At the end of draft day, the expert projections didn't reflect too well on #1 Nash Kato and #2 World's Finest. Before a litany of injuries and COVID IR listings that decimated teams across the USAFL, both Nash Kato and World's Finest were rated in the bottom five going into Week 1. So what happened? How did these two teams climb to the top of the rankings?
For Nash Kato, it was a lot of hard work and free-agent signings from the waiver wire. In fact, GM Kevin G. tied for the busiest manager on Wednesdays with 34 free-agent signings going into Bowl Week. In fact, his team going into the USAFL Bowl looks nearly 60% different from his original lineup. That kind of turnover certainly suggests the remaining 40% was Nash Kato's core scorers and looking at the stats, that checks out. QB Matthew Stafford finished fifth in position scoring, Davante Adams finished second among wideouts and Mike Evans was number thirteen. And of course, Johnathan Taylor finished top among running backs. The addition of Dawson Knox in week five to replace an injured Logan Thomas at TE was certainly the fifth piece needed to create the dominant core that could support streaming options at the other positions.
The season started off a bit slow for Nash Kato, averaging only in the 80s in three of their first four games. The 2-2 start and a disappointing 151-85 loss in week four against World's Finest seemingly served as a wake-up call for Nash Kato. They rebounded with a 183-89 dismantling of Sanctus Koala the next week. From there it was smooth sailing with fair winds and following seas as they beat up on the entirety of the USAFL winning their next 10-in-a-row. Nash Kato certainly had some impressive victories in that streak with 162, 152, 141, and 133 high scores, but on only one occasion did an opponent score over 120 and only three times did an opponent score over 100. Arguably a Cincinnati Bearcat-like schedule, but Nash Kato likely doesn't see a Crimson Tide coming their way in the guise of World's Finest.
Going into USAFL Bowl XIX, Nash Kato has these pieces set while also going with Tee Higgins and journeyman Sony Michel, both originally drafted by Nash Kato, meaning he will have five original players starting in the Bowl. Mike Evans remains questionable with a hamstring injury which isn't a devastating loss, but certainly lowers Nash Kato's total projected score versus a 100% Mike Evans on the field.
World's Finest Football Club GM Dave S. is no stranger to the USAFL Bowl playing in it eight times and winning it five-time, but it was certainly a shaky year with no clear path to the playoffs until the mid-to-late season. WFFC did not rely on the wire as Nash Kato, finishing sixth among the group and no real studs among the pickups as WFFC relied heavily on a seven-player rotation while streaming kickers and defenses throughout the season. GM Dave S. rode Kyler Murray, Joe Mixon, Ezekiel Elliott, Deebo Samuel, and Mark Andrews to the USAFL Bowl while mixing in Hollywood Brown, Chase Claypool, and DJ Moore in the wideout positions.
The engine of the team has to be the third and fifth-ranked runningback duo of Zeke and Mixon. Mixon was certainly a steal this season with WFFC using their second overall pick on the back who now sits third among running backs in scoring. Combine that with the number one tightend and number four wideout in Andrews and Deebo, you can more or less plug and play around them and score over 100-points-per-game, which WFFC did in 13 of 14 games this season. Added into the mix was the late addition of Amon-Ra St. Brown who hopes to add some sunshine with an impressive performance in the USAFL Bowl this Sunday. They also look to start Mason Crosby and the Bears Defense, both late December pickups off the wire who GM Dave S. hopes will complement his stellar core of stars.
The road to USAFL Bowl XIX wasn't an easy one for World's Finest as they finished 9-5 and barely won the Premier Division title, finishing 3-3 overall in the division. Of the five losses, two were certainly heartbreakers with Vinegar Strokes squeaking out a 106-105 victory and a dismal 97 point performance against the Holy Penguins, was the only sub-100 point game for World's Finest this season. Their other three losses looked like heavyweight haymakers being thrown with 158, 148, and 130 points being put up against the reigning champions.
Both World's Finest and Nash Kato finished first and second in scoring this season meaning there's a very good chance we could see a combined score of over 300 points for the first time in league history, although current projections have Nash Kato favored over WFFC 122-111. Certainly, both teams must be looking to put up over 120 to have any confidence in winning this game.
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