Playoff Races Heat Up

Welcome to Week 8 of FlagPlus Football. The playoff races are heating up even more as we draw closer to the finish of the regular season.

A lot games with playoff ramifications took place this past week in Division 6. The contests that stand out the most were Tip Top Shape earning a tough as expected hard fought win over the Spartans, CMS Laval getting a huge win over Victorious Secret, and the N.W.O sneaking out with a victory over Jean Guy. Tip Top Shape had to use their defense for a change, to show why they are the top team in D6 with a 25-12 win over the Spartans. The key to the win for Tip Top Shape, was that they got hands on a lot of Spartans’ QB James D’Andrea’s passes, and disrupted his timing. They also used a suffocating defense to limit the downfield plays for the Spartans. D’Andrea had his worst performance since Week 1 vs the Trojans where he only completed 6 passes.  The loss doubly stings for the Spartans, as it officially sealed up 1st place for Tip Top Shape in Conference A.

CMS Laval entered into the playoff discussion with a big 27-12 win over Victorious Secret. The winners were led by defensive specialist Marc-Olivier Jean who recorded two more interceptions Monday night, but also came up with a huge momentum-changing touchdown on offense with a 20-yard TD catch in the second half.  Also getting big wins this past week and taking a big step towards staying in the playoff loop were the Diablos and Sabrfc.

These battles were just some of the examples of what to expect in the final three weeks of the season. This week is no different, as virtually every game carries significance.

Top 3

Daniel Richman (Gamecocks) – He had a monster game against Gronky Kong, as he led all D6 Quarterbacks in yards (214), TD passes (6), and even Completion Percentage (75%). Let’s see if he can best those numbers Monday night against Victorious Secret. You can’t blame Richman, you play who is on the schedule.

Rahul Mohan (Sabrfc) – Speaking of monster games, Mohan was terror on both sides of the ball this past Monday night against Team Laval. He not only led his team in receiving with 5 catches for 48 yards, he came up with 4 huge sacks that proved to be the difference maker for his team in their 14-13 win, that was a game that only defensive enthusiast would love.

Marc-Olivier Jean (CMS Laval) – As mentioned above, he played a huge role in his team’s win over Victorious Secret, by making plays on both sides of the ball. More importantly, his performance put his team in a tie for 7th place in Conference B with Fourth and Twenty, and also gave his team the tiebreaker over the 9th place Victorious Secret who currently sit one game out of 8th place. Good job Marc-Olivier!

*Bonus Simon Beliveau (Trojans) and Emile Beaudoin (Ravens) – Yes, I know neither player led their team to a win, but they played well enough to put their team in position to get one. Beaudoin who threw for 2TDs, and ran for two more in his team’s 26-26 tie with TDs and Beer, helped earn his squad a valuable point, that now leaves them 2 points behind the Goon Squad (who they play in Week 10) for the last playoff spot in Conference A. It also sets up an interesting tiebreaker matchup with the Smokin’ Axolotls Sunday night. Beliveau was all over the field making plays in his team’s 19-19 tie versus the aforementioned Goon Squad, as he caught a 25-yard TD, recorded 2 INTs, tied a team and game-high with 4 tackles, and had 2 rushes for 33 yards. More importantly, the 1 point his team received keeps them tied with the Goon Squad for 7th place.

 

Step It Up

TDs and Beer – They simply fell flat on their faces as they over-estimated a 1-win Ravens team last Saturday Night. The 26-26 tie cost TDs and Beers a huge point in the Conference A standings, as they fell into a 5-way tie for 2nd place. With an extremely tough schedule remaining (Tip Top Shape, Jean Guy, and the Spartans) it is no sure thing that this squad can recover, let alone qualify for the playoffs.

Team Laval – They end up on the list, for their inexplicable decision to start Samuel Saumure at QB for their game against Sabrfc over Olivier Bourgeois who had thrown 7 TD passes and zero INTs in his last two starts. Saumure, on the other hand struggled mightily, completing only 9 of 22 passes for only 94 yards. Yes, he did throw 2 TD passes, but how often are two touchdowns enough to get a win? It was for Sabrfc, as they were able to score on both of their conversion attempts in their 14-13 victory. The loss was huge for Team Laval, as they, just like TDs and Beer they slipped into the aforementioned 5 –way tie for 2nd place in Conference A.

James D’Andrea (Spartans) – While football is a team sport, and drops did play a factor into the Spartans’ 25-12 loss to Tip Top Shape, D’Andrea’s performance which saw him complete less than half his passes (9 of 28), and miss open WRs did play a huge role in his team’s defeat. Besides the aforementioned tie for second place (Yeah, they’re in there too) the loss is sure to sting more, because it was an opportunity for the Spartans to hand Tip Top Shape their first L of the season, and to more important send a message to their opponents, and to all of D6.

