With only one game left for most of the teams in the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional, there are only two playoff berths left to claim.
As for the claimed seeds, the Fundidores are now going to have the 2-seed and one of the two first-round byes. Despite the fact that the Dinos lost their chance at a perfect season in the closing seconds of their game against the Raptors, they were still able to claim the number 1 seed in the playoffs.
Dinos de Saltillo (5-1)
Last Week: 1
Talk about the heartbreak of heartbreaks following a rollercoaster of emotions. After the first half in their game against the Raptors, the Dinos stormed back to take the lead with 21 unanswered points. They were even up by seven for much of the fourth quarter. But with four seconds to go, for a lack of a better word, they flat out choked. The Dinos defense gave up the touchdown and then the two-point conversion that ended their chance at a perfect season.
Despite the tough loss, it isn’t the end of the road for the Dinos. They still clinched the number one seed and will still have a first-round bye in the playoffs. Javier Adame is also the runaway front runner for the coach of the year honors and despite the loss, they are still the favorite to win the Tazón México. However, considering they won’t play again until a month from now, the team needs to recoup and be motivated
Raptors Naucalpan (3-2)
Last week: 3
Win of the week? More like the win of the season. Beating the Dinos was an incredible victory for the Raptors. They persevered after giving up their 17-0 lead in the second half. Quarterback Bruno Marquéz made an MVP touchdown throw and the two-point conversion with no time left on the clock marked another classic moment in their rivalry against the Dinos.
With their win, they are virtually guaranteed to host the quarterfinals game. But no one should take the team for granted. They have the best offense in the league, scoring 88 points in their last three contests. The Raptors are gunning for their fourth trip to the Tazón México and are a real threat to finally claim it due to their experience.
Fundidores de Monterrey (4-1)
Last week: 2
The Fundidores dropped a spot this week, not necessarily because of their play in their win, but because of the quality of their opponent in the form of the winless Galgos. Still, they have an MVP candidate in wide receiver Torin Justice. In the last two games, he has tied James Okike from the Dinos for the most receiving touchdowns of the season.
The Fundidores are going to face the Reyes next week after their bye. But considering their win already locked them in as the 2-seed in the playoffs, they might decide to rest a lot of their starters. Regardless of what they do, we will see their plans after their bye.
Mexicas CDMX (3-2)
Last week: 4
The Mexicas 16-11 win over the Gallos was sloppy but they managed to avoid a comeback by the team from Querétaro and running back Ruben Zendejas continues to lead the league in points thanks to his late touchdown to seal the game .
They are already going to host a team in the quarterfinals thanks to their tiebreakers over the Reyes and Gallos Negros. So, a win or a loss against the Galgos in their final game of the season will be what decides their seeding come playoff time.
Gallos Negros de Querétaro (1-3)
Last week: 5
Missed opportunities in the first and second halves in their game against the Mexicas, doomed the Gallos Negros winning their second game of the year. This was their third loss in a row and second loss decided by a single score in the final minutes.
Querétaro plays the Reyes in the only game this week. A win or a loss is probably going to punch their ticket as they already have the tiebreaker against the only winless team in the league in the Galgos.
Reyes de Jalisco (1-3)
Last week: 6
The Reyes are preparing for their penultimate game of the season against the Gallos Negros. A win could propel them to the five seed in which they would more than likely face off against the Raptors, which have been the hottest team in the league since their struggling win against Jalisco in Week 1.
That being said, the Reyes’ defense has been downright atrocious the last two games and their offense has been unable to score all season when it matters most, which makes them an easy opponent for anyone. The real question is who it will be. But an even better question is, will it even matter?
Galgos de Tijuana (0-5)
Last week: 7
Five games in, all five having an offense scoring less than double digit points. Props to wide receiver Luis Roberto Arajado in the 28-9 loss to the Fundidores last week for giving the Galgos their first touchdown since Week 1. This time, the score wasn’t achieved in garbage time. So, it’s already the best touchdown of the season for them.
The season has been over for the Galgos since Week 2. They are going to go down as the worst team in league history assuming they don’t have a sudden change next week against the Mexicas. But, at least they were competitive for the most part in this game against the Fundidores, so that’s something.