NFL
By: Jeff Barnes
With just under 14 minutes left in the game versus the Arlington Renegades, the Orlando Guardians were in a prime position to get their first win of the season. Less than five minutes later, they found themselves trailing 10-9 and only needing a field goal to retake the lead. That didn’t happen and the Guardians would fall to 0-3 on the season after the 10-9 loss in Arlington. While the loss was heartbreaking, it did not shatter the resolve of this team.
Head Coach Terrell Buckley reassured fans that the Orlando Guardians may not have been pleased with the results, they are even more focused on looking to crack into the win column versus the Houston Roughnecks. In Week 1, the Roughnecks handed the Guardians a convincing 33-12 loss. This time around at the friendly confines of Camping World Stadium, the Guardians will look not only for their first win but a little payback as well. It was the Roughnecks that started this early season swoon in motion. It would be fitting to snap the losing streak against the team that started it. “We are committed to getting a win,” said Coach Buckley. When asked about Coach Phillips’s comments during the Week 1 loss, Coach Buckley said “I’m just looking to win. When you win, you can say whatever you want.”
Can The Orlando Guardians Right The Ship
It was the Orlando Guardian’s defense that was most improved this week. Not only did they find the quarterback again, but they held the Renegades to just 10 points. In the previous two games, The Guardians’ defense was tasked to keep them in the game while the offense figured things out. This time around, the defense was the star of the show hoping to seal a victory. It wasn’t meant to be. They could not keep Renegades’ quarterback Kyle Sloter and the offense out of the end zone. They still gave the ball back to the offense with a chance for the walk-off, to no avail. Guardians’ Defensive Coordinator Tony Carter did a great job of challenging the Arlington offense while limiting their running game.
Paxton Lynch played his first full game of the season. After earning his third straight start, Lynch went on to have his finest game. Lynch would lead the Guardians in rushing and passing for the first time this season. Lynch also limited the turnovers on his end. As a result, the Orlando Guardians offense was able to move the ball into Renegades’ territory several times which is an improvement over the first two games. Two trips that would have resulted in a minimum of a field goal would end with fumbles by RB Jah-Maine Martin.
Those two turnovers were a season-high for Martin who struggled to find yards on the ground. Tight End Cody Latimer continues to be one of the few consistent playmakers on this offense. As the Guardians’ offense continues to look for consistent playmakers, Latimer has made big catches in all three games so far. This is the first game he did not score a touchdown in this season.
The Guardians will look to return home and impress the home fans with a win. With 3 of their next 4 games at home, the Guardians will need to defend their home turf in order to get the season turned around. It will have to start against the hottest team in the league. The Houston Roughnecks come to Orlando undefeated and look to return home with that record intact. For the Orlando Guardians to pull off what would be the biggest upset of the season, they will need to score major points and have a spectacular showing on defense to knock the smile off of Roughnecks head coach Wade Phillips.