 

Matchups

Daniel Hernandez (Spartans) versus Mickey Marini (Sabrfc)
I am truly excited to see this matchup, as two of the best at their position are set to lock horns tomorrow night in Lachine. The fact that Marini was relatively quiet by his standards last week in his team’s 1-point victory over Team Laval, leads me to think that he is primed for a big game. I am sure Hernandez will have a thing or two to say about that. Needless to say, whoever comes out on top of this matchup, will most likely end up on the winning side.

Joseph Kano (PB n’ Jelly) versus the Jean Guy Defense
This has all the makings of an instant classic. The mastermind behind the Division’s best offense against arguably the best defense in Div. 6. For PB n’ Jelly QB Joseph Kano, this is the first time this season, and in his young FPF career, that he will be facing a strong defense. While he has a formidable trio of Receivers in Dylan Catellier, Jay Strachan, and Alex Mashaal, Kano will have to get them the ball against the likes of Carl Doyon, Kien Pieton, Emile Lamy, and Julien Gingras, while to avoid the rush of the sack master himself Simon Laporte. That is definitely no easy task. If the Jean Guy offense can sustain drives, and put points on the board, that could spell trouble for their opponents.

Brad Evans (TDs and Beer) versus David De Andrade (Tip Top Shape)
There’s no other battle like the old veteran QB taking on the young hot shot QB. We saw it in the last two Super Bowls, and we’re seeing it once again tomorrow night in Brossard when Brad Evans of TDs and Beer, takes on David De Andrade of Tip Top Shape. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that Evans’ crew desperately need a win to separate themselves from the glut of teams in the aforementioned tie for 2nd place in Conference A, while the inexperienced De Andrade and his predominantly young squad T.T.S are facing a stern test for the second week in a row. Will we see a repeat of Cam vs Peyton, or perhaps the ending of the Wilson vs Brady game?

 

Power Rankings

Tip Top Shape – They survived their first tough test of the season with a hard-fought victory Sunday night over the Spartans that was a lot closer than the score indicates. Things don’t get any easier for Tip Top Shape as they face another team who makes an appearance in the power rankings in TDs and Beer tomorrow night in Brossard.

PB n’ Jelly – As mentioned earlier, PB n’ Jelly really needed to dig deep to knock off the Nighthawks, who were without starting Quarterback Kristopher Diktakis. They did get the win however, so it’s hard to justify moving them down a spot in the rankings. Things get much tougher for them however, this Wednesday night as they take on a top notch defense in Jean Guy, before facing their biggest test of the season in two weeks versus Tip Top Shape. PB n’ Jelly will definitely need to play better in both those contests to get the win.

Gamecocks – They jumped up a huge 3 spots on the list curtesy of their blowout win over Gronky Kong, and because the teams above them on the list last week (Team Laval, Spartans, and Jean Guy) all lost. The Gamecocks have another easy test this week as they take on Victorious Secret Monday night at Stade Hebert.

Spartans – No freefall here. Yes, they lost this past week, but they lost a close one to the top team in Div. 6. How the Spartans respond against an up and down Sabrfc squad tomorrow will be huge.

Bricksquad – After the top 2 teams on the list, you could make the argument that these guys are the hottest team in the Div. 6, as they have won 4 games in a row, and are winners of 5 out of their last 6 games. Getting a decisive win over the streaky Nighthwaks will be huge for not just the power rankings, but for playoff positioning as well, due to the fact that the Bricksquad close out the regular season with games against the an equally up and down Sabrfc team, and then Division leaders PB n’ Jelly.

N.W.O – They make their first appearance on list due to their 25-19 win over Jean Guy. Quarterback Michael Sanchez continued his stellar play Monday night as he shredded the J.G defense for 4 TDs. The addition of former QB Andrew Holowach to the squad has made a huge difference as well, as he has given what was already a good offense another threat at the Wide Receiver position. In two games so far, he has 5 receptions for 54 yards and 2 TDs.

Picks

CMS Laval vs Fourth and Twenty – Fourth and Twenty
TDs and Beer vs Tip top Shape – Tip Top Shape
Trojans vs Team Laval – Team Laval (My pick for game of the Week)
Spartans vs Sabrfc – Spartans
Smokin’ Axolotls vs Ravens – Smokin’ Axolotls
Goon Squad vs Diablos – Diablos
Victorious Secret vs Gamecocks – Gamecocks
Nighthawks vs Bricksquad – Nighthawks (*Upset Special)
Gronky Kong vs n.W.o. – N.W.O
Jean Guy vs PB n’ Jelly – PB n’ Jelly

 

 

That’s it for this week! Be sure to tune into Division 6’s weekly podcast ‘Super Flag Bros’ featuring Peeze, David and Antonio. You can stream it live between 7:00 pm and 7:30 pm every Thursday, or watch it at your convenience afterwards. https://www.youtube.com/flagplus

If you loved the article, hated it, or simply felt I left something out, don’t be shy. You can shoot me a tweet at @BADNEWS51.