For posterity... the divisional round lines were:
Death Valley at Alaska (-13)
Omaha at San Antonio (-2)
Boston at Kansas City (-7)
Las Vegas (-2) at Fargo

Death Valley at Las Vegas (-11) - One of the biggest upsets in recent playoff history sees the 7-9 Copperheads challenging the defending champs for a trip to the CFL Bowl. It's hard to point to any one thing that is different so I'll give you two:
1) The return of RB Nickolas Donaldson
2) 0 turnovers by the DVY offense

Reports of the demise of one of the most dominant running backs have been greatly exaggerated. Donaldson found himself in a timeshare with RB Lafrance during the regular season but the he looks like RB Graham Barrett out there. Some of these runs are borne out of sheer force of will that we are just lucky to witness.

Keeping a clean sheet with respect to turnovers is also something of a rarity with QB Buckley and will be key against LVS who forced 4 against MIA and 2 against FAR. The Rounders got revenge for 2061 and are just two games away from picking up their 5th championship in 7 years. They are recovering well from their tough injuries and welcomed CB Strzelczyk and DT Ogden last week. CB Leyva has been upgraded to probable and S Kasica to questionable so the thin secondary issue that I expected MIA to take advantage of is no longer there.

It's hard to see a world where Death Valley pulls off the upset this week-- WR Porter has gotten the lion's share of targets in the passing game and LVS will be more than willing to commit to shutting him down... so who will step up? WR Hallman has been that second guy during the regular season but I think the team needs to incorporate the great TE Duran. The Rounders will likely sink two deep if week 5 is any indication and TE Duran should have plenty of opportunity to carve up the middle of the field.

That being said... the Copperheads are playing some of their best football and I think they'll be able to keep the final score within the number. LVS wins a surprisingly close affair: 30-26.

Omaha at Kansas City (-4) - Kansas City absolutely demolished the Boston Blizzard this week and look like a team singularly possessed by one goal. They've been playing great all season and look poised to repeat their run to the bowl game. In their way is an Arrowheads team that wilted under the pressure from KCY's front seven back in week 4 but TE Hoffman didn't play then and could be the deciding factor this time. WR Elder continues to miss time but WRs Padron and Van Pelt are doing some heavy lifting in his absence. The team's offensive capability isn't in question. Rather, can their defense repeat the second half shutouts it posted in their last two meetings against OMA?

The Arrowheads pulled away in the third quarter against a solid San Antonio team and leaned heavily on their run game to lock the Stingers out. WR Dole's second touchdown was probably the one that really took the wind out of SAO's sails-- a dump off taken 23 yards to the house? CB Martinez funneled him into LB Stargell but once Dole turned on the jets he was gone. It will be interesting to see how the Arrowheads decide to use TE Hoffman this week. He is an excellent blocker and was used that way to good effect against both NOS and SAO but I think his output as a receiver will be key against KCY. The Storm's closest games (and single loss) came against teams with credible threats at TE.

According to betting line trackers, the public's leaning towards the Storm. Kansas City is a force right now and I don't really want to get in front of them but 4 is a pretty big number (it was KCY -2 in week 4). Omaha certainly has the quality and talent to win on the road. They won't get shut out in the second half again: OMA picks up the win 28-27.

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GL Division Champions: 2057, 2059, 2065
EFC Champions: 2057

lovely stuff

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KANSAS CITY STORM
GM TERNVIG

Joined in 2057

Great Write up, I hope we can break the Zen Curse. Good Luck Ternvig, should be a good matchup.

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omaha arrowheads

JJ Smitty's Record
Atlantic Division Champions - 2007, 2008, 2010, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2028, 2035, 2037, 2039, 2044, 2046, 2047
Eastern Conference Champions - 2008, 2039, 2047
CFL Champions - 2008, 2039, 2047

I love the write up zenzog. Pretty much nailed it.

The citizens of Death Valley have always had some gambling issues; in fact gambling is required in 2064. Least I could do was beat the spread for them; I am the mayor after all. The last time we lost a playoff game we had to sell Main St to the McDonalds corporation to cover the loss. Actually, I'm required by contract to say "I'm lovin' it" now in this post.

Great Game Turf! We'll have to run it back again in the playoffs next year. I guess I've been in the league with you for 32 seasons and 10 real years. Always good to see one of us old heads in the bowl though. Everytime we meet its a good game.
Gmerek really tore my team apart. Now I know what its like to have a prime (2062) Nickolas Donaldson running at me instead of for me. Your Defense speaks for itself; its an 11 man wrecking crew.

Looking forward to next year. I got to be a Cinderella story this season but next year we're trading in the Glass Slippers for cleats. We'll keep the dress, it's comfy, but we're gonna hide a shank under it this time.

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I wish Gmerek was in his prime because we'd put together more gameplans like this one if he was.

I didn't think we could just send McKnight out there to sling it around, as stalled drives would turn into long drives for your running attack. So I figured I'd try to trade punches with a little McKnight sprinkled in. It was just enough with our defense on the mend and playing well.

I thought it was interesting that both Smitty and I implemented offenses to match our opponents' offenses and it worked in both cases.

Just make sure you place the shank in your prison wallet correctly so you don't hurt yourself. Congrats on the run this year and I look forward to seeing the next step next year.

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ROF Division Champions: 2039 - 2043, 2045, 2047, 2054, 2056 - 2060, 2063, 2066-2067
WFC Conference Champions: 2018, 2041, 2042, 2057-2058, 2060, 2062-2063
CFL Champions: 2018, 2041, 2057-2058, 2060, 2062