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Indoor Football League

Week 15 Preview

June 21, 2024 - Indoor Football League (IFL) News Release


Week 15 of the 2024 IFL season is here, featuring another full slate of eight games. The action begins at 6:05 p.m. CT on Saturday, with six games following that same day. Sunday features just one game, wrapping up all the action.

Kicking off Week 15, the Massachusetts Pirates (6-6) matchup against the Jacksonville Sharks (2-9). The Pirates currently sit in the third spot in the Eastern Conference but after losing three straight they have multiple teams at their heels. At this point, every game carries possible playoff implications. The Sharks aren't just playing spoiler. Jacksonville has not been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention so there is still plenty to play for in Florida.

Massachusetts comes into this week sporting the lowest-scoring offense in the league, as a slew of injuries to the quarterback position has hindered this offense since starting the season 5-1. However, while their offense struggles, their defense overtook the Blizzard as the top defensive unit in the league. The Pirates allow a league-low 33.3 points and just 168.5 yards per week. Facing off against the two-win Sharks, Massachusetts looks for their first win since Week 11.

The Jacksonville Sharks enter this week splitting their last two games. Offensively, Jacksonville scores slightly more frequently than Massachusetts, averaging 35.5 points per week. On defense, the Sharks have struggled this year, allowing an average of 50.9 points per week. They trail just San Antonio (53.1) as the most-scored-on team in the league. To come away with the victory this week, the Sharks' defense must clamp down on a Pirates' offense that looks to be getting healthy.

Continuing Saturday's slate, the Tulsa Oilers (4-8) take on the Iowa Barnstormers (4-7) with both teams fighting for playoff aspirations. Both Tulsa and Iowa are on the edge of the playoffs, just percentage points away from the fourth spot in the East. With four weeks left in the season, every game is paramount.

The Oilers broke their six-game losing streak with an upset win against Sioux Falls as they look to make it two straight wins this week. While the Oilers have struggled offensively this season, Andre Sale bounced back last week with a seven-touchdown performance in their win against Sioux Falls. Defensively, Tulsa ranks among the top five teams in the league at keeping opponents out of the end zone, allowing just 42.9 points on average.

Following back-to-back wins, the Barnstormers look to even up their season series with the Oilers. Offensively, the Barnstormers score just under 40 points per game, ranking among the bottom-five teams in the league. On defense, Iowa hovers near the middle of the league, allowing 44.3 points to opponents on average.

Following their playoff clinching win last week, the Green Bay Blizzard (10-2) take on the Quad City Steamwheelers (5-6). The Blizzard have clinched a playoff birth for the first time since 2019. Now they turn their sites to securing home field. Quad City sits perilously in the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference. While they're only one game behind Massachusetts for the third spot, they also have all four teams below them still within striking distance.

After their win on Friday night, the Blizzard is the first team to clinch a spot in the 2024 IFL Playoffs. Green Bay ranks near the middle of the league on offense, averaging 47.6 points per game. Defensively, they're one of the best units in the league, allowing just 34.3 points and fewer than 200 yards per game.

Following two losses to the Blizzard already this season, Quad City faces their last chance in the regular season to overcome Green Bay for a victory. On offense, the Steamwheelers average nearly 45 points per game, ranking towards the bottom half of the league. However, their defense is one of the most-scored-on in the league, surrendering 48.5 points per game to opponents.

In an Eastern Conference battle between the Bay Area Panthers (9-2) and the Duke City Gladiators (1-10), both teams look to bounce back from losses last week. Bay Area is working toward cementing their place in the playoffs, while Duke City looks to play spoiler under new Head Coach, Kerry Locklin and a new coaching staff implemented this week.

The Panthers rank near the middle of the league on offense, averaging 46.4 points per week. Their defensive unit is among the top three teams in the league, allowing just 37.7 points on average. Along with not allowing teams to score on them easily, Bay Area shares the top spot with Green Bay for most sacks this season, as both teams have 18 sacks through 11 weeks. Against the one-win Gladiators, Bay Area looks to avoid being upset in back-to-back weeks.

After only one win in the first fourteen weeks of the season, Duke City made the difficult decision to move on from Coach Fred Griggs. Kelly Locklin and his staff step in to salvage the rest of 2024 and to play spoiler in a wild Western Conference. Offensively, Duke City has struggled, scoring an average of 37.1 points per game, which ranks them in the bottom quarter of the league. On the defensive side of the ball, the Gladiators rank near the middle of the league, allowing an average of just over 45 points per game.

Wrapping up the evening slate on Saturday, the Sioux Falls Storm (3-8) faces off against the Frisco Fighters (9-3) for their only matchup of the season. Frisco looks to clinch a playoff berth while Sioux Falls looks to keep their postseason hopes alive.

