2021 GSL Playoffs

The regular season has ended, and we have officially reached the GSL playoffs!
All teams resting players have had their offensive and defensive rankings reset. Tomorrow I will randomize rankings adjustments, and I can get lines and odds ready for the coming Wild Card games Saturday (Saturday because Sunday is the 4th of July).

2021 GSL Playoffs Bracket (full sized image link https://i.imgur.com/4q0tO4A.png):



All Playoff round game time have been set.

Wild Card Round

Saturday July 3, 2021 3:00PM
Colorado @ San Antonio

Saturday July 3, 2021 6:30PM
Washington @ Cincinnati


Divisional Round

Saturday July 10, 2021 4:30PM
Oakland Icons @ Memphis Comets

Saturday July 10, 2021 8:15PM
Winner of WAS v. CIN @ Pennsylvania

Sunday July 11, 2021 3:00PM
Louisville @ Norfolk

Sunday July 11, 2021 6:30PM
Winner of COL v. SA @ Arizona



Rules for the playoffs, as it comes to website simulation, and weird play by play.
As always, if the play by play is wrong, or a double game, or something is messed up, the true final score will always be the score posted tot he weekly pages when the games end. Unfortunately, I'll be out of town this weekend, so I might not be able to do live fixes if a simulation goes wrong.

For the Gridiron Bowl, if possible, Rob and I had previously discussed having the game simulated beforehand (once we know who's in the game), and then having a "live broadcast" of play by play being available at game time. This would be a LOT of work, and it would require it to all be done and recorded and released at game time, so this may not happen, but if we can make it happen, we will. (Rob, maybe it's time we discuss this again)

Thanks for a great regular season, and I'm looking forward to a great playoffs!

The Wild Card Round is this weekend, so time for some lines, and insights.





Western Conference Wild Card Game
Colorado Cabras @ San Antonio Texans Saturday July 3, 2021 3:00PM EDT

The 2021 GSL playoffs begin with two teams trending in opposite directions. Colorado's season was going exactly as planed through the first 12 or 14 weeks of the season, as at that point, they were still sitting in the #1 seed, after a 9-2 start. The Cabras finished the season 3-7, which is tied with Washington as the worst record down the stretch coming into the playoffs. Of the wins the Cabras did have down the stretch however, they beat the #1 and #2 seed in the conference. Colorado is a team that has shown up, and outperformed in many big games this season, so there is certainly reason to believe they can do it again in San Antonio Saturday.
The Texans are on the opposite end of the spectrum. They've won 5 straight, and are hot entering the playoffs, including a 28-24 win at home against Colorado. This team also showed up when the pressure was on, as entering week 15, they were tied for the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. Things got a little too close for comfort, and from that point on, the Texans took off.
The winner of this game heads to Arizona, to take on the top seeded Eagles. The way the Western Conference has played out this year, I believe all 5 teams in the conference have a shot at winning the conference championship, and for two teams, that run would have to start Saturday.

Line: SA -8
O/U: 53
Win percentage: SA 79.72%





Eastern Conference Wild Card Game
Washington Stars @ Cincinnati Knights Saturday July 3, 2021 6:30PM EDT

The second game Saturday will feature another set of two teams with different paths to the playoffs. For the Knights, it seemed almost inevitable that they'd claim a spot after an 8-1 stretch in the middle of the season, placing them firmly in the first Wild Card spot. The team finished the season 3-2, with one of those losses in week 17 meaning nothing to their playoff position. The other loss however, a 14-13 loss to Washington. That win for Washington would be huge for them in their finish of the season. Washington ended the year 3-7, but they beat all the right teams, including a Week 19 upset win against Baltimore, that ultimately sent them to the playoffs. Washington is a team that some have seen as underperforming, since their promising start in the early season. They've mostly depended on their defense, given how poorly their offense has played. They say defense wins championships, and both these teams have a good defense, so it may come down to who's offense can make a couple big plays to win this weekend. It's looking liek this game will be a tossup, and anyone's game, as these defenses matchup well against each others mediocre offenses.
The winner of this game heads to Happy Valley, to take on the leagues clear top team in the Pennsylvania Keystones. A playoff win Saturday would be nice, but the real game awaits the winner next week.

