Playoffs.

Yes.

I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for quite some time now and I’m very happy we’re finally here. Sorry to Wolverines, Served With Ice, MNX2.0 and Rainmakers for being on the outside looking in. I do hope you guys had a fun season regardless and know that this season would not have been the same without you!

Let’s get started,

Week 11

After an eventful week 11 where Top Guns’ forfeit got them into the playoffs, the matchups are set all across the board for a fun week 12 of games. Division 1 is on bye this week so I’ll focus on covering the D2 games; expect the D1 coverage next week!

Thoughts of the Week

Can’t help but feel like we should fix the loophole; forfeiting should not be an option to secure a playoff spot.
The amounts of forfeits this week was crazy.
Finishing the season on a tie? Really?
#NR with the comeback to finish 1^st overall. Well done.
STL vs Braves 2.0 has my vote for the Game of the Week.
Are byes really an advantage?
I did predict no one would go undefeated in either division; so kudos to me.
If We P.O survives without Vinny Gualano the first two rounds, there’s no way they’d lose in his return; better knock them out now.
This week oddly feels like a wild-card round
I, honestly, can’t say there’s a clear-cut favorite in D2. Makes the entire thing MUCH more interesting.
Can anybody knock Montreal’s Finest? Do you have better odds NOT in the finals?
3 ties this season in D2. Crazy.
Can we truly consider the high-seed, this round, as favorites?
With Clockwork’s week 11 loss, they end up 5th and not on a bye. Would have been 1st overall with a win. What?

Recaps

DK vs Montreal’s Finest: Interestingly, in your typical D1 matchup, DK took on Montreal’ Finest, but without their starting QB Rochdi Benabdelkeder. Mind games? Preparations for the playoffs? I don’t know. He missed a handful of games this season and Patrick Chenard has been quite the sub for him (granted, he’s had his fair share of success in D1 in the past as a QB) and Sunday was no different. Yes, Montreal’s Finest won, but considering DK’s roster, I’m surprised the game was this close. DK were without Rochdi and Alex Pilon; what will be on this game the next time they end up facing each other at full strength? Could this be the year DK gets over their recent woes of playing the Finest? Winter 2018 playoffs are bound to be verryyyy interesting.
Gladiateurs vs Waste Yout: In a game where Waste Yout had potentially a shot at stealing the 1^st seed from #NR (And they actually would’ve if they would’ve won), they somehow ended up with a tie. Sure, the point assured them a bye this week and it’s a good thing overall, but a tie? Really? I’m not sure who this should re-assure more; the Glads who were able to put up 43 points on Waste Yout even though Francois Lebeau had 2 interceptions or Waste Yout who didn’t have any turnovers and bounced back from their previous outings? One thing’s for sure, both offences excelled in their last preparation game before the playoffs and are both looking real good entering what could be a very special season for them.
Clockwork vs #NR: In a very closely contested game, #NR managed to comeback late in the game to finish it off and lock in their #1 overall seed in Division 2. Capping off a pretty remarkable season, #NR was on full display against a somewhat different Clockwork roster. Missing a handful of guys, Clockwork called up Justin Cerantola, Chris Pinsonneault and Leonardo Lanni (for the second time) to help round their roster. Playing with only 6, I’m actually surprised by their subs’ contribution in this game (Justin Cerantola with a pick-six). It wasn’t necessarily the prettiest of games, but it shows just how special Clockwork can be scoring 40 points with 3/6 players being subs. Do we give the edge to Clockwork in a rematch all things considered? Potentially, but that rematch won’t happen in the early rounds!

Players of the Week

Marco Masciotra (D-Boys): He went OFF this week throwing for 282 yards, 8 touchdowns and no interceptions. His 141.4 QBR says it all.
Nicola Centomo (Got-Skills): In his final game of the regular season, he posted a nearly perfect QBR (150.1), threw for 8 TDs and 221 yards. Couldn’t ask for a better way to get into playoff mode.

