AAF Week 5 Preview: Saturday Games

As we prepare to hit the midway point of the first AAF season, the matchups start to mean more. In Week 5, the games heat up even more with battles for the lead in both divisions. The first of those leads of the week on Saturday afternoon when the Apollos and the Iron face off for the first time. The primetime game on Saturday is a lot more intriguing than those may think. The Stallions take on the Fleet to keep pace in the West. Week 5’s games are looking to be some of the best yet and that starts Saturday afternoon with these two great battles.

Orlando Apollos (4-0) at Birmingham Iron (3-1)

Two teams in the AAF have three or more wins. They will both be playing Saturday afternoon in Birmingham. However, there is one team that has obviously shown they are the best in the league. Orlando is the only team in the league to score 20 or more points in all four games this season. They’re coached by the great Steve Spurrier and their quarterback, Garrett Gilbert, has looked like the best in the league. He is the only quarterback in the league over 1,000 yards and is second in touchdowns with six.

The Iron have had one of the better defenses in the league, but haven’t proven they can score consistently. Birmingham put up just 11 points last week against a San Antonio defense that had allowed an average of 34 ppg over the last two weeks. I don’t see Luis Perez and the Iron keeping up with the explosive Apollos offense. Birmingham should make the playoffs, but the Apollos are going to takeover the East division on Saturday with their fifth straight win.

Prediction: Apollos 27 Iron 13

Salt Lake Stallions (1-3) at San Diego Fleet (2-2)

San Diego shockingly lost to the Express last week, after they had won convincingly the last two weeks. The Fleet received even more disappointing news this week when they learned that Philip Nelson would miss at least a month. Now, Mike Martz has to go back to Mike Bercovici who lost the Fleet’s first game as a starter. They now face a team that has gotten unlucky with scheduling thus far. Every team that Salt Lake has had to face over the first four weeks has entered the game undefeated. Now, they face the depleted Fleet team.

Salt Lake is a better team than their record shows and I believe they will escape San Diego with a win. The West is looking like the more competitive division and no one should count the Stallions out. They are right in the thick of things with a win on Saturday night. Everyone in the West is 2-2 except for the Stallions and the Commanders play the Hotshots on Sunday. So, beating the Fleet would put them in a guaranteed tie for second in the division.

Prediction: Stallions 34 Fleet 23