Week 2

Nobody in the league has a start to their season quite like the Predators. Out of the gates the Predators play two of the best teams and those two games will show just how far the Predators can go. In week 1 it did not go very well, the Predators tried to keep it close but eventually were worn down by Team Ice in the second half. In that game it was the first time 40 points were scored against a Predator team in 21 games. This week it does not get any easier. The Predators are going up against the Gunners, who currently hold three straight titles. The Predators need to be much better on pulls and not turn the ball over to be successful. The Predators know if they do these things they will be successful against any team. But the real question is, can they actually do that? The answer is probably not. This will be the fifth meeting against the Gunners and the same old, tired result is likely. The Predators will likely struggle to get pressure on the QB. Then once the pass is thrown the Predators will most likely not put themselves in close proximity to the receiver to make the pull quickly, and kill the play, before the Gunners speed and athleticism makes them pay. And they will likely force passes and drop passes which will result in turnovers and punting situations. The final score will look something like this. First meeting against Gunners, 2-25, second, 0-34, third, 13-33, and last seasons semi final, 0-35. So you can bet on that the Predators will find themselves down three to five scores when the final whistle blows. The Predators have three main objectives to the game. First, the Predators need to put consistent pressure on the QB and get him off his rhythm. Second, once the ball is thrown they need to be on the receiver when the ball gets there to make the pull, because as we've seen, the Gunners are faster and better in space than the Predators. Ending plays as quickly as possible is huge if the Predators are going to have a chance. Third objective, offensively zero turnovers, no dropped passes and completing a string of consecutive passes to keep drives going, which will keep the ball out of the Gunners hands. If the Predators can do those things they will find themselves in the game at the end. If not, we will likely see another end result that you saw above.

To make matters worse. The Predators will not have #45 Price (shoulder), and #52 Oberhaus (hand), playing today. Two important players in the Predator attack. #33 Price will be a game time decision. One thing we know about the Predators is that they never give up. When the chips are stacked against them they have found ways to win and keep their playoff hopes alive. A solid performance tonight is just what the Predators need. To prove they can compete with the best of the best would really boost moral and give them a jump start to the rest of the season. What will we see from the Predators? Will it be the same old result on the score board or will the Predators meet the challenge? We will find out tonight at 10pm when the Predators battle the Gunners.