The Alliance of American Football is quickly approaching the end of a successful inaugural season. With seven weeks in the books, each team is trying to do what it can to earn a postseason spot. While every team remains mathematically alive, some teams are significantly better than others. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the AAF Power Rankings for Week Seven.
AAF Week Seven Power Rankings
1. Orlando Apollos [6-1] (Last Week: 1)
No surprise here. Orlando showed that their Week Six loss was merely a one-week fluke and that Arizona didn’t find some flaw in their stacked roster. Week Seven’s matchup between the Apollos and the Atlanta Legends was over before it even started. Orlando dominated every phase of the game and ended up winning in blowout fashion, 36-6. Amazingly, this wasn’t even their biggest win against Atlanta, as the Apollos beat the Legends 40-6 back in Week One.
Orlando is clearly the team to beat by just about every measure. Garrett Gilbert is the best quarterback, Steve Spurrier is the best coach, Charles Johnson is the best receiver, and the running back duo of D’Ernest Johnson and De’Veon Smith is unmatched. Add in a hard-hitting, opportunistic defense and you’ve got the recipe for a championship.
2. San Antonio Commanders [5-2] (Last Week: 2)
The San Antonio Commanders have the second-best record in the league, so it only makes sense that they’re the second-best team in these rankings. While they’re still a ways behind Orlando, the Commanders boast a well-balanced squad capable of playing strong, complementary football. San Antonio won a nailbiter in Week Seven, pulling off a 19-15 victory despite losing quarterback Logan Woodside late in the game.
San Antonio could drop in these rankings depending on the severity of Woodside’s injury. Backup quarterback Marquise Williams played well in relief but has yet to throw more than four passes in a single game. Even if Woodside’s out, San Antonio’s defense ensures they’ll be one of the better teams in the league.
3. Arizona Hotshots [4-3] (Last Week: 5)
The Arizona Hotshots appear to be over their midseason slump. After dropping three straight games, the Hotshots bounced back with statement wins against the Orlando Apollos and the San Deigo Fleet. While the Apollos game was a nailbiter, Arizona was in full control throughout the majority of their Week Seven victory. John Wolford is playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the game and the defense is starting to play up to its’ potential.
Arizona currently holds second place in the West Division, but that can all change in Week Eight. The Hotshots are going up against the first-place Commanders, with the winner taking the top spot in the division. Interestingly, Arizona has looked a lot better against the good teams than the bad ones. If the Hotshots can topple the Commanders in Week Eight, then they should be the favorite to represent the West in the AAF Championship Game.
4. Birmingham Iron [4-3] (Last Week: 3)
The Birmingham Iron are not nearly as good as their record would imply. All the special teams’ touchdowns in the world cannot justify why a team calling itself a championship contender would lose to a team as bad as the Memphis Express. The defense, once seen as the best in the league, has struggled to stop the run for the better part of the month. Trent Richardson still cannot gain more than three yards-per-carry and the wide receivers cannot catch anything.
Three of Birmingham’s four wins on the season have come against teams with a combined six wins. While the Iron deserve credit for (mostly) taking care of business against bad teams, they’ve yet to show an ability to beat the good ones. The Iron are basically a lock for the postseason, but they’ll almost certainly get knocked out in the first round by the Orlando Apollos.
5. Salt Lake Stallions [2-5] (Last Week: 6)
The Salt Lake Stallions lost in Week Seven, but they deserve credit for almost taking down the San Antonio Commanders. Salt Lake has perhaps the worst luck in the league, as the unit always seems to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. In their most recent outing, quarterback John Wolford authored a last-second touchdown drive to set the team up for the game-tying two-point conversion. However, San Antonio intercepted the two-point attempt and returned it for a defensive pick-two.
The Stallions suffered a similar fate in Week Five against the San Diego Fleet. In that game, Wolford erased a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter only to watch the Fleet stroll down the field in less than a minute. Three of Salt Lake’s four losses have been by three points or fewer, and eventually, this bad luck will turn around. They’re not an elite team by any means, but Salt Lake is a lot better than their 2-5 record would imply.
6. San Diego Fleet [3-4] (Last Week: 4)
The San Diego Fleet are just not the same team without Philip Nelson. Mike Bercovici simply isn’t capable of sustaining a competent passing attack and the rest of the team isn’t good enough to make up for his subpar play. The Fleet put up a fight last week against the Birmingham Iron, but completely laid down against the Arizona Hotshots.
The Fleet currently find themselves outside the playoff picture at 3-4. However, they’re only one game behind the Arizona Hotshots for second place in the West Division. They’ll need a few things to go their way, but they still have a realistic shot at the playoffs. Of course, they’ll need to take care of their own business, which isn’t a guarantee with Bercovici under center.
7. Memphis Express [2-5] (Last Week: 8)
Brandon Silvers’ debut went about as well as anyone could hope, while Johnny Manziel hardly did anything the Memphis’ overtime win over the Birmingham Iron. The Express struggled when they had a league average quarterback in Zach Mettenberger calling the shots, so it stood to reason that the Express would be borderline-unwatchable Silvers under center. However, the Troy product had a fantastic game and gave Memphis their second win of the year.
Despite the favorable outcome, this team still has glaring holes. Running back Zac Stacy hasn’t looked right since Week Two, the pass blocking isn’t great, and the defense has regressed over the last month. Memphis is still mathematically alive in the playoff hunt, but it would take a minor act of God for a roster like this to earn postseason play.
8. Atlanta Legends [2-5] (Last Week: 7)
The more things change, the more things stay the same. Despite having a new quarterback and seven weeks to change up their gameplan, the Atlanta Legends got clobbered by the Orlando Apollos for the second time this season. While the score was slightly more respectable this time around, Atlanta still lost by 30 in what was one of the least competitive games of the year.
It’s safe to say that the spark provided by Aaron Murray is officially extinguished. Murray’s presence powered the Legends to a two-game winning streak, but that magic is officially worn out. Murray has the confidence to attempt every throw in the book but lacks the arm skills to actually pull off said throws. Combining a subpar quarterback with an uninspiring supporting cast and a constantly-rotating coaching staff is a recipe for the worst team in the league.
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