The Lions became the eighth team this season to win two shutout games, and while both Paris and Tillamook have done it three times, it is still an achievement in itself, with the Lions shutting out the Kings 33-0 last week, to move to a respectable 7-3 record on the season and sit even with Tillamook, heading into Week 11, with it all to play for. For a team that several weeks ago, looked as good as done this season, a gritty win and now this shutout, it has put the Lions back on the map and sitting well inside the hunt for a postseason berth.

It was a game to forget for the Kings, who will be looking at having to roll with William Brown for several weeks after second-year quarterback Terry Im suffered a nasty foot injury and looks likely to miss all bare maybe the final game of the season, but with the Kings languishing at the bottom of their division, and seemingly no way of making the postseason, it could be a blessing in disguise as Im went a lowly 6/18 and 49 yards to go with 2 sacks. The shining light came from the defense, who despite opening up Penrith to achieve 419 offensive yards in the game, have some solid players who are ready to pounce in coming seasons, namely linebacker Madam Pompadour (9 tackles) and rookie safety Julius Hardware (8 tackles), it might have been a loss today, but there is a future for the Kings coming.

The Lions now move on to what is being described as a do-or-die game against the Sharknado, who are coming into the game on the back of a tough loss to Paris, and seem to be struggling, going 2-2 in the last month of play. The Lions will need everything they have to get the victory, with the Sharknado seemingly relying heavily on the run game, Hydrothermal Benediction sitting with 6 rushing touchdowns so far this season, which leads the league. The Sharknado are averaging one of the best rushes per game across the league, whilst giving up the 3rd lowest at around 20 per game. The Lions, however, are only giving up around 90-91 rushing yards per game and look to be a team that relies on the air game, with around 69% pass completion, whilst only giving their opponents around 58%.

The Lions will need to shut the run game down quickly if they want to have a chance of winning this game, the winner will most certainly have the inside track to not only the division crown this season, but potentially the second or third seed in the postseason, with Cheesy Philly, on the face of it, running away with the number 1 seed in the Fail Brigade Conference. If Tillamook do win this one, they will have a perfect 4-0 divisional record and with the loss the Lions had earlier this season against the Bullfighters, it could be a tough ask to get into the postseason. If the Lions do win, they will need the defense to set it up and force Tillamook into early decisions, and forcing turnovers and missed plays, otherwise, it will be curtains for this season.

The Lions will head into the matchup with Robert Cary lining up for the side, recently signing a 1-year deal with the team as cover for the injured Andrew Ramsey, who looks to be tracking along and Head Coach James Jennings spoke about where he will fit in and when they might see him back on the field:

“Andrew is going well, we had further tests and evaluations done this week, and it is not as severe as we first thought. Our plan is to work alongside his recovery and potentially have him return for our final game of the regular season, get some game time into him, see how he pulls up, with a full return for the postseason, should we qualify; otherwise, we will rehab with him and begin fresh next season”

The Lions, upon signing Cary, cut defensive tackle William Meeks from the roster. Meeks, who played in only two games for the Lions, joined through a trade earlier in the season with Stockholm, finishing his time with the Lions with only the 1 tackle in the game against Nottingham.

Game Prediction: I think the Lions will take this one by the skin of their teeth, probably a field goal in it.

They did it the hard way, but the Lions somehow found the way to beat the Tillamook Sharknado and take the division lead back for the first time since Week 1. It was another low scoring game, with the Lions holding out a determined Sharknado offense on 7 drives to make it an eighth win 9-7. The Lions struggled throughout the game, being limited at a lowly 25 yards on the ground. It was not even the arm of Napoleon Whitmore, who again struggled, with many wondering if the team will hold out with him, or give Raymond Crawford a chance, but with some tough games coming up, it could be either a masterstroke or a major failure.

It seems the Lions scrapped through this, Tillamook taking every weapon out of action, with wide receiver Franklin Adkins the best on offense, ending with 39 yards on only 2 receptions. It was the defense that seemed to play much better, forcing Tillamook into 9 punts from Michael Greene, but with the likes of Douglas Dunham (12 tackles) and Miguel Logan (9 tackles) bringing most of those punts, the stats line of the game seems to show more and more than the Lions should have lost this one.

Speaking after the game, Head Coach James Jennings talked about how the game looked from his perspective:

“Honestly, full credit to Tillamook, they have been a form side so far this season and they really pushed us in that game. We have some hard decisions to make after that one, and we seriously have some weaknesses that we need to get rid of in our game. I feel a bit guilty having won that game, but the scoreline is what it is, and we will of course, take the victory and use that as motivation for next week and the rest of the season”.

The Lions will now take the season on the road for another two games, starting off with a rematch against the Florence Fools, who are coming into the game on the back of six straight losses, including an 18-3 loss to the Hong Kong Kings, with the season probably close to, if not already, on the line for them this week. Without a single win in the division so far, another loss would almost certainly put one nail in the coffin of at least the divisional crown, but with the Fools playing with Biff Henderson, a quarterback who seemingly has forgotten what the endzone is, with a TD to INT of 3/5 in his last four starts, and dropped from a season high of 78.1% pass completion down to 57.6% last week, the Lions might have a very big chance this week, if they can play more like they did against the Kings two weeks ago, rather than like they did against the Fools in Week 9.

