The Massachusetts Pirates Play for a Title on Saturday

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On Saturday afternoon in Henderson, NV. the Massachusetts Pirates will play for the Indoor Football Championship against the Arizona Rattlers. This is a rematch of a title game that took place back in 2021 when both teams were a part of the United Bowl. Henderson, N.V. is a good spot for the Pirates as that championship game back in 2021 was also played there with the Pirates winning.

This will be the fifth time overall that the two teams have met. The previous four have been split. The last game took place on July 2, 2023, when the Pirates fell to the Rattlers by a 52-43 score at the Snake Pit. Both teams enter this game with impressive performances in their conference championship games. For the Massachusetts Pirates, they went on the road and took care of the Green Bay Blizzard by a 51-28 score. First-team all-league running back Jimmy Robinson ran for 108 yards on 20 carriers and two touchdowns. Quarterback Alejandro Bennifield went 10-of-15 for 118 yards and three scores. He also added 11 yards on the ground with another touchdown. The defense came up big as well with two interceptions and nine tackles from Jaiden Woodley.

The Arizona Rattlers won their ninth conference title on August 5 by a 58-23 count. Quarterback Dalton Street was on his game throwing for 159 yards on 14-of-18 passing. He accounted for five touchdowns, three through the air and two on the ground. The Rattlers’ defense had two pick-6s in the game. Davontae Merriweather and Jarmaine Doubs return interceptions for touchdowns. Arizona outscored the San Diego Strike Force by a 30-8 margin in the second half on their way to the win and a spot in the title game.

This game pits a good offense against a good defense. The Rattlers are a top 5 offense in the league. They averaged 48.9 points per game and 248.7 yards a contest. That ranks them fifth in points and third in total yards. They are an average running team rushing for 82.8 yards a game, good for eighth in the league. What they do well is throw the ball downfield averaging 165.9 passing yards per game, fourth best in the league. For the season, the Rattlers have thrown for 2,987 yards which is fourth best. One concern for Arizona is their run defense which gives up the 2nd most yards on the ground at 88.9 yards a game. They allowed 43 points a contest which is fifth, and they gave up 221.3 yards a game 7th best. The two guys that had interceptions for TD vs San Diego are to pay attention to on defense. Merriweather and Doubs.

Merriweather leads the team in total tackles with 76, four INTs, and 13 passes defended. Doubs has six INTs two returned for TDs, 22 passes defended, and 111 return yards off of those picks. His two returns for scores lead the league. Quarterback Dalton Sneed is 192-of-298 for 2,194 yards. His completion rate is 64%, and he has thrown 44 TDs, fifth best, and nine interceptions. His efficiency rating is 169, which is good for seventh best.

For the Pirates, it starts in the backfield with first-team RB Jimmy Robinson. He has run for 1,107 yards, on 238 touches. He is #1 in rushing. He has 31 rushing touchdowns, which is good for third in the league. He averages 65.1 yards a game, which is number two in the league, and averages 4.7 yards on the ground. His 154.1 all-purpose yards are the best in the league. Bennifield is 192-of-290 for 42 touchdowns. He has thrown for 2,056 yards with a completion rate of 66.2%. All these numbers have him ranked in the top 10. Benefield averages 128.5 yards a game with an efficiency rate of 168.7 which is eighth best in the league.

On defense, the Pirates are led by DE Guy Thomas. He leads the team with 57 total tacklers. 16.5 of them for losses (5th best), and 4.5 sacks (T-11th). Thomas has received help from Julius Turner with 11 tackles for loss and in the secondary from Cyrus Fagan with 15 passes defended, three interceptions, and two forced fumbles. The defense allowed the second-fewest yards at 199.8 yards. They allowed only 39.7 points per game which was third best. On offense, the Pirates averaged 42.9 points and 219.7 yards per game. Those are both top 10 numbers.

The kickoff is set for 4 PM and can be seen on CBS Sports.