We’re just two weeks into the first season of the Alliance of American Football. In those two games, it appears that the Memphis Express are really bad and the Orlando Apollos are really good. Will those trends continue into Week 3 of the season? Let’s take a closer look at the matchup:
Memphis Express at Orlando Apollos
Date: Saturday February 23rd, 2019 – 8:05 PM ET
Location: Spectrum Stadium – Orlando, Florida
Memphis Express
The Express got shut out in their first game of the season, falling 26-0 to the Birmingham Iron — a team that’s proven to have one of the better defenses in the AAF through two weeks. In Week 2, the Express came home to play their home opener against the Arizona HotShots and while they played much better, they ended up losing in the end. They entered that contest as a 14-point underdog but thanks to three early takeaways, built an 18-6 lead. Yes, they collapsed in the fourth quarter but this was still a positive effort in a game they were expected to be blown out.
Their offense stalled in the late stages and what we’ve learned so far about that unit is that they just aren’t good enough. Memphis is quarterbacked by Christian Hackenberg, the former high draft pick — and bust — of the NFL’s New York Jets. Film study and evaluations throughout the league indicate that Hackenberg has not meaningfully improved in his AAF stint. He’s been one of the worst passers in the league as he’s seventh in yards (just 189 through two games) with a 50 percent completion percentage. He’s yet to throw a single touchdown.
The lone bright light on this offense has been former NFL running back Zac Stacy, who is coming off a game where he compiled 101 yards — the league’s first 100-yard rusher — and a touchdown. Even so, with Hackenberg’s struggles, it very hard to pick the Express in this spot or take them seriously as a threat in the East.
Orlando Apollos
The Apollos are having no such problems on offense as they have scored 40 and 37 points in their first two games. They crushed Atlanta in their Week 1 contest, winning 40-6 and then dug themselves out of a 12-0 deficit in San Antonio on the road in Week 2 to win 37-29.
It’s still very early in this league but Orlando averages 38.5 points per game while Memphis averages nine points per game. We were expecting all sorts of inconsistencies on offense (league-wide) because the players haven’t been together very long. At the same time, Orlando is clicking while Memphis is lost.
That is a large disparity, and it makes picking Orlando a little easier.
Trends
The Memphis Express are 0-2 straight up, 1-1 ATS. They managed to cover in their game at home and fell short in their game on the road. They have gone under the number in each of their games thus far.
The Orlando Apollos are 2-0 straight up, leaving them as one of the two Eastern Conference teams that are still undefeated. They have also covered both of their contests. They went over last week after going under in Week 1. They are 1-0 ATS on the road and 1-0 at home.
Express vs. Apollos Prediction
Apollos 32, Express 21
