IFL 2025 Week 17: What We Learned

It's been a minute since we did one of these. Life sometimes gets in the way when it comes to crafting the written word and dedicating the time that the content medium deserves, but we're back with a recap of one of the best weeks of IFL football from the past couple of years.

Some extremely fun games all up and down the slate, the playoff picture got clearer in the West and extremely muddy in the East at the same.

What did we learn this past weekend?

Vegas Knight Hawks @ Bay Area Panthers

Result: 55-54 Bay Area

What We Learned: Bay Area is looking like a lock for the number one seed & the Vegas two-QB system might be doing more harm than good

This game was one I had circled on the slate as one of the primetime games of the week AND one that would decide a lot of things for the Western conference playoff race.

For Bay Area, this was a picture perfect get back game on offense for a team that really struggle last week against San Diego in the California Clash. Over 155 team rushing yards on the ground, with QB Josh Jones going for 92 & 3 TDs, RB/WR Josh Tomas going for 61 & 2 TDs & WR Tosin Oyekanmi scoring as well.

Josh Jones really played well in this game through the air as well and was able to pick apart this Vegas defense that had played pretty damn well up to this point of the season. Defensively Bay Area had some moving parts of the last month, but are beginning to mesh a bit and get things figured out. This game came down to the wire and Bay Area made a play on defense to seal the win.

For Vegas, they played really well on offense in this game, but might be outsmarting themselves with their two-QB system they have going.

In case you haven't watched this game (please go watch it, it was a #CertifiedBanger), QB Jayden De Laura was the starter, with QB Ja'Rome Johnson coming in when they got near the red zone or in short yardage situations -- which makes sense on paper:

• De Laura is the better passing QB, but Johnson is a much more dangerous ground threat, and you want to make defenses account for that in short yardage situations

But the frequency in which they were switching back and forth in the 2nd half seemed to throw off the groove of the offense a little bit. It got to a point where I wanted to see them commit one way or the other:

Either commit to having a dynamic ground threat in Johnson or lean on the better passer De Laura and work the ground game with RB Antonio Wimbush. They were teetering in between both options and it ultimately ended up costing them.

Vegas controls their own destiny and can clinch a playoff spot with a win, and can still get a home playoff game, but they need to win out and get some help in order for that to happen.

San Antonio Gunslingers @ Jacksonville Sharks

Result: 46-31 San Antonio

What We Learned: San Antonio looked strong in their renewed rivalry with their former NAL leaguemates & suddenly Jacksonville doesn't look like a shoo-in for the playoffs

This game came out of absolute nowhere and shocked a lottttt of people -- myself included! I thought Jacksonville would roll in this game and it was, in fact, San Antonio that would be doing the rolling.

This was a tight game in the first half but San Antonio was able to keep piling on and the defense was able to get stop after stop on the Sharks offense. QB Joaquin Collazo had a DAY going 18/20 for 159 yards & 6 TDs through the air, connecting with Kali Rashaad for 3 TDs, Keyshawn Harper for 2 more & Austin Upshaw for the 6th. This Gunslingers defense was also flying around the field making play after play in the second half -- including a BIG TIME Ravarius Rivers INT that should have set the internet ablaze if this sport knew how to market itself. San Antonio has been out of the playoff race, but this showed promise in what they could have in Collazo if they are able to bring him back next season.

For the Sharks, they started hot with a long TD on their first play of the game but things just deteriorated from that point on.

QB Tyler Huff looked good at the beginning, but it seemed like the San Antonio defense started to figure things out as the game progressed they were really able to bottle up the Sharks rushing game that has been their strength throughout the season.

WR Ka'ron Ashley led the way with 8 catches for 76 yards, with Marcus Rogers & Jaedon Stoshak each hauling in a receiving TD -- but you might need to have the finger over the panic button if you are a Sharks fan. Not necessarily pressing it, but at least hovering over it.

You win this game against a 3-10 team and you lock up a playoff spot. But you drop it and you have to go through Tulsa -- with the recently acquired QB Sam Castronova who Sharks fans are very well aware of what he can do -- and Green Bay, who is capable of dropping 60+ in any given week.... as Sharks fans also know very well.

Sharks are in a position where they can get the number one seed or miss the playoffs entirely with two weeks remaining -- and that is exciting and terrifying at the same time!

Fishers Freight @ Iowa Barnstormers

Result: 58-50 Fishers

What We Learned: The Fishers got hot way too late in the season & Iowa's defense is going to go down as one of the all-time worst

Fishers, Fishers, Fishers. If you take out the 9-game losing streak that is sandwiched between the two winning streaks, the Freight are sitting at 5-0! But that pesky "middle portion of the season" just got the best of them this year.

