Arena Football One: Week 6 Preview

Four games are on the docket for AF1 in Week 6. We start with an opener on Thursday night and conclude the remaining games on the weekend. As we get into the middle of the schedule, these games start to have serious playoff implications, and each of these teams is looking to establish themselves as a threat. Let's take a quick look at what's in store for each of these games. (All times are Eastern).

Nashville Kats (1-2) at Washington Wolfpack (1-3)

Thursday, April 17th, 10:00 p.m. Live on EVERGREENNOW 

The Wolfpack welcome the Kats to the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington for their Week 6 contest. For Washtington, this will be a chance to get things right after dropping a pair of games in a row. After picking up a big win in week two, they've struggled to get their offense going well enough. Last week they managed just 21 points in a 40-point loss to Corpus Christi. 

The Kats, meanwhile, are looking to build the momentum. After dropping their first two contests of the year, including a one score loss to the undefeated Firebirds, they picked up a win over Oregon in Week 4. While they wanted to get right back to work to build that momentum, they were on bye for Week 5 and now look to pick up right where they left off. 

Players to Watch:

For the Wolfpack, it starts and ends with Ed Crouch. The indoor football legend has been a spark to this offense, creating with his legs as much as with his arm. He added two touchdowns in the air and one on the ground to his coffers this past week, but needs to protect the ball better if the Wolfpack are going to have a chance in this one. He threw three interceptions including one that went for six the other way. 

The biggest piece of the Kats offense in their big Week 4 victory was Robert Jones Jr. The widdeout  caught 8-of-11 targets for 76 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead Nashville. However, it wasn't just in the air that he got things done. Jones Jr. was also the team's leading rusher with 31 rushing yards and another score on the ground as well. 

Oregon Lightning (1-3) at Salina Liberty (0-4)

Saturday, April 19th, 7:30 p.m. Live on EVERGREENNOW 

The Liberty head home to the Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina, Kansas for a contest with the Oregon Lightning. The Liberty are looking to pick up their first win of the season, but to do so, they'll have to get their offense going. Over their first four games, they've managed just 24 points per game. They dropped their last game despite a strong showing from their defense, where they held SW Kansas to just 22 points. 

The Lightning may not have the success they were looking for in this short season, but they have been tight in nearly every game. After being blown out by the Outlaws in Week 1, they've been tight on each opponents heels. Each of their last three games have been decided by a score or less. With the Liberty's defense making points at a premium, this may be a tight one again. 

Players to Watch:

For the Liberty, it continues to be all about their defense. Despite being brought in as a running back, Henry Kellogg has been a force on the defensive side of the ball. He's already picked up three sacks on the short season and added a forced fumble in there to go with it. He'll need to be pressuring the backfield of the Lightning if the Liberty are to get their first win. 

The Lightning saw a spark in their rushing game last time out against Nashville. The two-headed attack of quarterback Dalton Cole and running back Tom Butters gave the defense fits. They combined for 80 yards and three touchdowns in the run game. That will need to continue against this tough defensive line for them this weekend. 

SW Kansas Storm (3-2) at Corpus Christi Tritons (3-0) 

Sunday, April 19th, 8:00 p.m. Live on EVERGREENNOW  

SW Kansas eeked out that victory against Salina last week by a score of 22-20. While it may not be the scores that we have come to expect in Arena Football One action, it did show a different side of the Storm. Perviously, their offense had been able to put up big numbers, averaging 41 points per game going into that one. However, they showed in that one that they know how to win any way. 

Speaking of knowing how to win, that's all the Tritons have done in this short season. They started off with a pair of games against Salina, and then kept things rolling with a big win over Washington this past week. That 40-point win showed that they were doing more than just beating up on the bottom of the league and that they are contenders for real. 

Players to Watch: 

The defense played up last game, so it would only make sense to highlight their best defensive player here - Michael Lawson. Lawson has racked up a league high four picks on the year to go along with 23 tackles. Adding a forced fumble to the mix, his ability to disrupt the offense might be unmatched and should be a huge part of this one. 

The one trying to keep the ball out of Lawson's hands is Corpus Christi quarterback Fred Payton. Payton was on fire last week against Washington, completing 58.6% of his passes. He completed 17 passes for 165 yards and six touchdowns. He did have four interceptions though, which he'll have to clean up for this one, especially with Lawson lurking. 

Albany Firebirds (4-0) at Billings Outlaws (2-1)

Sunday, April 13th, 7:00 p/m. Live on VICETV 

These two teams meet for the second consecutive week. After squaring off last week in Albany, they head to Billings for the second of the two matchups. We'll see if the home field advantage is enough for the Outlaws, who didn't have enough in the tank to disrupt the undefeated Firebirds on their home turf.

The game last week was all Firebirds from the get-go. Quarterback Sam Castronova got the scoring started with a rushing touchdown in the early parts of the first quarter. From there on, Albany ran away with the thing - finishing with a blowout 62-24 victory. 

Players to Watch:

The aforementioned Sam Castronova has been the biggest part of the Firebirds' offense. In last week's game with the Outlaws he was as much of a threat in the air as he was on the ground. He racked up 10 completions for 129 yards in the air to go along with four touchdowns. On his feet, he rushed four times for another two scores. 

Last week for Billings, Jevin Frett emerged as the top dangerous target for the Outlaws. He drew double digit targets as they treid to claw their way back into the contest. He pulled six of those targets in for a total of 74 yard - an average of 12.3 yards per catch. He added a touchdown in there for good measure.