The Lions, to win, will just need more of what we saw earlier in the season and against the Kings, and not what we saw last week. If the Fools are to pull off what some in the media are calling “another upset in the Lions quest for a title”, they just need to do what Tillamook did and smother the Lions offense, limit Ricky Hall and Frank Bell on the ground and just stop the air game at all costs. The Lions will take on the game without Michael Adams, but welcome back Andrew Kenney from injury. Adams will miss at least the next 2 weeks with a broken arm, but scans earlier this week revealed a lesser fracture, which has limited his time off the field. They will also be without Charley Coleman who will miss the two-game road trip with a sore leg, but should be fine to return for the final home game against Porth Emmett in Week 14.

Game Prediction: The Lions to win this one, by 7 points.

The Lions got their ninth win of the season, and once again, equaled their longest win streak since the beginning of the league, with a solid 20-9 victory over the Florence Fools, to take the season matchup 2-0 against them, and giving them an inside run to the division, but with the Sharknado winning as well; it could all come down to Week 15 for the division title.

The Lions got off to a strong start, despite giving up a field goal early, and being forced into a punt after an 8-yard drive stalled out, getting two touchdowns over the next two drives, effectively locking the Fools out of the game, on the back of another fine performance from Napoleon Whitmore, going 26-for-34 with 186 yards, reaching another 100+ QBR game in his career. Wayne Snyder also had another stellar performance, with another touchdown along with 71 yards and 22 blocking plays.

The Lions almost looked like the side from earlier this season, and are looking like coming into the end of the season with the momentum, but could come up against an Earthquake side that is on the back of two straight wins, and while they have three wins in the last five, they are sitting with a running back in Kit Katz and Jack Roberson who have had 100+ rushing yards in the last two games, and while Katz will not be featuring in the game, there is still a real concern that the Earthquake could be a threat to the Lions getting that tenth win, and potentially a step closer to the divisional title.

The Lions are struggling in the rushing department, sitting with the nineteenth best rushing game, at only 94.9 yards/game, whilst the Earthquake are showing at fourth at just over 141 yards/game. If the Lions are to win, they will need to seriously shut down the run game of the Earthquake. The Lions can come away with the victory on the back of Whitmore and the aerial game, the Lions are finding it easy to smoother opposition quarterbacks, forcing a lowly 59.4% pass completion, the 7th lowest in the league so far, whilst boasting the 9th best, only a small 0.6% behind the Earthquake.

Speaking ahead of the game, Head Coach James Jennings talked about how the team is moving forward each week and how they are viewing the last four weeks of the season, moving into the postseason:

“I think we are in a good place at the moment, our roster is looking solid, and we are happy with where we stand. Injuries are always a tough pill to swallow, and we have managed to get through each week regardless. The guys are all looking at their strongest and I think that if we stick to our plan, stick to just taking it week by week, game by game, that we will be in a stronger place each week and can hopefully head into the postseason, if we qualify, in a great spot and I think we might be a dark horse to go deep into the postseason”

The Lions will have to get through the rest of the season without defensive tackle Fernando Houser, who was confirmed to have suffered a major break in his left leg, with it looking likely that Houser has played his last game for the Lions, with only being on a 1-year deal and the team, behind the scenes, already planning on the roster changes that are coming. The Lions will also be without Keith Gannon and Andrew Robertson for a few weeks, with the team picking up Nick Collinsworth, Ruben Huggins and Charlie Richardson joining for the remainder of the season. In good news on the injury front, it looks likely that besides Houser, the injuries suffered by defensive end Andrew Ramsey and Gavin Blair will be ready for a return in the next week or two.

Game Prediction: We’d love to see the Lions win this one, but I think the Earthquake will get this by 7 points.

The Lions might have taken the lion share of the stats but still were unable to find a way in the final 3:51 to get the win against the Los Angeles Earthquake, going down 10-9, with Head Coach James Jennings talking about another 1-point game, but this time going against the Lions:

“Honestly, it is these games that are the reason we play the game. The fight for every yard, every single inch, right until the final seconds. We just happened to be on the losing side this time, and it just happens to be this way. We can’t fault any of our players on this one, they fought every single second, and I can’t sit by and blast them for the loss, we did everything possible that we could and this time, Los Angeles came out on top, and they should be congratulated for the win today”

The Lions looked to be the stronger of the two teams, with Napoleon Whitmore throwing for 227 yards, compared to Mike Tyson at 79 yards, and wide receiver Franklin Adkins, catching 5 passes for 97 yards, and even seeing the likes of linebackers John Omar and Paul Quick combining for 14 tackles, it just was not their day, Los Angeles seemingly having the better of the ball, and despite holding the ball for almost three minutes less than the Lions, they were able to get ahead with the run game, capped off with Jack Roberson going 32 yards for the score that ultimately won the game for the Earthquake.

