With the third week of the Alliance of American Football‘s inaugural season officially in the books, we’re starting to get a better idea of what these teams are made of. For some teams, it was more of the same. For other teams, it was a milestone in a quest to become the league’s first champion. Let’s check out where each team falls on this week’s power rankings.
AAF Power Rankings: Week Three
8. Atlanta Legends (0-3)
Last Week: 8
Well…that was something. How this team can justify starting Matt Simms week after week is beyond me. Simms threw for three interceptions and one garbage time touchdown, even though the Atlanta Legends finished the first half with nine and a half more minutes in time of possession and 107 more total yards than the Birmingham Iron.
Near the end of the game, the home crowd (which numbered just over 10,000 – less than half of the stadium’s total capacity) began booing Simms and chanting for Aaron Murray. The Legends did not oblige.
The Legends are bad and they should feel bad. Next week, they take on the Arizona Hotshots and – call it a hot take – I have a feeling the Legends go 0-4.
7. Memphis Express (0-3)
Last Week: 7
No change here for the Express, even though they almost toppled last week’s number one, the Orlando Apollos. Of course, they were only able to close in on the Apollos after the Express benched Christian Hackenberg for Zach Mettenberger. Mettenberger finished with nine completions on 12 passes, including two touchdowns and – get this – zero interceptions. Compare that to Hackenberg’s zero touchdowns and two interceptions, and you wonder why they started Hackenberg to begin with.
The Express may not move up in this week’s power rankings, but they deserve respect for being willing to make positional adjustments – something that Atlanta seems incapable of doing.
Editorial note: What’s up with Memphis and quarterbacks with “berg” in their name?
6. San Antonio Commanders (1-2)
Last Week: 4
Finally, some movement! But it’s probably not the movement Commanders fans wanted to see. The Commanders fell to the San Diego Fleet in a crushing 20-point loss Sunday night, 31-11.
With a third-down conversion rate of just 8.33%, it’s no wonder that the Commanders just couldn’t get a groove in this game. Quarterback Logan Woodside had a pretty awful day as well. In addition to throwing a pick-six, he was also the victim of a handful of brutal hits. Maybe it was revenge for the Commanders wrecking Fleet quarterback Mike Bercovici in Week One.
What a sack by @pittboy52! 😳😲💪 #AllHandsOnDeck pic.twitter.com/FByzKejjYK
— San Diego Fleet (@AAFFleet) February 25, 2019
5. Salt Lake Stallions (1-2)
Last Week: 6
Upset alert! The Stallions managed to best the Arizona Hotshots this weekend, 23-15. Although the Stallions gave up 80 yards on eight penalties and didn’t rush for more than 100 yards, their ground game proved effective enough to overwhelm the Arizona Hotshots.
The Stallions continue to toe the line in this league. We still can’t tell if they’re a good team, or just the best bad team in the AAF. Nevertheless, they did well enough to squeak by with the win this week. And to do so against the team that was second-best according to the power rankings last week? Not too shabby. We’ll see if they can do it again next week against Orlando.
4. Arizona Hotshots (2-1)
Last Week: 2
You don’t lose to the Stallions and keep your spot. Dropping two spots in the power rankings might hurt some Arizona fans, but decisive wins delivered by teams like San Diego and the Birmingham Iron were enough to make waves in the power rankings.
Arizona needs to tighten up their ability to convert on third down, which saw a miserable 10% success rate this weekend. The Hotshots have a talented offense, so all they really need is some fine-tuning.
Every team is bound to have a bad week, and this just happened to be it for Arizona. This was a close game, so we expect the team to lick their wounds and make the necessary adjustments before heading to Atlanta next week – a game that they’re more than capable of winning.
3. San Diego Fleet (2-1)
Last Week: 5
Ja'Quan Gardner with an 83-yard touchdown pic.twitter.com/L3me0LpiE2
— Arif Hasan, but NFL 🏈 (@ArifHasanNFL) February 25, 2019
The Fleet are now the proud owners of the AAF’s longest rushing touchdown, thanks to an 83-yard run by Ja’Quan Gardner. The Fleet fired off the cannons for a 20-point win against the Commanders, and Philip Nelson got his first win as a team’s starting quarterback, which is pretty cool. A.J. Tarpley, a linebacker, was also responsible for one of the team’s two interceptions. The entire defense accounted for seven quarterback hits as well.
All in all, this was a statement win from the Fleet. A win against the Legends? Anyone can do that. The Commanders are a better team, and it must have felt great to even the playing field after losing to San Antonio in Week One.
2. Orlando Apollos (3-0)
Last Week: 1
Talk about a close call. To come within a score of losing to one of the worst teams in the league? I mean sure, Memphis had GOAT AAF quarterback Zach Mettenberger, but how did one of the best teams in the league let one of the worst teams in the league gain ground on them like that?
Well, the 124 yards given up on eight penalties didn’t help. Letting Memphis convert half of their third downs didn’t help either. Garrett Gilbert didn’t have stellar stats from the night, but made good use of his legs in seven carries for 43 yards and – oh yeah – one touchdown.
Orlando still managed to come out with the win, so they’ll be okay. They’re now one of two teams with a 3-0 record, looking to improve to 4-0 when they take on the Stallions next weekend.
1. Birmingham Iron (3-0)
Last Week: 3
Big move for Birmingham, and they’re more than deserving. We knew the Atlanta Legends were bad, but to go into Atlanta’s home stadium and drop a 16-point win on the league’s worst team? That’s just pouring salt in the wound.
The Birmingham Iron defense – aptly nicknamed the “Iron Curtain” – was able to put the pressure on Matt Simms and the rest of the Atlanta offense, holding them to field goals and one garbage time touchdown. On top of that, three different defensive players intercepted Simms.
Oh, and all three of Birmingham’s touchdowns came from one guy: Trent Richardson. That man is killing the game.
Last Word on the AAF Week Three Power Rankings
We’re about a third of the way through the season, and the bigger picture is becoming clearer by the game. We’re getting a better understanding of what these teams are made of, who’s in it for the long haul, who’s barely coasting by, and who’s just dead in the water. Keep an eye out for Week Four game previews from our team later on this week.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
