No Matter What, History Is Going To Be Made At The PLL Championship This Weekend
Icon Sportswire. Getty Images.Here's the thing about the NFL--week after week, there are absolute dog shit games on display between a couple of dog shit teams. And we make ourselves sit through those games because we tell ourselves that football season is only so long and we need to take advantage of it while it's still here. But there just has to be something better out there, a more enjoyable way to spend our Sundays in the fall. In the late slate on Sunday there's maybe one good game on the schedule with Cincinnati vs Kansas City, and that's only if Joe Burrow's wrist isn't hanging on by a thread.
The good news for all you boys and girls back home is that I have the perfect alternative for you. Instead of watching two shitty teams play football, how's about we watch two great teams play lacrosse and battle it out for the PLL Championship this Sunday at 3pm?
Throughout the entirety of the PLL, one thing has remained consistent--the winner of the championship always has a chance to defend their crown the following year.
The Whipsnakes won the first ever title in 2019. They won it again in 2020 during the pandemic-shortened season in Utah. The following year, the Whipsnakes had another chance to defend their title but ended up losing to the Chaos in 2021. In 2022, the Chaos were looking to go for the repeat before the Waterdogs knocked them off the throne. Then last year the Waterdogs had a chance to go back-to-back before the Archers ripped the trophy right out of their hands.
Now the Archers have a chance to become the 2nd team in league history to go back-to-back, and a chance to be tied for the most championships in league history. The only issue is that they'll be going up against the Whipsnakes, who have a chance at adding onto their league with their 3rd title in 6 seasons.
We got into everything you need to know heading into the championship on this episode of The Crease Dive, but here's a quick tale of the tape.
Who: Whipsnakes vs Archers
When: Sunday, 3pm
Where: Subaru Park (right outside of Philly)
Where to watch: ABC, ESPN+
The Archers find themselves back in the championship after waxing the tits off the Chaos in the semifinals by the tune of 10-1. They almost had the league's first ever shutout, but gave up that 1 goal with 56 seconds left on the clock. But even though they won the Western Conference and got a bye into the semis, it hasn't necessarily been the most dominant season for them. They were pretty up and down all year and had a regular season record of 6-4. They were .500 up until the final weekend of the season, and their last 3 wins have all been against teams that are .500 or worse.
The Whipsnakes were extra sketchy to start the year. They were 2-4 with losses right before and right after the all-star break. It was time to start thinking about whether or not they'd blow up their core and start a rebuild. Their only two wins were against the best team in the league, and the worst team in the league. So clearly you had no idea which way they were going to go. Turns out that direction was up, though, after they've rattled off 6 straight wins since then. They've been playing with fire in their last two games with both of their playoff wins coming by just 1-goal. But a win is a win, and now they're just one more win away from being 3x champs.
You have to give the Archers the advantage in net. I'd say it's a toss up at the faceoff position. Obviously the Archers just held a team to 1 goal, so their defense is nasty. I'd say on paper they are better than the Whipsnakes, but I think the Whips have the ability to make better adjustments on defense throughout the game. Offensively the Archers snap the ball around and can beat you in a ton of different ways. But the Whipsnakes offense of not getting too fancy and just bullying their way to the net might be better suited for playoff lacrosse. Either way we are in for a great game that is going to come down to the final couple possessions, but I'd be leaning towards the Whipsnakes pulling this one off.