QB Felix Harper really unlocked the full potential of this offense since signing with the team mid-season and coach Dixie Wooten has gotten some heat from some forum folks for rolling with Felix Harper instead of Vincent Espinoza, who played hero in their comeback win over Green Bay -- but the way Harper has been playing is vindicating that choice.

Four total TDs for Harper -- 2 Passing & 2 Rushing (aka a ballerina game) -- but what they were able to do on the ground as a team was what was most impressive. 164 rushing yards as a team, averaging 4.8 yard per carry with 5 ground scores.

Harper was in the Wooten system in Bay Area, so it shouldn't be a surprise to this success, but it does make you wonder what life would be like for the Freight if they had him all year long.

For Iowa, another Iowa game.

QB James Cahoon played well with 205 passing yards & 6 TDs (3 to Quian Williams, 2 to Khaleb Hood, 1 to Raheem Harvey), but just couldn't get any stops on the defensive side of the ball to give them a chance to win.

Defensively, they gave up a score on every single possession and seem to be cementing their spot as one of the highest points per game allowed in IFL history throughout an entire season.

Barnstormers games this year have featured a ton of points and have hit the Over more times than not, but unfortunately other teams have been doing the majority of the scoring. You really hope to see a legacy franchise like the Iowa Barnstormers be competitive, but we'll have to wait until next year to see what changes are made to make it happen.

Green Bay Blizzard @ Quad City Steamwheelers

Result: 58-52 Green Bay

What We Learned: Don't look now but Green Bay is in the hunt for the number one seed & Quad City needs to get healthy on defense ASAP

This was a MUST win game for Green Bay in the Eastern playoff race and they came on strong and kept on trucking on offense to take advantage of a less than 100% Steamwheelers defense.

QB Max Meylor played out of his mind in this one, going for 7 total TDs (4 pass, 3 rush) and throwing for 200 yards & rushing for 73 more. When he is hot, there aren't very many teams that can beat this Blizzard team in a shootout. He found four different receivers for TDs in this one and this offense was cooking and continued to show why they are the top scoring offense in the league.

Defensively, they started out great and gave the offense enough of a path to jump out to an early lead -- but in order to make a run in the playoffs they are gonna need that defense to draw some inspiration from the 2024 unit and create more turnovers and stops.

For Quad City, this one stings. A win in this game would have almost clinched the one seed and put them in a very desirable spot, but they just couldn't get going out of the gates and couldn't catch up with the Blizzard as the game progressed.

QB Daquan Neal had 193 passing yards & 3 TDs through the air, but didn't have as much of an impact on the ground as we are used to him seeing (29 yards, 1 TD). This offense is at it's best when Neal is able to really stretch the defense with his running and control the pace of the game, but falling behind 14-3 early put them in a hole they could never crawl out of.

WR Tamorrion Terry was able to haul in 4 catches for 95 yards & 2 TDs, with RB Jarrod Ware Jr supplying some ground support with 2 TDs of his own but they could get the stops on defense to enable them to get ahead at any point in the game.

The Steamwheelers were missing a few names on defense but should have been able to still got the job done. Quad City still controls the race to the number one seed in the East and can potentially clinch this upcoming week.

Massachusetts Pirates @ Tulsa Oilers

Result: 35-28 Tulsa (2OT)

What We Learned: Tulsa is working through the kinks of getting a new QB at the helm & Massachusetts is on the ropes when it comes to their playoff hopes

This game was a THRILLER, and one you wouldn't expect based solely on the box score.

Tulsa made some roster moves this week that I am fairly confident have never happened before (feel free to fact check):

• Signing NAL MVP QB Carl Robinson III

• Signing AF1 MVP QB Sam Castronova

...in the same week! Castronova ended up getting the start, and got off to a rough start as expected on short notice and with very limited practice, but once he got going it was fun to see him rip it again in the IFL.

Castronova (friend of the program) had 3 passing & 2 rushing TDs, while doing a lot of his damage on the ground to get things going and eventually getting the passing game in motion in the second half. Juju Augustine was the main vessel for this passing attack, hauling in 7 catches for 72 yards & 2 TDs -- and defensively LB Dylan Pettway (friend of the program) had a MONSTER game with 4 solo tackles, 15 assisted tackles, 2 TFL and multiple clutch plays down the stretch to get the Oilers the win.

This game should serve as a warning to the rest of the league. This game was the chance to really KO the Oilers, but instead they get momentum and more practice time with their MVP QB(s) to really get this offense going to accompany a great defense. LOOK OUT.

For Massachusetts, this is one that was theirs for the taking and they just couldn't put the Tulsa away. QB Kenji Bahar had a great start to the game, throwing 3 TDs in the second half, but couldn't get the offense flowing in the second half.

The Pirates had a bunch of bad penalties (which isn't surprising when they lead the league in peanlties) & bad snaps down the stretch that put the offense in some really tough spots. RB Pooka Williams played well in this one and bailed them out of some tough spots, but they needed more than just him in the second half.

