AF1 Week 9: What We Learned

Week 9 came and went in the blink of an eye! We had a really great game this week in upstate New York, an absolute blow out in Montana and something that disguised itself as a football game in Oregon.

There's some news about the AF1 Playoffs that dropped this week and believe or not we are on the home stretch of the inaugural AF1 season. There's been some good and some bad and plenty of growing pains along the way, but we can dive into that another time.

What did we learn in Week 9?

Nashville Kats @ Albany Firebirds

Result: 71-55 Albany

What We Learned: Nashville is scrappy and almost there & The league just needs to rebrand to Albany Football One at this point 

The Nashville Kats started this game off HOT. Got some stops on defense and their offense was able to push the ball down the field early to build up a double digit lead, but ultimately lost the battle of the “Middle 8” — the last 4 minutes of the first half and the first 4 minutes of the second half. 

QB Tyler Kulka looked really great in this one, throwing for over 330+ yards and 5 Passing TDs while distributing the ball well amongst his receivers: 

WR Milton Williams - 10 catches, 85 yards, 2 TDs

WR Jordon Gandy - 8 catches, 138 yards, TD

WR Robert Jones Jr - 7 catches, 89 yards, TD

The passing game was working, but we didn’t see nearly as much action running the ball as I would have thought. Only 5 rushing attempts in the game by the Kats and that was their bread and butter for the majority of the season to control the pace of the game. They got into a shootout with Albany and that is a tall task for any team in the arena football landscape. 

For Albany, this was a big win and the 2nd week in a row where they faced a little bit of adversity at home. They got into a hole early after their offense stalled out in the first half, but they were able to turn it on in the 2nd quarter and really pull away. 

QB Sam Castronova had another strong day with 225 passing yards & 5 TDs, while feeding his favorite target WR Duane Brown 9 times for 144 yards & 4 TDs. The Firebirds were able to get a little ground game going in this one, with 3 rushing TDs on the day and averaging 3 yard per carry — not earth shattering numbers but enough to keep a defense honest. 

As mentioned earlier, Albany absolutely dominated the “Middle 8” by getting a big stop on 4th on defense to get the ball at the 1 yard line, then being able to recover a ricocheted kickoff off the net for a TD to get the 3rd quarter started swung the momentum back in their favor for good in the 2nd half. 

With the new playoff format, it is looking like the road to the AF1 Championship is going to go through Albany… and the Firebirds have defeated every team that could potentially face them in the playoffs handily at some point this season. 

Right now, this is Albany’s league to lose. 

Washington Wolfpack @ Billings Outlaws

Result: 69-10 Billings

What We Learned: Billings solved their QB problem & Washington is back to the basement as a cellar dweller

Billings was in crisis mode heading into this game. Owner Steve Titus came out and was talking about the lack of support in the Billings community, the costs of running the team and even potentially relocating after the season is over while discussing long term plans in an interview with AF1 Fan Zone last week. 

But the biggest hurdle for the Outlaws on the field was BY FAR its QB play. They were simply not getting the productivity that they needed out of the position and needed someone who could get the ball into the hands of their playmakers:

So in comes QB Malik Henry!

Henry signed last week after a stint with the San Antonio Gunslingers of the IFL and he looked FANTASTIC. Henry went 15/20 for 181 yards & 6 TDs, while finding Darius Prince & Jamaar Moore 6 times each, with Prince hauling in 4 of those TDs. 

He was a facilitator and able to get the ball out on time and hit his guys in stride multiple times, including one throw to Darius Prince that found it’s way on to SportsCenter! This was a much needed bounce back game for Billings and gives a LOT of hope for this team in the second half of the season. 

But as much hope as Billings gained in this one, I would say that Washington lost just as much. The Wolfpack brought in another QB this week, with former Carolina Cobras QB Dom Shoffner and he was just thrown to the wolves immediately (which is very, very ironic). 

This was just an unwinnable situation for Shoffner as the Wolfpack offensive line continuous to be a major problem. Shoffner was running for is life often and not getting much help with the playcalling (shocker) as nearly every single play called was a deep route that took time to develop — time that the QB just didn’t have.

Shoffner ended up going 11/26 for 40 yards & 4 INTs and the Washington offense continues to be one of the most incredulous teams to watch in 2025. If I am Washington, I am going to every local gym in the Everett are and asking every big guy (6’2+, 300+ lbs) I see if they are open to joining the team.

The group they have clearly isn’t working and something has to change. (Feel like I am repeating myself week after week after week but they keeping doing the same things!) 

Corpus Christi Tritons @ Oregon Lightning

Result: 52-20 Oregon

What We Learned: Oregon’s offense still can not be trusted & Corpus Christi’s mid-season roster shuffle is going to be a challenge to overcome

If you are reading this, you are probably well aware of Corpus Christi’s roster issues they’ve had over the past month and some of the shuffling they’ve had to do. This was a decent showing by Corpus Christi all things considered, but just overall not a good look.

Much like Washington, the Tritons offensive line was nonexistent and making QB Fred Payton constantly on the run for his life. Payton ended the day 10/25 for 110 yards, TD & an INT, and truthfully had a couple of throws that he probably wants back but him getting out of this game in one piece is a big enough win. 

This Tritons team has it’s work cut out for them as they adjust to life without Darius Prince, Dwayne Hollis, and some of the other folks that were released — but I have a hard time finding a win on the schedule for them the rest of the way based solely on his this game went down. 

For Oregon, if you just read the box score this looked like an impressive win. QB Dalton Cole seemed efficient throwing the ball 22/30 for 285 yards, 5 TDs & an INT.

WR Kris Lewis had a great game hauling in 6 catches for 79 yards & 3 TDs, while WR Marquis Sampson was able to reel in 8 catches for 96 yards to really help propel this offense against a struggling Tritons team. But this was an ugly game across the board. 

The play on the field was rough and the overall broadcast & commentary made for a really, really tough viewing experience. They provide a much needed regional partner for Washington (and maybe some other potential future teams in the northwest United States) but they have a long ways to go to get their stuff up to snuff.

It feels like there was a reason why this game wasn’t widely publicized on league social channels heading into this game. 

What were your biggest takeaways from Week 9? Follow Off The Wall on Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok & BlueSky and let me know!