The Lions hold onto the lead in the divisional race, with Tillamook also losing against Bohemian, which is almost setting up a one-game, winner takes all matchup in Week 15, as long as the Lions can come away with the victory this week against the Porth Emmett Auctioneers, and as long as they can come away with the win, it should all but secure a postseason berth. The Auctioneers are coming into this game, the final home game of the regular season for the Lions, on the back of a solid 26-6 victory against the Seattle Slammers, and with the likes of Phillip Pugh, Lynwood Dizon and Victor Valuer sitting with over 1,200 yards and 13 of the teams 14 receiving touchdowns, the Auctioneers have found a way to use that to their advantage, with them sitting close to even when it comes to passing yards, pass completions and pass attempts per game, and while the Lions sit slightly higher, it looks to be a game worthy of the price of admission.

The Lions will look to shake the loss off very quickly and to get right into the offensive power that they have shown, while also avoiding the unnecessary defensive struggles that seem to have crept in, and with many of the defensive starters coming back this week, the Lions might be just in the right place at the right time, and if the Lions can see that through, they could just as easily make a deep run into the postseason, but as James Jennings has said, the team are not looking at anything further that this weeks’ game:

“We are seriously just looking at week by week, and our focus is on the Porth Emmett game and that’s it. Me, my staff, the players, that is what we are focused on and what we are working towards. The postseason is an exciting venture, but we will focus on that when the time happens, and that time is in three weeks, or if it’s next season, then next season”

The Lions will be boosted by the return of many defensive stars, like Andrew Robertson, Keith Gannon and even defensive end Gavin Blair all set to return for what is shaping into a crucial match for the Lions and their return to the active roster means the world to the Lions, they can head into the final few games of the season with the strongest possible team, and it could be the leg up that the Lions need to get this over the line, and in the first season of the league, this could be what they need to happen and what could be the opening act for this team.

Game Prediction: We want the Lions to win this one and we think they will; a solid 10 point win to secure a postseason berth. The division will have to wait just one more week.

It all comes down to this. One game. One game that will essentially make or break the Lions season. They have done all that they can up until this point, and it all comes down to 60 minutes against the Tillamook Sharknado to ultimately decide who will be crowned as divisional champions and at least secure themselves a postseason berth.

The Lions did everything that they needed to do, taking away another victory, this time 10-7 against the Porth Emmett Auctioneers, again leading by example, Napoleon Whitmore with 190 yards and a touchdown. The win was soured by the two sacks and an interception early on in the third quarter when the Lions were looking to put the game to bed, but the worsening stats were again that Jeff Robinson was called upon 11 times to punt the ball, racking up a massive 538 yards, the most he has had so far this season. Questions certainly have to be raised whether the Lions really can mount a challenge in the postseason, or if this is all too little, too late. Head Coach James Jennings was asked about this at his usual mid-week press conference:

“I don’t think that we have anything severe enough to be overly concerned about. Porth Emmett played a great game, and they pushed us. They pressured us when they needed to, and they laid it all out on the field, we need to be stronger and we do know that we have areas on which to make improvements, but honestly, we know that we have weaknesses, as much as every other team does, and we have as good enough strengths across the roster, as does everyone else, and we will push and push and fight and fight until the very last second”

Should the Lions come away with the victory this weekend, then the divisional title is heading to Penrith, the victory will put them two games ahead and out of reach, with the fight then turning to either the third or fourth seed in the conference, as Penrith would need both Philly and Paris to lose both of their remaining games for any hope of a higher seed. The Lions could have a chance if Philly loses to Florence, but many are saying it is unlikely.

If the Lions suffer defeat against the Sharknado, it ties it all up in the division at 10-5, and with a split in the head-to-head, however, Tillamook will have the advantage by virtue of a better divisional record (5-1 against 4-2 for the Lions), so the Lions would be pushing for potentially the fifth or sixth seed. It is unlikely that they will drop any lower than the sixth seed, but anything is possible.

For what it is worth, we can’t really speak too much about what the Lions need to do this week, they know what they have to achieve, and what is at stake. We did, however, get an exclusive and spoke with Team Owner Leam Mark Farrar who wanted this on the record about this season;

“For it all to come down to basically one game, there is nothing else every single person in this organization could have done differently, or better. They have all put every ounce of blood, sweat and tears into this season and I am proud of every single one of them, from the trainers and medical staff to the front office staff, to our scouting department, and the coaching staff and of course, every single player who has been part of this journey this season. We have seen many come and go, but they all have played a part in what this season is. I hope we can come home with not just the victory, but a divisional title. It would be the crowning achievement on this season, but we also know that a divisional title, or at worse, a postseason berth, is just the tip of the iceberg. We still have six more games to face, for the ultimate prize. A world championship”

The Lions will have to do this all without Ricky Hall, who has confirmed a season-ending knee injury, with the news coming at a worse enough time, with the team relying on Frank Bell, along with both David Diaz and Robert Seibert to fill in with regards to the run game, meaning that there will be extra pressure on the wide receivers to lift their game. They will also have to do this without Luis Walsh, who went down again, this time with an arm injury but should be right for the postseason, should the Lions secure a berth.

Game Prediction: It all comes down to this, and we just hope the Lions can do it and make everyone proud and bring home a divisional title.