Arena Football One's Week 13 Power Rankings

In Week 12, six teams took the field to battle for the playoff seeding. A total of 223 points we scored, with the Salina Liberty leading the way, pumping out 71 points. With two weeks left in the regular season, five teams still have a shot to secure the final two spots in the postseason. Interested in watching all the action AF1 has to offer? Head to EvergreenNOW and VICE TV now!

8. (2-9) Washington Wolfpack

Washington will now have been at the bottom of the power rankings for a fourth straight week. Knocked out of playoff contention already, the Wolfpack traveled to Salina. The story remained the same, nothing went right for them, walking out with a 71-4 beatdown. Adam Kruse started the game but was unable to get anything going. He battled but was injured in the previous week, playing through it, JR. Wells turned to Kobe Martin to find a spark. Nothing changed, and the Wolfpack failed to generate 100 yards of offense. This has been the story for Washington all year. The Wolfpack ranks last in points for at 223, while also surrendering the most points in the league at 603. Currently sitting on a 5-game losing streak, Washington has not won a game since Week 7 against the Lightning. The Wolfpack has one more game in Week 14 against the Albany Firebirds to end the season.

Adam Kruse is still the leading passer for the Wolfpack but ranks 10th in passing yards and 11th in touchdown passes. Deshon Williams has played well with a limited passing attack, sitting at 444 yards, 9 touchdowns, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 sack. The Wolfpack could not find anything on offense all year and has failed to find another complementary option. On defense, Ijaaz Rashid is fifth in the league in tackles with 32 while also forcing a fumble and recovering another, as well as recording 2 sacks. A true bright spot on this team has been Chei Hill, who leads the league with 12 sacks. Caleb Brown and Machiah Lee both have 3 interceptions each to round out the defense.

7. (4-7) Oregon Lightning 

The Oregon Lightning have had a Jekyll and Hyde season. The Lightning will have a half where they look very dominant, and follow it up with multiple mistakes, tripping over themselves. Last week, they faced off with the divisional rivals, the Billings Outlaws. A chance to make a big play for the postseason, Oregon failed to strike, getting hammered 58-7. The Oregon Lightning's offense has been potent most of the season, with 383 points scored, but the defense has failed to stop opponents just ahead of the Wolfpack, giving up 438 points. Oregon was on a three-game win streak before faltering back into a two-game losing streak. Currently, Oregon still has a chance to make the playoffs, but it will need help to make the postseason. They have two more games, hosting Corpus Christi this week and rounding out the year against Billings.

Dalton Cole leads the league in total yards at 2191 and is tied at the top for touchdowns at 45. Cole has been the Lightning's catalyst when he is on, but with the explosive attack, it came with a league-leading 16 interceptions. Kris Lewis has been one of the premier weapons in the league, collecting 517 yards and 14 touchdowns. Maurice Ashley has been part of the tag team Oregon deploys, hauling in 402 yards and 5 touchdowns. The defense has been led by a trio of linemen. Jerimiah Spicer and Miquel Pillow-Smiley both are disrupters with 7 sacks apiece. Mike Fields joined the team halfway through the season and has helped solidify their pass rush, adding 5 sacks. On the backend, Nicolas Brassell has grabbed 3 interceptions and 29 tackles.

6. (3-5) Corpus Christi Tritons 

Corpus Christi has failed to maintain stability this season. Currently on a five-game losing streak, the Tritons still have a shot at the playoffs. Like the Lightning, they will need some help around the league to make it in and will have to win their final two games. Last week, the Tritons made a furious comeback but ultimately failed to pull out the 44-39 loss against the Kats. Corpus Christi has struggled to generate points with 290 points. And for their defense, falling in the middle of the pack at 377 points given up. The Tritons will need their defense to handle the Oregon Lightning's potent offensive attack this week to maintain pace for the playoffs. 

Fred Payton Jr. is fifth in passing yards and tied for fifth in passing touchdowns. He has had his issues turning the ball, throwing 11 interceptions. Richy Anderson II has been Payton's favorite target this year with 522 yards and 12 touchdowns. Lakeith Murray has held the secondary together with 3 interceptions and 19 tackles.

5. (4-6) Billings Outlaws

The Billings Outlaws have beaten the teams near the bottom of the standings and lost to the teams above them. With struggles on defense and multiple roster changes, Billings is looking at the playoffs from the outside in. With some big-name additions, it hasn't all clicked at once. Offensively, Billings has scored the second-most points in the league at 462 points scored. The main issue for Billings has been its defense, allowing 394 points. Last week, Billings looked like their team might finally have found its stride, destroying the Lightning 58-7. Billings has a critical chance to improve their postseason odds, hosting the Nashville Kats this weekend. Their final game of the year will be at Oregon.

Newcomer Malik Henry has come in hot, in four games, he fired off 682 yards and 17 touchdowns. He did struggle with Salina, throwing all 4 of his interceptions in that game. Darius Prince, who started with the Corpus Christi Tritons, joined the Outlaws mid-way through the year. He is third in the league in yards at 617 and second in touchdowns with 17. The recent addition of Hunter Swoboda should help the Outlaws get back on track with a run game. Dwayne Hollis, also a recent addition, is sixth in tackles with 30 and third in interceptions with 6.

