Week 6 saw a shake-up in the power rankings as three teams defeated higher-ranked teams, leapfrogging their way up the standings. The only team to hold the same position as last week is the top-ranked DC Defenders, who had a commanding victory over Dallas 24-6. The bottom of the standings tightened with several close games, leading to 4 teams finding themselves tied for 5th place, 1 game out of playoff positioning.
Crown Holder š: Columbus Aviators
The Columbus Aviators stole the Crown back with a 24-17 home win over Houston. They will travel to St. Louis to take on the Battlehawks in Week 7.Court Jester š: Dallas Renegades
The Dallas Renegades remain the Court Jester after another tough loss, 6-24 in DC. They will travel to Birmingham to take on the Stallions Saturday night.
If a team defeats the Crown Holder, they steal the Crown and become the new Crown Holder. If a team loses to the Court Jester, they become the new Court Jester, freeing the previous holder.
1. DC Defenders (5-1)
Previous Rank: #1
Week 6 Result: 24-6 win vs Dallas
Week 7 Opponent: vs Louisville Kings Saturday 1:30 ET
The DC Defenders extended their win streak to 5 games and are carrying an impressive point differential of 196 points for to 105 points against after a dominant win against the struggling Dallas Renegades. Jordan Taāamu completed 20 of his 28 passes for 227 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception. On defense, the Defenders' pass rush made life very difficult for the Renegades, as the pass rush frequently got to Austin Reed to blow up plays with frequent hits coming from defensive end Derek Parish.
2. St. Louis Battlehawks (3-3)
Previous Rank: #4
Week 6 Result: 16-3 win at Louisville
Week 7 Opponent: vs Columbus Aviators Friday 8 ET
The Battlehawks had another impressive defensive performance as they held Louisville to 1 field goal in their 16-3 win. Harrison Frost passed for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception, while Jarveon Howard rushed for 56 yards. DE Pita Taumoepenu was a monster, recording 2 sacks and getting past a blocker to generate pressure on 11 additional plays by my count. DE Travis Feeney also had a sack and 8 additional pressures.
Moving forward, it was announced that Luis Perez will start at quarterback for St. Louis. The passing game has left a lot to be desired for St. Louis, and they could become an unstoppable force with the Spring King under center.
3. Columbus Aviators (2-4) š
Previous Rank: #5
Week 6 Result: 24-17 win vs Houston
Week 7 Opponent: at St. Louis Battlehawks Friday 8 ET
Columbus saw efficient play from Jalen McClendon, who completed 20 of his 26 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. The Aviators continue to be run-heavy as the backs rushed a combined 33 times for 144 yards (4.36 average) and 2 touchdowns. Jalan McClendon led the way with 63 yards on 17 rushes and a touchdown with 5 missed tackles along the way (by my count). It was a very strong defensive performance as Columbus allowed only 160 total yards of offense.
4. Houston Gamblers (2-4)
Previous Rank: #3
Week 6 Result: 17-24 loss at Columbus
Week 7 Opponent: vs Orlando Storm Sunday 6 ET
Houston held in close in week 6 despite trailing in total yards 160-367. It was yet another game where an injury forced a quarterback change mid-game. Nolan Henderson completed 5 of his 6 passes for 38 yards before exiting the game in place of Taulia Tagovailoa, who completed 6 of his 10 passes for 65 yards and a touchdown. The offense struggled to maintain continuity as they had 9 first downs to Columbusās 21, leading to struggles in time of possession as well. Houston looked very good with Nolan Henderson under center in week 5, but it seems like he has been playing through too many ailments this season, making Houstonās offensive quality a question mark.
5. Louisville Kings (2-4)
Previous Rank: #2
Week 6 Result: 3-16 loss vs St. Louis
Week 7 Opponent: at DC Defenders Saturday 1:30 ET
The Battlehawks pass rush rained on the Kingsā parade in week 6. However, Louisville still managed to muster 199 passing yards. The run production continues to be a concern as the Kings had just 12 rushing yards. Defensive end Cam Gill was impressive with a sack and 5 additional pressures past a block by my count. Until the offense can get the run game going consistently, I donāt anticipate the Kings to stop putting the L in Louisville.
6. Birmingham Stallions (2-4)
Previous Rank: #8
Week 6 Result: 20-17 win at Orlando
Week 7 Opponent: vs Dallas Renegades Saturday 8 ET
Dorian Thompson-Robinson looked really good in week 6 as Birmingham won a close game over Orlando. DTR completed 19 of his 27 for 271 yards and a touchdown with some very nice passes along the way. Justyn Ross was his busiest target as he hauled in 7 of his 9 targets for 135 yards and a touchdown. Birmingham has a critical matchup coming up against Dallas, which is one game ahead of them in the standings and currently holds the final playoff position.
7. Orlando Storm (4-2)
Previous Rank: #6
Week 6 Result: 17-20 loss vs Birmingham
Week 7 Opponent: at Houston Gamblers Sunday 6 ET
The Storm suffered their second loss of the season in a close home defeat to Birmingham. Jack Plummer completed 26 of his 37 passes for 324 yards and 2 touchdowns while Jashuan Corbin rushed 13 times for 53 yards. The turning point of the game might just have been when their opening drive ended in a costly fumble on 2nd down from Birminghamās 25 on what otherwise looked to be poised to be a scoring drive. Orlando had 3 turnovers to Birminghamās 0, which seemed to be the difference in week 6.
8. Dallas Renegades (3-3) š
Previous Rank: #7
Week 6 Result: 6-24 loss at DC
Week 7 Opponent: at Birmingham Stallions Saturday 8 ET
Austin Reed completed 22 of his 41 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown with 1 interception. He needed to be better in weeks 4 and 5 for Dallas, but in week 6, he needed the team around him to do better. He was picking himself off the turf a lot against DC as his team struggled to protect him, there were 3 drops, and the Renegades failed to provide run support as the team had just 20 rushing yards. Dallas was on the receiving end of a complete DC victory. They have a chance to get their offense going again against Birmingham Saturday against a team that sometimes has struggled in pass coverage at times this season.