Line: CIN -0.5
O/U: 30.5
Win percentage: CIN 50.05%

"The sun is beaming down on San Antonio, Texas, on this fine Saturday afternoon, 95 degrees outside but we're within the friendly air-conditioned confines of the Alamodome to kick off the 2021 GSL Playoffs, and it is absolutely electric in here. It's Wild Card Saturday on CBS, with two teams looking to start their run to the Gridiron Bowl today, but only one will advance. The visiting 12-6 Colorado Cabras, lead by quarterback Russo Rand, taking on the the 12-6 San Antonio Texans with likely MVP Kyle Harmon at the forefront. We've waited on this moment for months, and when we come back, the 2021 GSL Playoffs are set to begin. This is the Western Conference Wild Card game, on CBS."

(no idea what CBS' new opening package looks like so I made a detour)

Divisional Weekend is fast approaching, with games starting this Saturday.

Current Bracket (full sized image link: https://i.imgur.com/zXlKlke.png)


Western Conference Divisional Playoff
Oakland Icons @ Memphis Comets Saturday July 10, 2021 4:30PM EDT

Two of the top teams in the Western Conference face off in the matchup of the #3 seed Icons and #2 seed Comets. Both teams have had a successful record, but, they seem to lack some impressive wins. Memphis had lost some bad games early, and was not able to defeat the top seed Arizona in their matchup. They have, however beaten other Playoff teams, in the Texans twice, and the Icons themselves. Oakland faded in the last two games of the season, losing a chance at the #1 seed in the conference, and they now find themselves in a road game, after a successful season overall. Both teams should play well, but Memphis is the more balanced team. The Comets have been favorites in many of their games this year, but they've had a habit of keeping teams in those games. Oaklands defense which is among the tops in the league will have to make this game close to keep the Icons in it.

Line: MEM -13
O/U: 38
Win Percentage: MEM 94.05%



Eastern Conference Divisional Playoff
Cincinnati Knights @ Pennsylvania Keystones Saturday July 10, 2021 8:15PM EDT

This could likely be another lopsided game. The Keystones have really been the powerhouse in the league this year, losing only a single game, and dominating most of their others. The Keystones regular season started with a win against the Knights, and ended with another win against the Knights, while sitting key starters. But maybe the third time is the charm for the Knights, now that they've seen the Keystones in a couple matchups. The Knights had a good win last week, but this is where they playoffs really begin. Can we see a monumental upset? Or will the Keystones continue their dominant path to a title.

Line: PEN -13
O/U: 38
Win Percentage: PEN 93.95%



Eastern Conference Divisional Playoff
Louisville Lightning @ Norfolk Commanders Sunday July 11, 2021 3:30PM EDT

The Lightnings season had had streaks of good and bad. Their offense can be explosive of non existent. They started the year back and forth with wins and losses, then pulled out 3 straight wins, followed by 4 straight losses, and finished with 4 straight wins. There hasn't been much consistency to this team, but all it takes is one good stretch in the playoffs to win a championship, and the Lightning are on a winning streak at the moment. The Commanders on the other hand have been solid. After a 2-3 start to the year, Norfolk became a league powerhouse, finishing the year on a 12-1 stretch. This is a very balanced team that finds ways to win games they need to, and flat out, just finds ways to win games. It's expected that the winner of this game will have to score points. This plays into the Lightnings favor, if they can find ways to beat the Commanders defense. This should be a fun game to follow.

Line: NOR -5.5
O/U: 60.5
Win Percentage: NOR 70.03%



Western Conference Divisional Playoff
San Antonio Texans @ Arizona Eagles Sunday July 11, 2021 6:30PM EDT

This should be another fun game to close out Divisional Weekend. The Eagles may be the top team in the Western Conference, but they are vulnerable, and San Antonio is on a hot streak. The Texans have been all about offense this season, and the Eagles have an offense that sure can keep up. The Eagles have been a very consistent team all year, but there are teams that have had the blueprint to beat them, including the Texans, who squeezed out a win in week 8. Expect scoring in this game to be the main attraction, with this game possibly being decided by who has the ball last.

Line: ARZ -5.5
O/U: 60.5
Win Percentage: ARZ 69.84%

Here's a flyover shot from the WAS-CIN game that I didn't get to post:

They say that you can't hear pictures, but when I see this I hear Joe Buck

rbronish wrote:They say that you can't hear pictures, but when I see this I hear Joe Buck

I agree 100% haha

Also, @NeauXone, keep these coming, these are great!

