Week 4 Predictions

Bandits (0-3) @ Outlaws (0-3)

Battle of the undefeated. “Who's going to get their first win?” Hold your horses there Burhan McNabb…There are ties in the SAFL. Both teams are bottom dwelling in the standings but have played very well in losing efforts (outside of Outlaws being shutout on opening day before cutting their starting QB). This week Bandits get their QB and captain Burhan back on the field competing against Jawid of Outlaws with another full week of reps under his belt. Question mark surrounding Ramin’s injury along with if there is any rust from Burhan returning. Is there any QB controversy in Bandits camp given how well Victor played almost pulling out a win against the mighty Empire? The biggest question however is will the universe collapse onto itself when Jawed and Rizwan Patel step onto the same field. This game is truly too close to call. Prediction: 26-26 in OT.

Slumdogs (1-2) @ Wolfpack (1-2)

Both teams have identical records and Wolfpack’s losses come at the hands of Savages and Stop N Go, while Slumdogs have lost to Empire and NGNG so their competition has been similar as well. The teams however need to decide on who the starting QB is. Will it be Jesse or Mike? Parvesh or Bubz? Neither team can afford to go 1-3 but that’s the fate for one while the other climbs back to .500. Slumdogs have some under the radar athletes that can compete with most teams (if their pictures were up on the website, I would tell you their names…maybe that’s why no one talks about them) so they will certainly put up a good fight against the Wolfpack, a team looking to rebound from a tough loss to Stop N Go last week. Matter of fact, Slumdogs pull this one out in a close one.Prediction: Slumdogs with the slight upset winning 32-27

Empire @ Savages
GOTW

NGNG (2-1) @ Believers (1-2)

The teams could not have started out any differently and could not have taken further dissimilar paths since. NGNG lost the first game handily, saw some infighting and had a bleak outlook for the rest of the season. Believers were involved in an epic game culminating in an exciting late game win against Bandits, team moral was high and they probably had a very positive outlook to SAFL season 1. Since then? NGNG added reinforcements and are 2-1 with solid wins over Outlaws and Slumdogs. Believers, on the other hand, have gotten blown out to the tune of 96-35 in the last two weeks. And for a team headed on a downward spiral, they seem to have a few guys who like to chirp at the opposition and the refs which detracts from the likeability guys like Najeeb, Razi, and Hamza would prefer to be known for. Unless some major shake-up occurs on either side, the trend continues here. Hamza isn't expected to start at QB but do they have a suitable backup QB in-house to replace him?

Prediction: NGNG win 27-14

Spartans (3-0) @ Stop N Go (2-1)

Spartans are clicking on all cylinders, were able to rest some of their starters, and come in riding a cruise control dominant win against The Believers. Stop N Go barely survived a great comeback by Wolfpack and seem not to know who to line up at QB in certain situations. They do however boast a receiving core that has the speed and hands to match most others in the league. Most is the key word as this week, that receiving core goes up against a defense led by Jose, Adil, and Hashim guarding the deep ball which has been the only threat shown by Stop N Go. Can the Spartans defense contain Shumail and Suleman’s speed or the consistent performances by Usman and Kunal? Probably. Even if there some success on Stop N Go’s offensive side, they too have to contend with the leagues best overall QB and early MVP threat Anwar who has seemingly unlimited options to throw to. Jose and Hashim stand out but guys like Yamin and Sajeel are quietly putting up great numbers. This matchup comes down to the QBs and Anwar certainly has the edge over Talha/Usman/New guy Hector. Prediction you ask? Spartans are undefeated while Stop N Go is winless against undefeated teams. Yogi Berra thinks that trend continues despite Shariq's boasts in the message boards.

Prediction: Spartans win 27-19