National Arena League: Final Playoff Spot Battle
It’s about that time for the National Arena League: Final Playoff Spot Battle. It’s pretty clear that the Jacksonville Sharks (8-0) will secure the #1 spot in the playoffs, holding the first round of the playoffs in Jacksonville, FL. Seed #2 is pretty obvious with the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks (7-1). With the #3 seed almost locked up, the Columbus Lions (5-3) look to take a trip to Allentown, PA to face the Steelhawks. That leaves one question. Who will get the final playoff spot? First, we will have to look at each team currently in seed #4 all the way down to #8.
At the 4th spot, we have the (4-3) Monterrey Steel. Monterrey had a perfect 3-0 start, giving them a huge boost for the playoffs, but will a 3-game start help them in the end?
At number 5, we have the (3-4) High Country Grizzlies. The Grizzlies have been a hit-and-miss team all season. You have to give them credit because they’ve already faced the top-tier NAL teams like Jacksonville, Lehigh Valley, and Columbus. High Country and Monterrey do not go head-to-head this season, making things interesting.
The number 6 seed goes to the Georgia Firebirds. Georgia looks better than their 2-5 record says they are. They just can’t seem to get a good pattern going and can’t finish strong in most of their games, causing them to lose.
At number 7, we have the (0-6) Dayton Wolfpack. There’s nothing really to say about Dayton because they are 1) Winless 2) Eliminated from the playoffs
And finally at number 8, we have the (0-7) Corpus Christi Rage. They are also eliminated from the playoffs.
Now that we have all the teams and their records done, let’s get into some strategy on how each team can make the playoffs.
The Strategy
Monterrey Steel:
Monterrey hasn’t beat anybody who has won a game yet. They lost against Jacksonville twice and Columbus, all 3 losses being pretty bad. If Monterrey wants to secure a playoff spot, they will have to win at least 1 out of their next four games. Sounds easy, but let’s look at who they’re going up against. The next two weeks, they’re facing the Georgia Firebirds. In Week 13, they’re facing the Columbus Lions, then in Week 14, they take a trip to Jacksonville to square up against the Sharks. If Monterrey wins 1 out of their next 4 games, they will finish at a 5-6 record, barely making it to the playoffs. If the Steel don’t win any if their remaining games, they better hope High Country loses the remainder of their games, too. The Steel have recently acquired Bernard Morris from the AFL. This should help them stay in the number 4 spot, but we will see what happens in the next few weeks.
High Country Grizzlies:
The Grizzlies are just one game behind Monterrey. They face Columbus, Lehigh Valley, Jacksonville, and Corpus Christi in that order. Corpus Christi is a given win any day for this Grizzlies team. The Grizzlies have a really tough schedule, but let’s say if Corpus Christi is their only win. They will finish the season 4-7. Not that great, but what if there is a way the 4-7 Grizzlies can make the playoffs? There is, but it’s a slim chance. The Grizzlies will have to really rely on Georgia beating Monterrey BOTH times in the next 2 weeks and then Monterrey losing to Columbus and Jacksonville. If that happens, the Grizzlies and Steel will finish 4-7, tying for the final spot in the playoffs. The tiebreaker normally goes to the team with the most points scored or the team with the toughest schedule, in this case, the Grizzlies would win this battle. The Firebirds and Grizzlies will be best friends for the remaining weeks of the season.
Georgia Firebirds:
The Firebirds are only behind the 4-seed by 2 games. If the Firebirds want to get in, they will have to beat Monterrey both times to tie for 4th place, then beat Lehigh Valley and Columbus to take the #4 spot. The Firebirds will most likely lose to Columbus and Lehigh Valley, finishing their season at 4-7 if they beat the Steel both times. This record will be a 3-way tie for 4th place. If this happens, Georgia will top Monterrey because they beat them twice. But the loss against High Country would keep them at #5. Although Georgia is pretty much out of the playoff picture, you can’t rule them out if they can still somehow come back and snatch the final spot. The only way Georgia will for sure steal the #4 spot is if Monterrey and High Country finish 4-7 AND the Firebirds win 3 of their final 4 games, finishing 5-6.
NAL Standings
| National Arena League Standings | ||||
| Position | Team | Record | GB | |
| 1 | Jacksonville | 8-0 | ||
| 2 | Lehigh Valley | 7-1 | 1 | |
| 3 | Columbus | 5-3 | 3 | |
| 4 | Monterrey | 4-3 | 3.5 | |
| 5 | High Country | 3-4 | 4.5 | |
| 6 | Georgia | 2-5 | 5.5 | |
| 7 | Wolfpack | 0-6 | 7 | |
| 8 | Corpus Christi | 0-7 | 7.5 | |
