Initial Reaction to AF1’s First Exciting Football Game

Image via X @af1football

The anticipation of the first ever AF1 game was in the books Saturday night with positive reviews.

Week 0 featured the Nashville Kats and the Southwest Kansas Storm, which ended with the home team Storm picking up a 40-26 win over the Kats. The game started slowly in the first half with the Storm taking a 7-6 halftime lead. Each team picked it up in the second half with two pick-sixes by Southwest Kansas closing the door on Nashville.

How should the league feel about its inevitable game? Here’s a breakdown of the good and the bad from the Kats-Storm game.

Jalen Morton Shined in Arena Football Debut

One of the standouts from the game is Storm starting quarterback Jalen Morton, who made his first appearance in arena football. His performance was stellar for a guy who has to learn a different way of playing quarterback.

Morton finished with zero turnovers and four total touchdowns, three through the air and one on the ground. He showcased his running skills throughout the contest and instantly put himself in the conversation for MVP of the AF1 early in the season.

USFL fans will be aware of Morton since he was a backup on the champion Birmingham Stallions. It appears now that he might have made a name for himself in the AF1. The league had better be careful that another league didn’t try to steal him.

Michael Lawson Is a Defensive Star

While watching the game, one defender kept popping up in coverage with breakups and turnovers. Number four on the Storm, Michael Lawson, was just an annoying nuisance to the Kats and a pleasant star in the making for the Storm.

Lawson had an interception in the first half and then exploded in the second half with two back-to-back interceptions returned for touchdowns to seal the win for Southwest Kansas. This guy might have caught the attention of other leagues looking for a solid defensive back.

Broadcast Overall View

If arena football fans were flipping back and forth between the AF1 and National Arena League games, there would be a distinctive difference in broadcast qualities. This is not a knock on the NAL as this is a more minor indoor football league, but AF1’s broadcast was smoother than expected.

Last year, the Arena Football League didn’t have the best-quality live streams of the games, but it appears AF1 has learned from the past and got it working well. The picture looked good, the commentary was solid, and the overall feel for the broadcast felt professional. That might have been one of the highlights for the league on Saturday night, and it would have given them a good first impression to casual football viewers.

How was Play on the Field?

The first half of the game was not smooth. Receivers dropped balls, and the quarterback overthrew a lot. We have to cut the Kats some slack, as they only had about a week to prepare for this game, and under the circumstances, it wasn’t bad.

Both teams got better in the second half as they got into rhythm with their offenses, and scoring points became a norm. Overall, it was an exciting game that was relatively close until Lawson’s final pick-six and Nashville’s mishandling of clock management on the final drive.

Nashville had multiple turnovers in the game but still found themselves in it thanks to great defense. There were a lot of penalties early on, but there was no reason for fans to hit the panic button, as game one is always a bit sloppy.

Final Thoughts

Over the last few weeks, the league went through a roller coaster ride with teams dropping out before the opening game. After last night though, they should be patting themselves on the back. It wasn’t a perfect night, but it was a good initial impression that should gave fans hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for this league.