Sébastien Crisi-Lauzon (BYOB): Yet another dominant performance as he finished with 66 receiving yards and 4 TDs. Can anyone stop him at this point?
Justene Edwards (STL): This season’s Receiver of the Year went OFF in his last game finishing with 77 receiving yards, 4 TDs and even got 2 interceptions (one for six) on defence. He’s no fluke.

Power Rankings

Montreal’s Finest (9-1): Lonely at the top? They are officially THE team to beat this season, once again. The FPF playoffs will go through Montreal’s Finest for, at least, one more season.
D-Boys (8-2): I can’t based these on speculations so D-Boys take the 2^nd seed for their beat down on FMS.
Flag Moi L’Sac (7-3): Still part of the elite top 3, I hope Alex Nadeau-Piuze comes back in time for the playoffs.
Braves (6-4): Heading into their second straight bye week, most of these guys are playing in D2 so they should be able to keep their momemtum going.
DK (5-5): Finishing at .500 feels a bit low for these guys, but the regular season only means so much anyways. I’m eager to see if they can topple any of the top teams in a week or two.
Monstars (5-4-1): Did not get a chance to play last week. Bye week this week. Well earned rest period.
Got-Skills (4-5-1): Their most recent thrashing puts them in a good spot to start their playoff run. Can they repeat the Cinderella run?
Top Guns (2-8): Probably the worse way to get into the playoffs, forfeiting, but whatever it takes, right? They earned the right to dance with the Finest; are they ready?
MNX 2.0 (2-8): After a great start to their season, MNX2.0 were in free fall. Their inability to stop Got-Skills last week pushed them out of the playoffs.
Rainmakers (1-9): It’s been a week and I’m still happy how these guys finished their season all things considered.

#NR (8-2): I’m not sure what’s sweeter; finishing 1^st overall or proving Moe Khan wrong? Either way, hell of a job.
Waste Yout (6-3-1): What is this tie you speak of? 2^nd overall nonetheless.
You Can’t Sit With Us (6-4): Earned a bye due to how things played out; they belong among the top contenders in the division and will prove it next week.
STL (5-5): Riding their hot hand, STL could really turn things around in their favor. Due to seeding, they’re in for a very difficult matchup, but isn’t that what I said a few weeks ago?
Clockwork (6-4): Finished just outside the top 4, without a bye, stuck playing Gladiateurs round 1 and with a few guys who could’ve used the week off. Tough spot, but there’s no better team to overcome this sort of adversity.
Braves 2.0 (5-4-1): What a turn around. From potentially out of the playoffs at 0-3-1 to a hell of a second half to finish above .500. Talk about running the tables.
We P.O (6-4): Yes, they’ve earned their bye and were a top contender all season. With the playoffs now on the line and missing their QB for the first TWO rounds, can they survive?
BYOB (6-4): Their defence has allowed the most points all season. Their offence is among the best in the divisions. Can they start stopping a few teams and let Mathieu Rene do his thing? Don’t count these guys out just yet.
Terror Squad (5-3-2): They’ve been playing well all season, although they’ve faltered once or twice, but this roster has way too much playoff experience (and championships) to falter this early.
Gladiateurs (3-5-2): They might be the 12^th seed, but they may also be the best 12^th seed out there. Will Alex Nadeau-Piuze return in time for their clash against Clockwork?
CLR Forces (4-6): After being completely ruled out of contention, they turned things around and proved their full roster is a strong contender in D2. Can that roster show up every game moving forward?
S Club Legion (4-6): Forfeiting their last game of the season, I’m not sure what to think of S Club Legion this season; they’ve got the players, but fail to execute at times. The playoffs ARE a different beast altogether, maybe they’ll surprise me once again.
Served With Ice (2-8): Roster inconsistency really took a toll on these guys this season with some of their star players missing one too many games. What now?
Wolverines (1-9): After starting the season with hope, they’ve plummeted down to the last seed and gave up on their own season (forfeiting the last two seeds). Contender in D3 next winter?