We are underway in Memphis!

I did a quality control check, and made sure that we'd have no errors in this game today. We at least have no "double game" problem, and I think everything else checks out.
I avoided peaking at the final score, so I'm hoping for a good game here this afternoon.

I'll be able to do a similar check tonight and the 3:00 game tomorrow, but I wont be able to check the 6:30 game tomorrow evening.
As always, if weird stuff happens in the play by play, the final score is the score that gets reported on the weekly pages (as that always follows the first simulated score when the game gets simulated).

...Ouch, this is ugly.

NeauXone wrote:...Ouch, this is ugly.

Ouch is not the word for that beatdown so far!

John

That last game got out of hand quick. Good year for Oakland, but it looks like Memphis showed up for the playoffs.

Did a quick quality control check on the Cincinnati @ Pennsylvania game, and I don't think we will run into any weird stuff or errors here. Again, I don't know the final score, all I know is the line is PA is 13 point favorites, so hopefully this game is closer than the last one.

Welp, just as I finished making this post, it's 6-0 Pennsylvania with a 75 yard TD run on the second play from scrimmage (with a blocked PAT). This could be another quick game, but maybe Cincy can hang in.

In the words of Al Michaels...

"The sun is setting over Happy Valley, longtime home of the Nittany Lions and the stomping grounds of the Number one seeded Pennsylvania Keystones, 17-1 and looking to start their run to New Orleans tonight in front of a roaring capacity crowd against the Division rival Cincinnati Knights in a win or go home showdown. This is the Eastern Conference divisional round on NBC!"

NeauXone wrote:In the words of Al Michaels...

"The sun is setting over Happy Valley, longtime home of the Nittany Lions and the stomping grounds of the Number one seeded Pennsylvania Keystones, 17-1 and looking to start their run to New Orleans tonight in front of a roaring capacity crowd against the Division rival Cincinnati Knights in a win or go home showdown. This is the Eastern Conference divisional round on NBC!"

Cue Carrie Underwood

Louisville @ Norfolk is underway!

Did a quality check, and I think this game looks good.

I don't think I'll be home for the 6:30 start of the last game of the weekend tonight, but I can at least check in on things after the game starts. If we have a double game problem, then I can delete the wrong game to get things back on track.
As always though, the posted score on the weekly pages is always the true simulated score.

Good luck to the Lightning and Commanders!

Yet another season comes to a close. The Lightning did have a fourth quarter lead, but the Commanders have been a good team all year under pressure, which is part of the reason they finished with the second best record in the GSL in 2021.

I was able to check on the San Antonio @ Arizona game, and all looks good. Hoping for a good one in the Desert!

rbronish wrote:

GGs, onto the offseason for us but there's a bright future ahead.

Another game with a brutal start. Arizona looks like they should hold on, up 29-17 with under two minutes, just recovering the onside kick.

That will put us in Pennsylvania, then in Arizona for the Conference Championship games next week, as all the favorites pulled out wins on Divisional Weekend.

The GSL Playoffs continue this Sunday with the Conference Championship games.

Each remaining team will have two games left on their schedule, but the game everyone wants to play in will be two weeks from now in the Gridiron Bowl.

Current Playoff Bracket (Full sized image link: https://i.imgur.com/JaXFZnA.png)



Eastern Conference Championship Game
Norfolk Commanders @ Pennsylvania Keystones Sunday July 18, 2021 3:00PM EDT

These two teams faced off many months ago in week2, as the Keystones were just getting warmed up for a 13-0 start. The Commanders were handed their first loss of the season in week 2, getting handled by this dominant Keystones team. The Commanders season didn't take off until week 6, and finished their final 13 games at 12-1, the same record as the Keystones have had in that time. These two teams represent the two best records in the GSL this season, and there's talent on both teams. But, can the Commanders talent match that of the Keystones? The Commanders may have won many games this season, but the Keystones have dominated games all year, and beating them is a tough task, seeing as they've only lost once. Last week's game was a little closer than Pennsylvania wanted, but they had been resting players to finish out the last few weeks. With the rust off, we may see what this team is fully capable of this week.

