NAL PLAYOFF PICTURE

Week 10 Stages Final Round to Finish Playoff Fight

ATLANTA – The National Arena League enters its final week of regular season play and the race for the NAL 4th seed ticket to the playoffs could not be any more tense and unpredictable. Last Saturday, the Carolina Cobras shook up the playoff picture by knocking down the Jacksonville Sharks on the road 54-44, not only keeping their playoff hopes alive but locking in the Flight, Sharks, and Cobras into a three way tie scenario entering week 10.

With all three teams now tied at 2-5, the only automatic entrance into the postseason would be if two teams lose and one wins. This week the Jacksonville Sharks travel to Albany, NY to take on #1 Albany Empire (6-1), the Jersey Flight fly to Columbus, GA to take on #2 Columbus Lions (5-2), and the Carolina Cobras hit the road to Orlando, FL to take on the #3 Orlando Predators (4-3). All three games will kickoff at 7pm and can be watched on the National Arena League’s YouTube Channel, fans can also go directly to the NAL website, click the video tab and select the full live game on the league video page.

If all three teams (Cobras, Sharks, Flight) win this week or if all three teams lose, there will be a three way tie breaker that the league has in effect “*Rule 3: Strength of Victory against Common Opponents.” Meaning Jacksonville with their victory over #1 Albany Empire carries the tie breaker going into week 10. If Jacksonville loses and both Carolina & Jersey win this weekend, the tie breaker passes to the Jersey Flight who would have defeated the #2 Columbus Lions, a victory that would be deemed greater than a victory over the #3 Orlando Predators. The only chance the Carolina Cobras will have to enter the NAL playoffs in 2021 will be if Jacksonville falls to the Albany Empire and the Jersey Flight lose to the Columbus Lions this week, and the Cobras defeat the Orlando Predators.   

With no regular season games after week 10, the bell will ring Saturday night for the final round of the regular season.  All three of these teams are in the hunt for the NAL last remaining playoff spot and will have one last chance to prove they deserve a shot in the postseason. It will be the final fight for two of the three teams, so let’s see who wins the battle for the 4th seed. 

ABOUT NATIONAL ARENA LEAGUE 

The National Arena League was founded in 2016 and hosted its inaugural season in 2017 as the premier league in arena football. For more information regarding expansion opportunities or partnerships, contact Commissioner Chris Siegfried at chris@nationalarenaleague.com . For more information about the NAL visit www.nationalarenaleague.com, facebook.com/nationalarenaleauge, twitter.com/NALfootball, Instagram.com/nationalarenaleague.