading the team in passing and rushing. This week, Castronova and the Gunslingers' offense faces off against one of the top defensive units, as the Pirates allow just 173.1 yards per game. San Antonio's defense remains a question mark, allowing the most points in the league. However, with injuries plaguing Massachusetts' offense, San Antonio's defense could match up well this week.

Massachusetts has been amid a mid-season slump, partially due to injuries keeping the quarterback position in limbo each week. Between Alejandro Bennifield and Connor Degenhardt, both quarterbacks have missed time this season, causing a lack of continuity from the most important position on the field. However, defensively, the Pirates are among the top units in the league. Only trailing the Blizzard, Massachusetts allows an average of fewer than 35 points per game while leading the league in fewest yards allowed (173.1). If the Pirates succeed offensively, this could be a bounce-back game in front of a home crowd on Saturday evening.

Kicking off the evening slate on Saturday, the Quad City Steamwheelers (5-5) take on the Iowa Barnstormers (3-7) in their third and final regular season matchup. The series is tied with one win apiece, deeming this the championship bout in The Battle of I-80 series.

Last week, the Steamwheelers pulled off an upset against Frisco, heading into this week with loads of momentum. Aside from their last meeting with Green Bay, Quad City's offense has been averaging at least 50 points, making them one of the stronger units in the league. However, their defense allows nearly as many points, surrendering an average of over 50 points to opposing teams per week. Iowa has scored 50-plus points in both meetings this season, so to come away with the win Saturday evening, the Steamwheelers must continue their upward trend offensively.

Coming into this game off a bye last week, the Barnstormers have ample rest ahead of this week's rivalry matchup. With fewer than 300 miles separating the two arenas, there's plenty of history between these two teams. Following the Barnstormers' win the last time they took the field, Iowa has momentum and rest on their side heading into the third and final Battle of I-80. The Barnstormers lost the most recent meeting against Quad City by only two points, while their win a couple of weeks prior was also by two. With the stage set for this third meeting between the two Midwestern rivals, Iowa looks to come out on top.

Continuing Saturday evening's action, the Vegas Knight Hawks (7-3) face off against the Duke City Gladiators (1-9) in their second matchup of the season. Vegas won the last by nearly 20 points as the Gladiators look for revenge this week against a Knight Hawks team that's been upset in their last three matchups.

Following their third loss in a row last week, the Knight Hawks look to turn the tables this week against a Duke City team they beat convincingly in Week Seven. Vegas started this season on a seven-game winning streak but have lost three straight since their overtime loss to Tucson in Week 10. Quarterback Ja'Rome Johnson returned to action last week in a limited capacity, splitting reps with Jorge Reyna in their overtime loss to Sioux Falls. Even with the quarterback position in limbo, the Knight Hawks have the highest-scoring offense in the league, averaging 52.5 points per game. However, defensively, Vegas is among the middle-of-the-pack, allowing 44.4 points to opponents. That number is a bit skewed from games earlier this season, as the Knight Hawks have allowed an average of 54.8 points in their last four. To come away with the two-game sweep over Duke City, breaking their three-game losing streak, Vegas must return to their early-season form.

Coming into the week following a loss by one point to the Gunslingers, Duke City enters the week against a Knight Hawks team that's faced three losses in a row. The Gladiators lost the last time these teams faced off, as they could even the series with a win on Saturday evening. Duke City's offense ranks near the bottom of the league, averaging fewer than 37 points per game, but their defense ranks much higher. Defensively, the Gladiators allow just 44.3 points per game, ranking them in the top half of the league statistically. While the result wasn't what Duke City was looking for last time these teams faced off, the Gladiators hope for a different result this week.

Wrapping up the evening slate of games on Saturday, the Sioux Falls Storm (3-7) takes on the Tulsa Oilers (3-8), marking the second time these teams meet this season. Tulsa won the first matchup as Sioux Falls hopes to build off their thrilling win last week, evening the series at one win apiece.

The Sioux Falls Storm has split their last four games in half following an upset win last week against the Knight Hawks in overtime. Since the start of May, the Storm has seen an uptick in offensive production, scoring at least 45 points. Before that point, Sioux Falls failed to score over 41 points, as the addition of Lorenzo Brown Jr. to their offense has brought an upward trend of scoring. Looking to even the series with Tulsa, the Storm hit the road this week, hoping to build off last week's victory.