It looked like there was a shuffled offensive line, which may be a part of the snapping and line troubles in this one, but this was a massive opportunity for QB Kenji Bahar to put the team on his back and will the team to victory in second half... and they just couldn't get it done.

The Pirates go into next week desperately needing a win against Green Bay to keep their playoff hopes alive. They might be walking the plank very, very soon.

San Diego Strike Force @ Arizona Rattlers

Result: 46-43 Arizona

What We Learned: San Diego had every chance to extend the winning streak but fumbled the bag & Arizona's Kevin Guy black magic knows no bounds

San Diego jumped out to a big lead in this one, but similar to what we've seen from them earlier this season, they let teams back in the game in the second half and Arizona was able to pounce. The Strike Force were leading all game until midway through the 4th quarter -- having a 16-0 lead at one point in the 1st -- and ultimately had a chance to score the go ahead touchdown in the final minute but got denied on in the red zone.

QB Nate Davis didn't have his best game in this one, but didn't have any real backbreakers either as he finished with 126 yards passing & 2 TDs through the air -- and another one the ground for the second consecutive week (which is a WILD stat for Davis).

Special teams showed up early for San Diego as well when Ernesto Lacayo (friend of the program) got an early deuce and DB Devin Hafford had kickoff return TD in the 2nd quarter, but the theme of this game for the Strike Force were the plays they didn't make in the 2nd half rather than the ones they did. Multiple times this year they have had sizable leads and let teams back in (early season Vegas game, recent Bay Area game).

They are looking good to make the playoffs but need to be able to control the games in the 2nd half to make a run in the playoffs.

For Arizona, their wild season continues as they went from the 4 seed and potentially being on fraud watch to miss the playoffs to suddenly being the 2 seed and having an outside chance at home field advantage throughout the playoffs!

The Rattlers started very slow in this one but got reenergized by a big kick return touchdown by Ron Brown Jr, then QB Dalton eventually heared up at the end of the first half and popped in the second. 6 TD day for Sneed (5 pass, 1 rush) as this offense kicked into gear and started to look like the Rattlers teams we've been used to seeing -- and not the one that went on a 4-game skid earlier this season.

Arizona took the lead late but then made the surprising decision to onside kick it, with the lead and only minutes to go in the game -- but the defense was able to stand tall and the strategy worked and led to an ALL TIME moment from Coach Guy:

DON'T EVER QUESTION ME, BABY! LOOK AT THOSE BANNERS IN THE AIR!

Love to see him fired up heading into the playoffs. Rattlers are starting to regain their championship form from 2024 at the perfect time and will be a tough out in the playoffs for anybody -- and it would not be shocking to see them go back-to-back.

Tucson Sugar Skulls @ Northern Arizona Wranglers

Result: 61-55 Northern Arizona

What We Learned: The dream of a Tucson playoff run is on life support & Northern Arizona is going down swinging!

It may have taken Northern 17 weeks to get there, but this was their most complete game of the season across all phases of the game. QB Ramon Atkins lit it up for 22 passing yards & 6 TDs through the air, and as a team they were able to get 3 TDs on the ground and average 4.9 yard per carry.

WR Deshon Stoudemire had a big game with 7 catches for 116 yards & 3 TDs, with Marlon Cook catching 2 more TDs & Arland Bruce IV hauling in another. This offense was clicking and took advantage of every mistake that Tucson made to put a damning dent in the Sugar Skulls playoff hopes.

If you can't make the playoffs, why not drag your rivals down with you? I really like the core of Atkins at QB, Susel at RB & Stoudemire at WR, and if they can keep that group together for next season they could make some noise in 2026. I think we'll see the coaching staff come back and get another run at it and I hope we can see this Wranglers get off to a better start next season!

Oh man Tucson. They were a team that I was excited at the prospect of them potentially making the playoffs because they are just an absolute wild card. They have had games where the score touchdowns on every single offensive possession, they've had games where their defense made gamechanging plays to takeover the game and they've had games where they no showed until the second half. You just don't know what to expect!

Offensively, they played extremely well in this one but just had a couple hiccups that Northern Arizona was able to pounce on. WR Drew Dixon had a MONSTER game for the Sugar Skulls, with 9 catches for 147 yards & 4 TDs, and QB Jorge Reyna was able to find Devonte Sapp-Lynch for a 5th passing TD in garbage time to make this a one possession game late.

Tucson is not out of it, but they need to win out and need to have Vegas loss out in order to get in. The Sugar Skulls making a cinderella run to play the IFL National Championship in their hometown would be awesome, but we gotta bust out the rosary beads and say some hail marys in order for that to come to fruition.

What were your biggest takeaways from Week 11? Follow Off The Wall on Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok & BlueSky and let me know!