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It has become an annual assumption that any and all Mike Kleinknecht coached teams will be vying for a championship virtually every single season. This year has been no different. The New Orleans Saints are a K-necht coached team using nothing more than a stock playbook and, yet, here they are! The Halos got here by clipping a stubborn San Francisco 49ers' club, 24-6, and then easing past the defending champion, and back-to-back NFC titleists, Philadelphia Eagles, 31-19, last week. While Kleinknecht is legendary for his unique offensive dominance, a little known or respected aspect of his game is his defensive capabilities. His teams consistently are near the top of the league and are especially so once the playoffs begin. On the other side of the field we will have Livo Livojevic. The only coach in PFL history to ever win three consecutive PFL championships, Livojevic returned to the league this season and immediately reclaimed his status as among the truly elite coaches of all time. It is not a coincidence that the Saints and Cardinals (not exactly possessiing power house rosters) will be vying for a shot at the title. One of these two legendary coaches will have a chance to become only the second coach in history to win 4 or more titles. Jim Hatzis stands alone with five titles to his name!
As stated earlier, New Orleans will enter this classic somewhat handicapped by having to utilize a stock playbook. However, Klienknecht's offensive methodology relegates this to a moot and irrelevant factor. Coach K simply calls formations, eventually figures out what the opposing coach does on defense, and then hot routes (at times every player in the formation!) to a set of patterns that will defeat the game's AI! It will not matter who the quarterback is nor what defense is called if he knows what is front of him. This makes for quite a challenge for Livojevic. His Cards have reigned supreme on defense all season long and will need to remain so this week if his team is to advance. His team comes in ranked #1 at stopping the pass allowing only 152.8 YPG while also pacing the league with 103 sacks. This is a particularly significant stat considering the Saints enter the arena as the league's #4 passing team (429.78 YPG). Arizona has been much more reliant upon a powerful running game that led the NFC averaging 167 YPG. New Orleans was solid versus the run ceding just 95.8 YPG, but might need to be better than that in this one.
The two teams did meet back in week 1 of the regular season. In that encounter, Kleinknecht got the better of Livojevic as the Saints prevailed, 32-28. It was a close game with New Orleans using a 15-7 4th quarter edge to pull out the W.
Final Analysis: This has all the makings of an all-time classic considering the coaches involved. 'Zona has won 17 straight and wiped out a tough Chicago Bears' squad last week, 41-27, despite failing on a controversial 4th down play that could have given the Cards a 3 score lead. They seem to be a team playing at a very high level and should be able to control the tempo in this one. Arizona 30-26.
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The top seeded New York Jets have romped through the PFL this season losing only to the New England Patriots. They whipped the Indianapolis Colts last week, 51-28, piling up 35 first half points as coach Mike Kleinknecht's offensive schemes ripped the Colts to pieces. Pre-season free agent signee WR Mecole Hardman had a field day scorching the Indy secondary for 110 yards on 8 receptions as did TE Mason Taylor and WR Garrett Wilson who combined for 13 catches and 192 more yards! The Ravens began their season slowly, but have made serious changes to their defensive philosophy that has re-established the perennial contenders. Coach Rob Brick took the New England Patriots to the promised land just three seasons ago and is no stranger to regular and post-season success. In his team's two post-season games, his Ravens blasted both the Miami Dolphins (38-19) and New England Patriots (54-14) off the field. Baltimore's stunning win over New England last week raised more than one casual observer's eyes. The improved defense showed up in a big way, yet again, picking off Patriot quarterback Drake Maye an incredible 4 times and sacking him 6 times. Maye had not thrown more than 2 interceptions in any of his prior 18 starts!
Similar to the NFC coaching matchup between Kleinknecht and Livo Livojevic, this one features two of the league's elites. Kleinknecht is seeking his fourth crown and third in the last nine seasons. Brick, as mentioned, will be hunting for his second championship in the past four years. While the Jets and Kleinknecht are known for their offensive passing exploits (A league leading 39.5 PPG), they can also be a very tough redzone rushing team. New York enters this game with a PFL best 36 rushing touchdowns and actually outgained the Ravens and HB Derrick Henry by a surprising 2437 yards to 2310 yards on the ground! New York's defense was also solid and finished second in the AFC allowing only 228.7 YPG versus the pass and the Jets' 48% third down conversion rate was tied for the best in football.
Final Analysis: Jet quarterback Justin Fields and Baltimore's Lamar Jackson finished 4th and 5th in MVP voting this season. While New York holds most of the statistical advantages heading into this encounter, the Ravens are simply not the same team they were earlier in the season. They have won eight in a row and held seven of those eight opponents to 20 points or less! If the Ravens can hold up on defense, they have a very real shot at pulling off the upset. New York 30-27.
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