The AAF’s inaugural season features eight teams fighting for four playoff spots throughout the ten-week regular season. Over these ten weeks, we will see some great matchups. The storylines are endless with the former NFL players in the league and the legendary coaches at the helms. There will be no shortage of drama over the entire regular season. With four games every week, fans should be treated to great games throughout the entire season. However, there are three that I think stand out above the rest.
Week 1: Atlanta Legends at Orlando Apollos
The season starts off with a bang when the Legends head down to Florida. Steve Spurrier makes his return to coaching in primetime on February 9th. He will lead his Apollos against Atlanta in his first game back on the sidelines. Atlanta has a pretty famous coach on their sideline as well, offensive coordinator Michael Vick. These two great offensive football minds will face off to kick off the AAF season. These teams also could become rivals considering how close they are to each other. They face off again in Week 7 which could be an even better matchup once both of these teams get into mid-season form.
Week 4: San Diego Fleet at Memphis Express
Professional football returns to San Diego through the AAF and they run into a solid Memphis team in Week 4. The Express have strong-armed quarterback Christian Hackenberg and some strong weapons including running back Zac Stacy. The Fleet will most likely not have their top quarterback Josh Johnson on the roster due to his stint with the Redskins last season. However, Mike Martz is a veteran offensive coach and will look to develop one of the other quarterbacks on his roster. This game in Tennessee should be a midseason battle to watch as Martz and Express coach Mike Singletary face-off.
Week 10: San Antonio Commanders at Salt Lake Stallions
The only Friday game of the season comes in the last week. The Commanders and Stallions face off with a playoff spot possibly on the line. In primetime on April 12th, these two teams will matchup and their coaches are already familiar with each other. When Mike Riley was at Oregon State, Dennis Erickson was at Arizona State. They faced off five times with Riley winning three of those matchups. Their two teams face off twice this season, but this one could be the most important matchup between the two yet.