The Frisco Fighters can clinch a berth with a win or an Iowa loss. They can even clinch a first-round home game with a win and both a Massachusetts and Iowa loss. The Fighters' offense is near the top of the league, averaging 49.5 points per game. Along with an offense that ranks highly, Frisco's defense ranks similarly, allowing just 42.4 points per game on average.

After posting a Sioux Falls major upset over Vegas in Week 13, Sioux Falls fell flat in Tulsa. This leaves them at 3-8 for the season and dangerously close to being eliminated from the postseason. The Storm need to go on a run and get some help to keep the playoffs in their picture. This could be tough with an offense that is 10th-highest-scoring unit in the league, and a defense that gives up the fifth most points in the league. Every game is crucial at this point.

Kicking off the later slate of games on Saturday night, the Arizona Rattlers (8-4) take on the Vegas Knight Hawks (8-3) in a battle of two highly ranked teams within the Western Conference. The Western Conference is wild. None of the top six teams have clinched anything. No one is safe yet. Which obviously makes a battle between the current second and third seeds very important.

Arizona is getting hot at the right time. Coming into this week, the Rattlers have a four-game winning streak and star quarterback Dalton Sneed is looking a lot like last year's IFL Championship Game MVP. During this streak, Arizona has averaged 55 points per game, which would rank first in the league. However, in that same period, the Rattlers have allowed an average of 47.3 points, which would put them at the fourth spot in most-scored-on defenses in the league.

The Knight Hawks were flying high at the top spot in the West for most of the season but a three-game losing streak has sent them down a few spots. Last week's win over Duke City now has them sitting as the second seed in the Conference. Ja'Rome Johnson returned fully last week, and he'll come into this week with another full week of practice under his belt. Even with Johnson missing games, the Knight Hawks are the league's highest-scoring offense, averaging 52.5 points per game. Their defense isn't as highly ranked, however, allowing an average of 43.9 points per game.

Wrapping up Saturday's full slate, the San Diego Strike Force (7-5) face off against the Tucson Sugar Skulls (2-9) in a Western Conference battle. San Diego currently sits at fifth in the Western Conference but as we know, the West is packed. A win or a loss could possibly move the Strike Force up to third or down to sixth. Tucson is one of the few teams that has been eliminated from the 2024 postseason, but Billy Back will have this team ready to play spoiler.

Of San Diego's five losses this season, the combined point differential is 12 total points. The Strike Force hasn't lost a game this season by more than four points. So, while they're ranked fifth in the Western Conference, San Diego is a team that's a few bounces away from a very different outlook. Offensively, the Strike Force ranks in the top five, averaging 48.3 points per game, led by one of the top passers in the league. Defensively, they're ranked similarly, allowing an average of 43.3 points to opponents. San Diego leads the league in interceptions (19), interception return yards (195), and interceptions returned for a touchdown (3).

Amidst a four-game losing streak, the Tucson Sugar Skulls continue to look for answers on both sides of the ball. For the second week in a row, the Sugar Skulls' offense was held to fewer than 20 points, combining for 50 points in their last three matchups. In June, the Sugar Skulls are averaging 16.7 points per game, which would rank last in the league by more than 15 points. In the same span, they've allowed 35.7 points per game, which would rank relatively well among other teams in the league.

In Sunday's sole matchup, the San Antonio Gunslingers (6-5) wrap up Week 15 against the Northern Arizona Wranglers (7-4). While their records are only separated by one full game, NAZ sits at fourth in the conference will the Gunslingers are sixth. Both very much alive and fighting for a chance in the 2024 IFL Playoffs.

Trailing just the Knight Hawks (52.5), the Gunslingers are the second-highest scoring offense in the league, as Sam Castronova has had an incredible season through 11 games this season. Castronova leads the league in just about every passing statistic with 70.3% completion, 2,473 passing yards, 59 passing touchdowns, and just three interceptions. However, as frequently as they score on opposing teams, opposing teams score on them. San Antonio is the most-scored-on defense in the league, as they allow an average of 53.1 points per game.

Offensively, the Wranglers have had an impressive last three games, averaging 55.7 points per game in that span. However, their defense has allowed an average of 53.7 points per game in that same span, leaving just a two-point differential. To complete their series sweep of the Gunslingers, Northern Arizona must keep Sam Castronova at bay while taking advantage of a defensive unit that allows the most points in the league.

Week 15 features another full eight-game slate throughout Saturday and Sunday, with the action beginning at 6:05 p.m. CT on Saturday. All of Week 15 can be streamed live on the IFL YouTube Channel or Caffeine TV.

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Indoor Football League Stories from June 21, 2024


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