Line: PEN -13
O/U: 48
Win Percentage: PEN 92.39%



Western Conference Championship Game
Memphis Comets @ Arizona Eagles Sunday July 18, 2021 6:30PM EDT

This Western Conference finally has the makings of a fantastic game. These two teams have had their moments this season, and when they're on, they can blow the opposing team out of the building. Don't expect that to be the case this weekend though, as this should be a hard fought game to the end, with some good offense. These two teams matched up in week 15, and Arizona, who came in as underdogs, were able to finish off a tight game at the end. It was a big game for Memphis to lose, as this game will be played in Arizona and not Memphis because of it. It's been Memphis' biggest weakness all year to lose in high profile game with a lot riding on them. The Comets record may have been good, but their wins are not impressive, with the best wins being against San Antonio twice, and Oakland last week. Their losses against premiere teams, like Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Arizona is what's concerning. The Eagles on in some ways in the same boat. They beat all the teams they were supposed to, but lost games to some of the leagues better teams. Last weeks wins for both teams is a bright spot on the season so far. The Comets dominated last week, destroying the Icons. Arizona took a hot Texans team, and really just handled them. With a Gridiron Bowl trip on the line this week, this game will come down to who wants it more, and it will be a tossup.

Line: ARZ -0.5
O/U: 55.5
Win Percentage: ARZ 50.07%

It's a beautiful day in central Pennsylvania. The hot and humid weather from last week has left with yesterday's storms, giving us a temperate cloudy day, although, there is some wind.
The Keystones come into today's game has nearly two touchdown favorites, and are expected to win this one at home, but who knows, maybe the Commanders have something special up their sleeves today.

I've done a quick check of the database, and it looks like this game is only simulating once, so we are good to go!
I'll also be able to check in on the late game later (which is probably the more important game of the day to check, since that game's result will be a tossup).

Just checked back in on this game, and we've got 3-2 at halftime, so a very close game so far, so Norfolk is in it. Maybe Pennsylvania's lack luster performance from last week has carried over, and Norfolk is really stumping the Keystones offense. Lots of football left though.

Joe Buck on the call for the first score of the game...

"Here's a 3rd and 15 from their own 5... Covington out of the shotgun, tries to ESCAPE AND GOES DOWN! SAFETY!
Pennsylvania sends the blitz on 3rd and long and draws first blood here late in the first."

"They're gonna keep the offense on the field, 6 yards for a first. 4th down, Vinson... has all day to throw, floats it, HE'S GOT A MAN! Cameron, touchdown, no flags, and on 4th down the Keystones find the endzone. 38 yards!"
NOR 10-9 PEN 3rd Q.

"Here's a handoff to Tavon Walker, big hole and HE CAN FLY! Off to the races, inside the 30 and he is gone. Touchdown Commanders, no flags... 58 yards!"
NOR 17-9 PEN 3Q.

Wow, we've got a game going into the 4th. Norfolk has a chance at the huge upset here!
(For the record, I'm kind of pulling for Pennsylvania, since I've prepared a bunch of Gridiron Bowl stuff for them expecting they'd win this week haha. I'm still happy who ever wins though)

"Vinson... looking, corner, pass is CAUGHT for the touchdown! Mike Hollins!"
NOR 17-17 4Q.

Alright, tied up! This is where the Keystones usually run away with the game

"Here we go, this from 26 yards out... to likely send Norfolk to Gridiron Bowl I. 26 yard try by Watford, it is... GOOD. And the Commanders are seconds away from becoming Eastern Conference Champions! What a game!"
NOR 20-17 PEN 4Q.

I have all the respect in the world for Norfolk. That was an incredible performance, through and through. Good luck in Louisiana! It's gonna take quite the performance from Memphis or Arizona to beat this team.

From all of us here in State College, thank you for this year. What a great inaugural season. We'll see you next year!
P.S. Get ready for new uniforms....

Wow. Choke job at the end with that interception. I'm interested in seeing what game this one was mapped to, and maybe looking up the highlights, because that was a crazy game.

Congratulations to the Norfolk Commanders on the huge upset win, sending them to the Gridiron Bowl!


The Western Conference Championship game is underway, and from the looks of it, the simulation checks out. Hopefully this will be another great game.

