By RJ “The Bullish Brahma” Reid
Introduction
It is Week 14 of the Indoor Football League (IFL), and the 5-5 San Antonio Gunslingers head out east to play the 6-5 Massachusetts Pirates. Here’s what you need to know:
When?
Saturday, June 15, 2024 at 6:05pm CT.
Where?
Tsongas Center, Freeman Coliseum, Lowell, Massachusetts.
Gameday Weather
The game is indoors, obviously, but for those wanting to hang out prior to the game, it should be very comfortable. The forecast calls for 52 degrees, mostly clear skies with a 1% chance of rain and 9 mile per hour winds.
History
This is the first matchup between the two teams.
Keys to Victory
-Offense getting back on track. Sam Castronova has been “struggling” the past two games, at least for his standard. Throwing for 4 touchdowns last week would look like an amazing game for any quarterback, but for Castronova, there were a lot of missed opportunities. The past two weeks, the Gunslingers have been stopped on fourth down many times, and last week against the Gladiators, they were held scoreless in the first and third quarter, something that has never happened to San Antonio. The Gunslingers eventually heated up at the end of the game, but against a higher caliber team like the Pirates, they cannot afford to leave points on the field.
-The defense started the game last week on fire. They held the Gladiators to two field goals and forced two turnovers; however, not only did San Antonio’s offense start to click, so did Duke City. The Gunslingers could not stop the Gladiators in the second half, and if not for a missed field goal attempt as time expired, they would have lost. Like Duke City, Massachusetts has one of the worst scoring offenses in the league. Duke City was still able to score almost at will, and the Gunslingers do not want a repeat performance from a team struggling to score points.
-The Pirates have the second-best defense in the league, while San Antonio continues to have the worst defense. One paper, this matchup against the Pirates is almost identical to the game against Duke City. San Antonio is facing a team that has a bad offense and a good defense. If San Antonio can learn from their errors against the Gladiators and apply that against the Pirates, perhaps the outcome can be similar.
Predictions
Let’s look at how my predictions from last week fared:
-Sam Castronova will throw for at least 6 touchdowns.
Incorrect. He threw for 4 touchdowns.
-The Gunslingers will score on every possession.
Incorrect. They were stopped on 4th down their first possession.
-The defense will force at least two turnovers on downs.
Incorrect. The Gunslingers forced two turnovers, but none were on downs.
-The defense will allow under 210 yards of total offense.
Incorrect. They allowed 273 yards of offense.
Week 13 results: 0-4 (I shot blanks that week).
Overall results: 13-37.
And now my predictions for this week, hopefully I’ll be a “straightshooter”:
-TC Stevens will kick a deuce.
-Austin Upshaw will catch at least one touchdown.
-The Gunslingers will hold the Pirates to under 250 yards of total offense.
-The Gunslingers will have at least two rushing touchdowns.
Final Thoughts
This is the first of back-to-back road games for the Gunslingers. They travel all the way to the east coast to face off against a team that historically has been one of the better teams since joining the IFL. This year looks to be a down year for the Pirates as their offense has struggled to score points, but their defense has been dominating. The Gunslingers have a tough test ahead of them and this will be a good litmus test to see exactly where they are in the pecking order in the IFL. The Pirates’ defense will be formidable, and scoring will be at a premium. The Gunslingers cannot go scoreless in two quarters like they did against Duke City. Although the Pirates are on a bit of a slump lately, they cannot be overlooked, but San Antonio is still on an upward trajectory since their 0-3 start. The Gunslingers are battle tested and are well prepared to fight of the marauders from Massachusetts.