Courtesy of the IFL

The IFL Championship game is finally here. The Massachusetts Pirates face off against the Arizona Rattlers in Henderson, Nevada. With a win, Massachusetts would win their second IFL title in three years. This will be the second meeting between the teams in the championship game. 

Arizona leads the all-time regular season series 2-1, but with the addition of the 2021 United Bowl victory, the overall series stands at 2-2.

Here are three keys for the Pirates

1. Slow down Sneed: The Pirates have to find a way to slow down the Arizona offense, specifically quarterback Dalton Sneed. Sneed completed 14 of 18 passes for 159 yards and five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) against San Diego in the Western Conference Final. The Arizona offense goes as he goes so the Pirates will need to find a way to pressure him and get him off his spot. 

2. Jimmie Jam: The Pirates need to run Jimmie Robinson a 25 times plus in this game. They need to slow down the pace and keep the Arizona offense off the field. Arizona gives up the second most rushing yards in the league at 88.8 points per game.

3. Keep the score down: The Rattlers want a shootout. The Pirates have to keep this game under 90 combined points. The Rattlers have a top-five offense, averaging 48.9 points per game (5th) and 248.7 yards per game (3rd). They have scored the third-most touchdowns in the IFL this season with 120. It will be a contrast of styles. The Pirates have to make this a low scoring affair. 

Final Prediction: The Pirates defense will rise to the occasion and make some key stops in the second half to propel them to a win. Massachusetts will win their second IFL title in three years snd bring the trophy back home to Lowell.