The Atlantic City Blackjacks finally finish their four-game road trip this weekend in Washington and are looking to bring back an important victory. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Saturday at Capital One Arena.
With three games remaining and the final playoff seed being occupied by another team, the Blackjacks (3-6) need to win the last three games of their season if they want a decent shot to make the playoffs. Picking up the momentum from a victory and returning home next week would greatly increase the odds for Atlantic City to make it, but they must take care of business in D.C. first against the Washington Valor (5-4).
DEFENSIVE EFFORT: The offense erupted for 61 points last week, a season high, and it’s time for the defense to make a statement this week. Defensively, the Blackjacks have not been their usual selves, allowing opponents to score on every drive over the last three weeks. Something has to give and this will be the most important game for them to snap out their slump and make some stops and create turnovers to give the offense as many chances as they can to score.
LET THE OFFENSE ROLL: Coming off their best offensive game yet, the Blackjacks look to replicate the same performance in back-to-back weeks. Whether it’s Randy Hippeard or Warren Smith starting at quarterback, points need to be scored. Hippeard has been consistently solid in the games he has played this year and Smith put up some big numbers against the Albany Empire’s defense in Week 9. Whoever is standing under center Saturday night needs to have a near perfect game, the team’s playoff chances depend on it.
NEED WINS: One thing is certain, the fate of the season lies in the hands of the Blackjacks. If the team drops one of these last three games, the season might be cut short. If they do win all three remaining games, they still might be on the outside looking in do to head to head tiebreakers. Atlantic City might need some help from the other teams if they win their remaining games but they need to take care of their own fate first.