Austin Snelick wrote:Wow. Choke job at the end with that interception. I'm interested in seeing what game this one was mapped to, and maybe looking up the highlights, because that was a crazy game.

Congratulations to the Norfolk Commanders on the huge upset win, sending them to the Gridiron Bowl!


The Western Conference Championship game is underway, and from the looks of it, the simulation checks out. Hopefully this will be another great game.

Vikings @ Bears 2017. Being a Vikings fan I remember that one very clearly. The safety, Sam Bradford being Benched for Keenum at the half, the Bears fake punt TD, and the game winning FG by Forbath to seal it.

zvought wrote:I have all the respect in the world for Norfolk. That was an incredible performance, through and through. Good luck in Louisiana! It's gonna take quite the performance from Memphis or Arizona to beat this team.

From all of us here in State College, thank you for this year. What a great inaugural season. We'll see you next year!
P.S. Get ready for new uniforms....

Good year for the Keystones. I honestly thought they'd take it all this year, but then again, I knew the team rankings haha.

Tomorrow I plan to release team rankings (except for the remaining teams in the Gridiron Bowl), but as a preview, Pennsylvania was the only team that had an offensive and defensive rank of 6 and 6, and they had those rankings all season. I knew they'd go far, but I really thought they'd win the Eastern Conference. On to next year, with a new look.

NeauXone wrote:

Austin Snelick wrote:Wow. Choke job at the end with that interception. I'm interested in seeing what game this one was mapped to, and maybe looking up the highlights, because that was a crazy game.

Congratulations to the Norfolk Commanders on the huge upset win, sending them to the Gridiron Bowl!


The Western Conference Championship game is underway, and from the looks of it, the simulation checks out. Hopefully this will be another great game.

Vikings @ Bears 2017. Being a Vikings fan I remember that one very clearly. The safety, Sam Bradford being Benched for Keenum at the half, the Bears fake punt TD, and the game winning FG by Forbath to seal it.

Oh man. Yeah, that was a crazy game.

Memphis Radio: "Johnson looks to pass, rolls out to the right and FINDS TERRY HALL in the back of the endzone for a 5-yard Comet touchdown to start the night!"
1st - 11:45
MEM 7, ARZ 0

"Arizona, delayed hand-off, gets a block, dives for the pylon and it's a touchdown; and Memphis lets up the first points of the game."
2nd - 12:51
MEM 10, ARZ 7

"Handoff to Powell, and he slams it in for the 1-yard score, and Memphis strikes back!"
2nd - 1:55
MEM 17, ARZ 7

"2nd down and 9 for the Eagles, pass is complete, slips a tackle, slips another, and slips two more into the endzone for an Eagles touchdown. Some sloppy defensive work has cut the lead down to 6."

3rd - 8:24
MEM 20, ARZ 14

8 point game with under 10 to go. hoping for a good finish here, after Arizona comes back from 20-3 down.

"That's a 2 yard run-and-score for Arizona! And Memphis has now let up 21 unanswered points and risk coming back here next week if they can't come up with something fast."

"Johnson throws and it's deflected and picked off again and that could very well be the Western Conference dagger."
4th - 5:13

That latest field goal will make things tough. 11 points in 4 minutes may be too big a deficit at this point.

Untitled0717 wrote:"Johnson throws and it's deflected and picked off again and that could very well be the Western Conference dagger."
4th - 5:13

Did both Pennsylvania and Memphis catch Phoenix Sunsi"tus" all of a sudden?

John

sfcom1 wrote:

Untitled0717 wrote:"Johnson throws and it's deflected and picked off again and that could very well be the Western Conference dagger."
4th - 5:13

Did both Pennsylvania and Memphis catch Phoenix Sunsi"tus" all of a sudden?

John

Pennsylvania likely caught the GSL equivalent of the "15-1" curse. Memphis adopted the Green Bay strategy of laying down to die in big games, despite having a strong record.

Congratulations to the Arizona Eagles for winning the Western Conference Championship!

We will have :
Memphis Comets vs Pennsylvania Keystones next Saturday in Arizona for the Redemption Game (known as the 2021 Playoff Bowl this year)

and

Arizona Eagles vs Norfolk Commanders Sunday August 1st in New Orleans for the Gridiron Bowl

I'll create some threads in the morning dedicated to these games, which will include everything from the uniforms, to fields, to general discussion.