4. (4-5) Salina Liberty

The Liberty is on a two-game win streak. One of those was an important game against the Outlaws, the other was an offensive master class against the Wolfpack. Currently sitting in a playoff position, the Liberty holds the keys to making it to the postseason. If they win out, they will be in. The Liberty started the season off slow, going 0-4 in the first four games, but have come on strong, going 4-1 since. Salina has found its offensive stride, averaging 55.8 points in those five games and only giving up 35.6 points. The Liberty has a tall task ahead of them in their final two games, facing off with division rival, Southwest Kansas Storm, two times. The Storm has already secured the two-seed but also has the chance to knock Salina out of the playoffs.

The Liberty has had to juggle between quarterbacks, swapping between Rakeem Cato and Javin Kilgo. They have combined for 1795 passing yards and 23 touchdowns. Cato has been able to protect the ball better with only 3 interceptions, while Kilgo has 11. The Liberty has one of the league's best weapons in Tracy Brooks, who has 332 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns. Malik Honeycutt has been a threat all year. He is second in the league in yards at 656 and third in touchdowns at 16. Edward Smith Jr. is not to be forgotten, adding 506 yards and 10 touchdowns. Rj Jarrett and Shaq Bond have led the defense, both nabbing 3 interceptions each. Kenny Starks has been found the quarterback, 7 sacks this year.

3. (5-3) Nashville Kats 

The Nashville Kats are the first team on the power rankings with a winning record, and like the Liberty, are fully in control of their odds to make the playoffs. They are currently riding a two-game winning streak against the Tritons and Lightning. Last week, the Kats were able to hold off the Tritons' comeback attempt in a 44-39 thriller. With two games left, the Kats will need to handle their business against the Outlaws and Tritons to finish the year. The Kats have found themselves in an excellent position to make a postseason run. The game against Billings this week will have a major impact on who is in and who is out.

Led by Tyler Kulka, who is fourth in the league in yards and has only thrown 1 interception, has given the Kats a chance in every game. Jordan Gandy has led the team in yards with 462, adding 3 touchdowns. Robert Jones Jr. has helped solidify the tandem, grabbing 381 yards and 7 touchdowns. On the defensive side, Amos Coleman has led the way, third in the league in tackles with 35, as well as a forced fumble and an interception. The secondary has been a nightmare for teams to face. Shaun Lewis and Isaiah McFarland have been creating havoc all season. McFarland leads the league in interceptions and has added 3 touchdowns to go with it. Shaun Lewis has been no slouch either, hauling in 8 interceptions himself.  

2. (7-3) Southwest Kansas Storm

The Storm has been excellent this season and is coming into week 13 with a three-game win streak. Southwest Kansas is locked into the playoffs. Last week, the Storm were on a bye. In the previous week, they hosted the Wolfpack in a 63-7 victory. Southwest Kansas has two more games this season, both against the Salina Liberty. A win will confirm they host a game, and they can also play spoiler in knocking Salina out of the playoffs.

Jalen Morton has been on a tear this season and will be in the running for MVP at the end of the season. With 2167 all-purpose yards, he trails only Dalton Cole and is tied with 45 touchdowns. Morton has had a trio of weapons to overpower teams with: Demarius Washington, Shiloh Flanagan, and Charles Hall IV. The three of them have combined for 1681 yards and 33 touchdowns, making the Storm's offense nearly impossible to stop. Michael Lawson sits atop the league at 65 tackles, 21 more than the next. He has also forced 5 fumbles, recovering 3 and intercepting 5 passes. Lawson might be looking at a Defensive Player of the Year Award at the end of the season. Matthews, not to be overshadowed by Lawson, has 45 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 3 fumble recoveries, and 4 interceptions. Joe Golden has been a force upfront, hunting the quarterback and collecting 7 sacks.

1. (9-0) Albany Firebirds 

The Firebirds again sit atop their perch. Albany has been impressive all year, beating teams by an average of 34.8 points per game. They have long since clinched a playoff birth and the number one seed. Damon Ware has put together a season to be remembered with one more game to be played against the Washington Wolfpack next week. They will look to put together an undefeated season and prime themselves for a postseason march. 

Sam Castronova, being the catalyst for the offense, has passed for 1747 all-purpose yards and 49 touchdowns. Like Morton, Sam will be in the MVP conversation. Castronova has been dying high with his partner, Duane Brown. Brown leads the league with 820 yards and 27 touchdowns. He is a threat to score anytime he is targeted. Darien Townsend has also helped make the offense unstoppable near the endzone, pulling down 11 of his own touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the Firebirds deploy a plethora of quality defenders. Markus Smith is fourth in tackles in the league, as well as 4 interceptions. Ezekiel Rose is second in sacks at 11, and behind him is Dejon Walden with 7 sacks. Across the board, the Firebirds' defense is loaded with talent. This team can't be talked about without mentioning Henry Nell, who has hammered through 13 deuces, 7 more than the next. He has also connected for the longest field goal of the season at 50 yards.  With the combination of the best offense in the league, the stoutest defense, and Nell, they are poised to be the favorites to win the title.