Tale of the tape:
Historical Record: Smooth Operators lead the series 17-11
Team: Beaufort Rocksters
Owner: Kevin Orford
Reg Season Record: 10-5
Star Players: Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley
Winning Move: A draft day trade that netted Barkley
Matchup Key Player(s): Zach Charbonnet/Joe Mixon
Team Analysis: The Rocksters caught fire down the stretch, winning 5 of their last 6 games, and scoring the league leading 780.2 pts (130/game) during that streak. That total was bolstered by an eye popping 170 point outburst in Week 14 which saw Josh Allen putting up 55 points on his own. While Allen and Barkley are stud players, the Rock will need a large contribution from their second RB to secure another belt. A strong game from Devante Adams (or another WR) to match Nacua would go a long way as well.
Team: Smooth Operators
Owner: John Opiola
Reg Season Record: 11-4
Star Players: Lamar Jackson, Puka Nacua
Winning Move: Late season trade for Achane
Matchup Key Player(s): Devon Achane/Chase Brown
Team Analysis: While the Rocksters were hot and scored a lot of points down the stretch the Operators were not far behind. They finished on a 6 game winning streak that saw them scoring 688.8 pts (114.4/game) which placed them second in this period just ahead of the WarGoose by .1 pts. The streak was fueled in large part by Lamar Jackson who has scored 166.2 pts (27.7/game) over his last 6 games. Smooth will need a huge game from one of his RB to keep pace with Barkley along with normal contributions from Puka and Lamar. Getting a second WR to put up huge points would be the tinsel on the tree in the effort to knock off the Rock.
Game Analysis:
As documented above the two hottest teams in the league collide for the ECFFL Championship. But it wasn’t just the stretch run that sees these two teams battling for the title, they were the two best teams all year long, finishing first and second in most points scored. There is star power for days in this matchup. The Rocksters will be looking for Allen to have another Superman game instead of the Clark Kent effort in the first playoff game. Likewise the Operators will need Lamar to keep in touch with Allen’s output. While not playing in this game there will be eyes on Jalen Hurts status for this weekend as his presence will have an impact on what Saquon can produce. This underscores the need for a second RB to step up for the Rocksters. More than likely this will be Charbonnet who has shown the promise with a 34 pt game a few weeks ago.
Tommy’s Pick:
It’s hard to go against the Rocksters and the points they have produced lately but suddenly there are question marks surrounding their two star players. While not putting up exactly the same gaudy point totals the Smooth Operators were no slouches there either and they haven’t lost since Week 10. The streak continues. Operators win the LuluLemon Bowl and their first ECFFL title in 10 years.
Lakewater Analytics 