Originally Published: June 3, 2008
Top two teams face off this week
Top two teams face off in this week's power rankings meet this weekend.
Who's the best team in the AFL? Scouts Inc.'s Gary Horton has watched all the film and ranks every team, Nos. 1 through 17.
1. Dallas Desperados (10-2) | Previous: 1 | Week 14: Beat Cleveland 68-52 | Next: at Philadelphia The Dallas offense finally came alive led by QB Clint Dolezel and Ironman Will Pettis. The defense also played well, making two key stops in the fourth quarter to set up a huge showdown versus Philadelphia that will go a long way in determining the top seed of the National Conference.
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2. Philadelphia Soul (10-3) | Previous: 2 | Week 14: Bye | Next: at Dallas The Soul had a much-needed week off, but they are still thin because of injuries. Now, after losing three of their last four, the Soul try to get a win in Dallas -- not an easy job.
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3. Chicago Rush (10-3) | Previous: 3 | Week 14: Beat Kansas City 52-47 | Next: at Cleveland In a much-tougher game than anticipated, the Rush still put together a decent offensive effort against K.C. with a versatile passing game. Still, they seemed to lack a lot of explosiveness and their usually dominating defense struggled to make big plays and create turnovers against a so-so Kansas City offense.
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4. San Jose SaberCats (9-5) | Previous: 4 | Week 14: Beat L.A. 66-56 | Next: Bye Despite facing a surprisingly tough L.A. pass rush, QB Mark Grieb kept the SaberCats offense sharp. Defensively, San Jose made key stops and big plays when needed as it continues to march to the playoffs.
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5. Georgia Force (8-5) | Previous: 6 | Week 14: Beat Tampa Bay 56-55 | Next: at Columbus It took a 28-point fourth quarter, but the Force rallied from behind to beat the Storm as time expired to extend their winning streak to five games. They got excellent offensive performances from QB Chris Greisen, WR Carl Morris and FB Matt Huebner to stay in the playoff hunt.
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6. New Orleans VooDoo (8-5) | Previous: 8 | Week 14: Beat Columbus 83-61 | Next: at New York The VooDoo defense remains the most opportunistic in the league with an amazing plus-19 in turnover ratio and they created three more turnovers in a win over Columbus. On offense, QB Danny Wimprine was hot and almost mistake free.
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7. New York Dragons (7-6) | Previous: 9 | Week 14: Beat Colorado 73-65 | Next: vs. New Orleans The Dragons got off to an excellent start versus Colorado and then made some crucial defensive stops in the fourth quarter to secure a big win. New York also used a power run game in the red zone to preserve the tough, road win.
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8. Arizona Rattlers (7-6) | Previous: 11 | Week 14: Beat Orlando 60-53 | Next: at Kansas City Arizona clinched an improbable playoff berth in a surprising road win at Orlando. The Rattlers got an excellent defensive effort, creating four turnovers in the first half, and new starting QB Matt Sauk played well and spread the ball around nicely.
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9. Orlando Predators (8-6) | Previous: 5 | Week 14: Lost to Arizona 60-53 | Next: at Tampa Bay The Predators were sleeping most of the game versus Arizona, but woke up in the fourth quarter with a pair of TDs and two-point conversions and a defensive stop, but still came up short in a very disappointing and lethargic home loss.
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10. Cleveland Gladiators (7-6) | Previous Rank: 7 | Week 14: Lost to Dallas 68-52 | Next: vs. Chicago The Gladiators' defense could not stop the suddenly hot Dallas offense, but Cleveland matched the Desperados touchdown for touchdown for three quarters before being stopped twice in the fourth quarter.
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11. Colorado Crush (4-9) | Previous: 12 | Week 14: Lost to New York 73-65 | Next: at Grand Rapids The Crush started slow and really battled to get back into the game, but their defense could not stop New York QB Aaron Garcia, who led the Dragons to scores on almost every possession.
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12. Tampa Bay (6-7) | Previous: 10 | Week 14: Lost to Georgia 56-55 | Next: vs. Orlando The Storm defense could not contain the Force offense in the fourth quarter and suffered a last-second, heartbreaking loss that hurt their playoff hopes. Tampa Bay could not contain Georgia's pass or run game and it spoiled a good effort by QB Brett Dietz.
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13. Utah Blaze (4-10) | Previous: 13 | Week 14: Beat Grand Rapids 63-56 | Next: vs. Los Angeles The Blaze played a great first half and built up an impressive 42-12 halftime lead, but faded in the second half and were lucky to get out of Grand Rapids with a win. The Utah passing game performed well and the Blaze defense continues to make key defensive stops.
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14. Los Angeles Avengers (4-9) | Previous: 17 | Week 14: Lost to San Jose 66-56 | Next: at Utah The Avengers played hard, but came up short against the superior SaberCats. Still, amazingly enough, they are still in the playoff race. They finally stayed with one QB, Sonny Cumbie, but the Avengers only converted 2 of 8 chances on third- and fourth-downs and their pass protection continues to be a real weakness.
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15. Columbus Destroyers (3-10) | Previous: 15 | Week 14: Lost to N.O. 83-61 | Next: vs. Georgia Destroyers QB Matt Nagy had a career game versus a good New Orleans defense with 339 yards and seven TD passes in a flawless performance. Unfortunately for Nagy, the Destroyers defense couldn't stop a New Orleans offense that had been in a scoring slump over the last month.
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16. Grand Rapids Rampage (3-10) | Previous: 14 | Week 14: Lost to Utah 63-56 | Next: vs. Colorado The Rampage defense was non-existent in the first half and trailed Utah by 28 points before coming to life and making a few stops in the second half. Still, the Blaze came up a little short in a disappointing home loss as they continue to struggle to put a complete game together.
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17. Kansas City Brigade (3-10) | Previous: 16 | Week 14: Lost to Chicago 52-47 | Next: vs. Arizona The Brigade played hard at Chicago, but their lack of explosiveness and playmakers on either side of the ball continues to be a weakness. Plus, they just can't seem to make a defensive stop when they really need one. Still, you have to admire their fight.
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Gary Horton, a pro scout for Scouts Inc., has been a football talent evaluator for more than 30 years. He spent 10 years in the NFL and 10 years at the college level before launching a private scouting firm called The War Room.
