Another 2-1 week, boys... 14-16. Just a few more weeks to go to get back to positive... HON did a great job of sneaking in the back door. A bad first half put them too far behind but I think there was a chance. BAL is just... I don't know... the analytics love them but they just aren't winning. What's going on with them?

Santa Cruz (-12) at Texas - 2-1 fading TEX... ATL did what they needed to do. The Inferno are just phoning it in... are any fans still watching? SCU loves to beat up on bad teams and it's a division rival too? It was 33-3 week 1 in Santa Cruz but I think it'll be a tiny bit closer as the Privateers look to stay healthy for the playoffs. SCU wins 30-7.

Durham (-2) at St. Louis - Nothing to say really about DUR's win against ACI. QB Ortiz was rather inefficient and RB Ellingsen couldn't really get much going on the ground. They didn't have to try too hard to beat a terrible Phantoms team but they could've looked better. I would say that the team is still trying to deal with the loss of WR Hindman... I expected WR Spradling to see an increase in his targets but it was TE Weikel instead. Both are good but I wonder if WR Spradling's rotator cuff is a bigger issue than we thought.

St. Louis is on a nice 4 game streak, 3 on the road, and returns home to stake their claim to a wildcard spot. The Arch split their meetings with DUR in 2058 and 2059 but since then it's been DUR 4-0. On paper the Bulldogs should win easily but I'm starting to like this STL team. They're scrappy on defense and protective of the ball. QB Joyner is quietly one of the most efficient passers in the league right now and they're spreading the ball well. Stopping RB Perkins and the run is the first thing opponents need to address and although DUR was able to do that in week 1, they haven't had that same success recently (excluding last week).

My models actually favor STL in this spot. DUR is dealing with a few injuries to receivers which is already a spot I like the Arch but now their OL is banged up from last week's game against ACI with C Cinkovsky and T Brock both possibly spectating. I'll take STL to come away with the upset: 24-20.

Shreveport (-2) at San Antonio - The Pride are starting to pull away with the division as New Orleans drops 3 in a row but they'll have to navigate the tricky Stingers first. Week 1's surprising result came from an active and aggressive SAO defense and that continues to be one of their strengths. Is there value on the Pride as a short road favorite?

SAO's shellacking at DET in week 6 started a three game skid but a win at TEN gave them something positive to take into their BYE. QB Porto started the game but couldn't continue after their third possession after aggravating his hamstring on a roll-out. QB Carlisle looked absolutely pathetic off the bench, somehow matching QB Logan with 5 interceptions thrown, but kudos to the SAO defense for generating that pressure and capitalizing.

SHR bounced back from a quick 10 point deficit to outscore OHI 37-6 last week. They got back to basics and managed to run on a stout OHI defense that was missing stars DE Willis and LB Wilson. We got to see the return of QB Minton, though the Sentries can't be happy with what they got. It's another lost season for OHI but we can see SHR doing great things when they can move the ball on the ground. QB Scott is one of the best game managers out there and if they can just keep him from taking on too much, they'll win.

The Pride need to win this week and even up the head-to-head. They have a pretty tough home stretch and will need to distance themselves from the pack. SAO doesn't have the easiest schedule but ORE, TEN, and ACI are coming up which could see them at 8 wins if they beat SHR again. I like the Pride to win and cover this week behind a big game from RBs Russell and Skipper. RB Zhang snapped off some big runs in week 1 and could see some play if he's out of the doghouse. The Pride pull away from the division this week: 27-17.

Death Valley at Atlanta (-3) - DVY are on the brink of elimination this season and a win against the Firebirds is a must if they are to continue. I'm down on the Copperheads but it's not like ATL are worldbeaters either. The problem with evaluating these two is that they're cleaning up against bad teams like ORE and TEX and getting blown out by the better squads in SCU, OMA, FAR, and STL. Their shared losses to ALA (both by two points!) paint ATL in a better light but I'm not convinced they're actually any better. Just different. Death Valley just needs to go through RB Donaldson. The man can pick up whatever yards even against stacked boxes but this dunce QB Buckley has such boneheaded decision-making that it doesn't matter.

The Firebirds are all about slinging the ball to WRs Reis and Terry. RB MacMath has emerged atop their backfield depth chart but running the ball isn't their focus. Their defense continues to struggle against competent offenses, injuries notwithstanding, so their main path to victory is to outpace and outscore their opponents. It looks good if it works but if it doesn't, this team has no fallback plan.

ATL's aerial attack carved up the Copperheads in week 1 but I think this week will be different. DVY still lacks the talent to cover ATL's receivers but if they can exploit G Starks' absence on the right side and make QB Clements uncomfortable it might be an even fight. A few crucial stops on 3rd down would've given DVY the win in week 1 and I think they'll get those this time. DVY wins and stays alive in the playoff hunt: 33-30.

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