At the midway point in any league’s season, we usually begin to see the wheat separate from the chaff. The Alliance of American Football is no different as the two top teams in the west, the San Antonio Commanders (2-2) and Arizona Hotshots (2-2) face off in Sunday night’s prime time attraction.
The AAF game will kick off at 8 p.m. EST on the NFL Network. Here are your requisite betting lines and totals.
San Antonio Commanders at Arizona Hotshots (-2.5, O/U: 40)
The commanders roll in after their biggest win of the young season, a 12-11 defensive struggle against the previously unbeaten Birmingham Iron. San Antonio took a 9-3 lead into the fourth quarter and had to hang on for dear life as the Iron fought its way back in the game’s final two minutes.
At quarterback, Logan Woodside wasn’t very effective at all, finishing 11-for-25 for 106 yards and averaging just 4.2 yards per completion. So many of these teams fell in love with guys in camp and so many of them were wrong. How Woodside, after a month of offensive futility, is still in there with former North Carolina star Marquise Williams still riding the bench should be a mystery to all of us.
If anything, this team should be circling the desiccated remains of Johnny Manziel’s career as a possible signing next season after he flamed out in the Canadian Football League.
So what worked for the Commanders? The running game as Kenneth Farrow II carried the ball 30 times for 142 yards. Trey Williams added four touches for 20 yards and scored the touchdown. The leading receiver was Greg Ward Jr. who caught just two passes for 24 yards. Again, I ask, how is Woodside keeping this job?
The Hotshots roll in after a gritty 14-11 loss at the hands of the Atlanta Legends. It was Arizona’s second consecutive loss. It all started out wrong for the Hotshots as the first points scored in the game was a Legends safety after Rashad Ross was tackled in his own endzone.
At quarterback, John Wolford was decent, finishing 17-of-31 for 185 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Jhurell Pressley got the lion’s share of the carries, with 14 for 110 yards. Ross, in spite of surrendering points on a safety early, caught four passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Josh Huff caught four for 43 yards.
On defense, the awesomely named Erick Dargan had 11 tackles with one for a loss. Carl Bradford recorded the only sack for Arizona and he also forced a fumble.
The Pick
In spite of their records and position in the AAF West, there’s not a lot to get excited about with either of these teams. Neither quarterback looks ready to make any kind of leap. There are some standouts on defense, but Arizona really needs to do a better job getting after the quarterback. Even with a lackluster passer, you can’t give a guy all day to stand back there. Eventually, he’ll figure it out, even if it’s all dump offs. I like San Antonio in the upset, but not by a lot. Commanders 14, Hotshots 9
