JULY 20TH, 2023 MOLINE, IL – PLAYOFFS ROUND 1 GAME PREVIEW PRESENTED BY QC TIMES

There is no sugarcoating the Steamwheelers' 56-35 loss to the Oilers in Tulsa last Saturday night. There were struggles on both sides of the football and it was a noteworthy speed bump that slowed down a team that had just strung together back-to-back statement wins.

But a speed bump is all that it was.

A Sioux Falls Storm 62-59 upset over the Massachusetts Pirates meant that three teams finished the regular season with the second best record in the Eastern Conference: the Steamwheelers, the Pirates and the Storm. By virtue of tie-breaking rules, Sioux Falls earned the opportunity to host Massachusetts in the first round of the playoffs—- sending Quad City on the road to face the 13-2 Frisco Fighters.

There is no question that Frisco will pose a formidable challenge. The same was true last year when the then 10-7 Steamwheelers faced the 15-3 Fighters in the Comerica Center.

Quad City pulled off the upset, winning 48-41 after quarterback E.J. Hilliard Jr. hit wide receiver Keyvan Rudd on a 40-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to take the lead with 0:04 left on the clock. The Wheelers' defense handled the rest, keeping T.J. Edwards in check to close out the game.

Since that time, the Fighters have remained undefeated at home, finishing 7-0 this season. If Edwards and the Fighters are the IFL's Supermen, sQUAD City will once again look to become their Kryptonite.

The Fighters closed out the regular season with a 51-35 win over the same Iowa Barnstormers that the Wheelers defeated 63-35 in June. As Quad City prepares to take the road again, the question Wheeler Nation will be asking themselves is: Can lightening really strike twice in the same spot?

What will happen when the defending Eastern Conference Champions of the IFL travel to Frisco to take on the No. 1 seed? Tune in Saturday July 22nd at 7:05 PM CT to find out.

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