Holding a 1-0 series lead over Sioux Falls, the Oilers have lost six games in a row, hoping to break the streak with their second win over the Storm this season. Offensively, the Oilers score fewer than 40 points per game, while their defense allows just 43.1 points per game to opposing teams. Of their six losses in a row, all but one have come by a score differential of single digits. This week the Oilers face off against Sioux Falls looking to come away with their first win since April.

Kicking off the late slate of games on Saturday night, the Frisco Fighters (8-3) meet with the Tucson Sugar Skulls (2-8) for the only time this season. Both sides come into this week facing a loss in their last matchup, looking to bounce back this week.

Following a narrow defeat last week, the Fighters slipped down the Eastern Conference standings, officially trailing Green Bay as the top team in the East. Even with their loss last week, the Fighters remain a top-three offense in the league, scoring over 50 points per game. Defensively, Frisco ranks near the middle of the league, allowing 44.6 points per game. However, this defensive unit ranks first in fumble recoveries (7) and tied for first in fumbles forced (6), making them a team where ball security matters a little more. This week, the Fighters aim for a bounce back, hoping not to fall further in the conference standings.

After their most lopsided defeat of the season, Tucson looks to bounce back against Frisco, breaking a three-game losing streak. Between their last two games, the Sugar Skulls have totaled 32 points offensively, allowing 72 points defensively. With a score differential of 40 points in their last two games, the Sugar Skulls must find a rhythm offensively if they hope to win on Saturday night. Facing an offense like Frisco's, they must keep up in order to avoid their fourth loss in a row.

Wrapping up Saturday's night action, the Northern Arizona Wranglers (7-3) return from bye to face off against the Arizona Rattlers (7-4) for a rematch of Week One. The Rattlers won in the first week of the season, while Northern Arizona looks to keep their win streak alive, defeating Arizona in their second meeting.

Before their bye, the Wranglers won three straight games, heading into their bye with momentum at a premium. Following a week of rest and preparation, they enter this week trying to even their season series, as they dropped their first game of the season to Arizona in Week One. Since that loss, the Wranglers have lost just twice by a combined score of 12 points. This week, Northern Arizona makes the short trip to the Desert Diamond Arena, attempting to keep their winning streak alive, defeating Arizona on their home field.

Following their thrilling win against San Diego last week, the Rattlers look to beat their in-state rivals once more, coming away with the two-game regular season sweep. Arizona won on the road against the Wranglers in Week One, and in front of their home crowd this week, the Rattlers look to replicate their performance from the season's first week of action. Through their last three wins, the Rattlers have had consistently strong performances on offense, averaging nearly 55 points per game. In that same span, they've allowed about 47 points, making their margin of victory roughly eight points. This week will likely take another strong performance from both sides of the ball, as Northern Arizona comes into this week having an extra week of preparation and rest before Saturday night's action.

Wrapping up Week 14, the San Diego Strike Force (6-5) takes on the Bay Area Panthers (9-1) in their third meeting of the season. Bay Area holds a 2-0 series lead, coming away with narrow victories in each matchup. This week, the Panthers look to make it three wins in a row against San Diego, while the Strike Force looks to turn the tables in this series.

Bay Area enters the week following their best defensive performance of the season, holding Tucson to just 12 points. Bay Area isn't one of the highest-scoring teams in the league, but with a top-three defense in points allowed (37.1), their offense doesn't need to score 50-plus points to win games. Along with keeping opponents out of the end zone, the Panthers are tied for the league leader in sacks, bringing down opposing quarterbacks 16 times through 10 games. With two games remaining between San Diego and Bay Area, the Panthers have two more attempts at sweeping the Strike Force this season.

Coming into this game, the Strike Force looks to bounce back from last week's narrow defeat, bringing down the top team in the Western Conference. Between the two losses to Bay Area this season, San Diego lost by a combined total of four points, losing in Week Six by three points and losing Week Seven by a single point. Not only does San Diego look to bounce back from their loss against Arizona last week, but they'll aim to defeat the Panthers, bringing the regular season record to 2-1 with one game remaining between the two teams.

Week 14 features a full slate of eight games, spanning from Friday to Sunday, as the action begins Friday at 7:05 p.m. CT. The remaining seven games take place throughout Saturday and Sunday evening. All Week 14 action can be streamed live on the IFL YouTube Channel or Caffeine TV.

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