Playoff Previews

BYOB (6^th) vs S Club Legion (11^th)

Previous meeting: 30 – 26 BYOB. Week 10

I’ve criticized BYOB’s defence all season, but I’ve also been very high on their offence for the same amount of time. In a matchup against a team that also tends to allow a lot of points to good offences, BYOB could really flourish offensively and turn this into an absolute barn burner. If it comes down to which QB makes the first mistake, Mat René is more likely to end with a perfect game and push BYOB into the second round, but James Goulet had flashes at times that could make any opponent worry due to how ridiculously talented his supporting cast is. Can both offences go toe-to-toe with each other and win only on converts? Can anybody on defence step up and give their offence a leg-up on their opponents? If you want to see a true shoot out contest, this is probably THE game for you.

Key factor: Stopping Simon Charbonneau-Campeau

Prediction: 45 – 38 BYOB

Braves 2.0 (8^th) vs STL (9^th)

Previous meeting: N/A

The best game this week. Both teams had very similar season; both on the brink of elimination (STL was 2-5, Braves2.0 were 0-3-1) before really turning things around and making a run at it. As much as neither of these teams are truly “a favorite”, I do feel it’ll be a huge morale booster for either team to win this one. Looking back at their season, winning this game should set the bar high enough. STL has the offensive weapons to give Braves 2.0 just enough headache and allow Dylan Taylor to find the right guy at the right time consistently, yet, Braves 2.0 have the right defenders to trick a QB into thinking one thing and ending up with the ball. And vice versa as STL’s defence is, somehow, underrated this season and Braves’ offence can be considered one of the division’s best. If STL can find a way to slow down Jonathan Maheu’s offence, STL may win matchups offensively with Jamie Ojeaha facing that 4^th defender. Can he re-emerge as a perennial threat?

Key matchup: Taking away Mike Pierrecin

Prediction: 39 – 33 STL

Terror Squad (7^th) vs CLR Forces (10^th)

Previous meeting: N/A

Probably one of the toughest game to breakdown and predict; these two rosters have the ability and talent to make a deep run and play on April 8^th, but they’ve also lost some weird games on their way to the playoffs; which will we see this week? CLR Forces had their fair share of media coverage in regard of what people thought of them, but we kept quiet on Terror Squad’s performance this year; who will win? Both Qbs have different styles, but at the end of the day are both proven, veteran FPF QB. Both rosters feature high-end talent and names we’ve heard plenty of time in the higher divisions (D1, D2). I do feel like this is the sort of game that will come down to which team shows up to play and goes all out; the best team that night will win. It’s not so much about matchups and who’s playing who, but really who will have a good night playing as a team on Sunday night.

Key matchup: Rushing Tam Vilaydeth

Prediction: 37 – 33 Terror Squad

Clockwork (5^th) vs Gladiateurs (12^th)

Previous meeting: 37 – 26 Gladiateurs. Week 8

Potentially one of the worst draw for Clockwork is Gladiateurs. Only a handful of teams can put up points with Clockwork as you can’t really stop their offence and the way Marco Masciotra uses all of his receivers every week. That being said, that’s also something Francois Lebeau does really well and there’s no doubting how efficient the Gladiateurs’ offence can be at any given time. I don’t see either defences being able to actually stop and counter what the other team is doing so this might be one of those rare games where 6, maybe even 7, touchdowns might not be enough to win. Can either QB have the stellar 8 TD game to move onto the next round?

Key matchup: Reach 8 TDs?

Prediction: 51 – 39 Clockwork

That’s it for me this week. Hopefully this will trigger you just enough to drop me a message either via email ([email protected]), twitter (@DagenaisFPF) or in person. Remember, I didn’t do this to you, YOU did this to you. Until next time…! The Potatoes, still so clever. Also, we should use that word more often… Poatoes.

Week 12: Divisional Round