Pittsburgh Power (2-3) at New Orleans VooDoo (1-4)
8:00 PM, New Orleans Arena aka The Graveyard
TV - http://www.niftytv.com
Radio - 93.7 The Fan (Pittsburgh), 99.5 FM WRNO (New Orleans)
LiveBlog - http://www.boltsburgh.com
It's a Thursday night brawl at the Graveyard as the Pittsburgh Power travel to New Orleans to try and get some momentum back following a 2 game losing streak.
The Power are coming off a 65-40 loss to the Jacksonville Sharks and are licking their wounds a bit on defense. The Power D had been the strongest part of the team so far, but was unable to stop a single possession by the Sharks on offense. Much of that lack of success can easily be attributed to the signal caller for the Sharks in that game. Aaron Garcia lived up to his legendary status and played flawlessly.
The Power offense came back to life following their 22 point showing against Tulsa. Anthony Morelli ended up with 290 yards passing and Five touchdowns with no interceptions. He did lose a fumble towards the end of the game after the result was settled.
The Power matchup a lot better against the VooDoo. New Orleans comes in giving up an average of 50.2 points per game, and rank 9th in passing defense. Their offense is nowhere near as good as the one the Power faced last week. Danny Wimprine boasts a 57.1 completion percentage, 78.4 QB rating and a 16-9 TD to Int ratio. The Power DB's need to be ready to take advantage of the erratic throws Wimprine is sure to throw.
P.J. Berry and Carlese Franklin are both solid receivers who have each caught 6 TD's so far this year, but a lot of their ability to make plays will hinge on how accurate Wimprine is in this game. The VooDoo offense took a hit when leading rusher Jason Schule went on IR. he will not be active for this game.
Look for Alvin Ray Jackson on defense for the Voodoo. He's a 6'1" DB who will likely be tasked with trying to contain Lonnell DeWalt. DeWalt is coming off a spectacular showing against the Sharks. He made two fantastic touchdown grabs, one a nifty 45 yard catch and run, and the other was a one handed diving catch over the wall. He is definitely a major reason why the Power offense showed so much improvement this week.
To me this matchup breaks down to how well the Power continue to gel on offense, and how well the defense can rebound from their poor showing. I can see the Power scoring one more TD than last week putting them at 52 points, right around the average of what New Orleans has been giving up per game. I also see the Power D holding the VooDoo to the same point total they scored last week
PREDICTION: POWER 52 - VOODOO 34
Should be a good matchup but the Power have way too much talent and should win this game easily.
No comments:
Post a Comment