SAFL Game of the Week

Our GOTW for Week 9 features the 2^nd seed Empire (7-1) against the 3^rd seed Outlaws (5-3).

EMPIRE- They are 7-1 with their sole loss coming to the top seeded Spartans in a tightly contested game. Shezad and Atif have this team on a roll and guide a team built to win close games under pressure.

OUTLAWS- 10th in the SAFL Power Rankings. 0-3 start to season. Starting QB Sony Singh. A shutout loss to the Spartans is how the season began for the Outlaws. They went on to lose the next two games as well but had shown promise in those two weeks. Since then, 5-0, with wins against two out of the three so-called “Elite 3”

MATCHUPS

QBs: Jawid Sarwar vs Chris Mui/Dipan Patel

We could probably just copy paste the things we wrote for Jawid the last time Outlaws were featured in a GOTW because he is still the hottest thing in the league at this point. He’s got the arm, awareness, and IQ to be up there with any QB in the league and he has the legs to be in the discussion with Dipan and Bubz as the best running QBs in the league. So at this point, no one has shown to be a more complete package at the most vital position.

As far as pure passers are concerned, Chris Mui is the real deal. Has a rocket arm, tight spirals, accurate deep, has the touch on the underneath stuff, and rarely do you see him lock into any one target which means he’s always taking what the defense gives him. If Chris is not there you have Dipan, who has an above avg arm, a knack for the spectacular, and might have the quickest first step of any player in the league.

OUTLAWS OFFENSE vs. EMPIRE DEFENSE

Outlaws offense is on fire coming into this game. They have scored a combined 102 points over the last 3 games including a whopping 54 spot on the mighty Spartans in the worst of weather conditions. This week however Jawid, Jeremy, and the gang face off against the stingiest defense statistically in the league in Empire, who have allowed a league low 130 points total to all opponents this season. Aun is a very underrated safety, Dipan is lock down on his half of the field, Atif covers much more ground in the middle than people realize and they have guys like Shazad, Ali, and Omer who can make a big play for a turnover as well. Tough to call. If another receiver like Khaled steps up for Outlaws, it gives Jawid a much better chance of taking advantage should Empire shade their defense towards Jeremy.

EMPIRE OFFENSE vs. OUTLAWS DEFENSE

Outlaws have begun to play primarily a man to man defense. Given that, lets just list out 3 intriguing matchups:

Dipan v Jawid – whoa
Shazad v Jeremy – another great matchup
Atif v Khaled – this one could be the deciding matchup

All three matchups are solid and Jawid is one of the smartest defensive players in the league but with Chris having enough time under his belt with the receivers to develop chemistry, you have to believe Empire will be able to dictate their tempo. Should these matchups be a wash, will the remaining Outlaw defenders such as Arfan, Mo, Ramin, etc be able to contain Aun, Ali, Omer etc?

KEYS TO THE GAME:

1. Stopping the best duo in the league: Can Empire stop what they know is coming? Enough is enough right? Some team has to step up and contain Jeremy knowing that’s seemingly Jawid’s option 1 2 and 3 on seemingly every play.

2. QB play: Many times people want some clever “x-factor” type keys but let’s be honest. We have two great QBs playing, the one who makes the least mistakes likely takes his team to victory.

3. Attendance: How many games has Empire played with Chris, Shazad, and Dipan all on the same field? If 1 or 2 of them is missing again, Outlaws will need to score less points to secure this win.

PREDICTION

Outlaws are on a great run and both times we’ve picked against them when facing another top team, they have proven us wrong but we’re willing to go 0-3 if Outlaws can prove us wrong again. Empire wins this one 25-19.