Week 14 Preview vs Nashville

AF1 Week 14: Nashville Kats vs Albany Firebirds

Saturday July 11th - Kickoff 7:00pm

The Albany Firebirds (9-2) are back home for a crucial week 14 matchup against the Nashville Kats (10-1).  This is a rematch from week 11 of the season where the Kats were able to come away victorious against Albany by a final of 78-69.  

Battle of the Top Two

Week 13 was a successful one for both Nashville and Albany overall.  Nashville was able to hold strong in first place with a 68-30 win on the road against Washington.  The Firebirds also were victorious this past Sunday in Beaumont with a 66-48 win.  Both teams have officially clinched a playoff spot for the AF1 playoffs which begin in two weeks.

Defending the Nest

    Albany will be out to prove a point in this matchup after a tough defeat last time out vs Nashville. Quarterback Joshua Kulka against Beaumont was AF1 MVP of the week with a great game.  Last week was also a big week for the Firebirds receivers where Tyrese Chambers was named offensive player of the week for a big performance.  It was also another huge week for Darien Townsend who added on another 89 yards and three touchdowns to extend his league lead.  Receiver Agiye Hall was also successfully able to continue his season tacking on four receptions and 47 yards this past week.

    On the defensive side of the ball, Albany will look to Drew Singleton, who is the league leader in tackles, and Morris Joseph Jr, who leads the team in sacks with eight. Last time out against Nashville, Joseph Jr was able to tally a sack and a fumble recovery.   It will be a tall task on the defensive side of the ball against a Nashville team that leads the league in points for the season with 678 across their 11 games.

Kats Firing On All Cylinders 

    Nashville has been on a roll lately winning their last eight with their only loss early in the season against Kentucky.  Quarterback Tyler Kulka looks to be leading discussions for league MVP as he is the leader in passing yards with 2,603 and second in passing touchdowns with 50.  He will look to his leading receiver in Malik Honeycutt to get the offense going this weekend.  Honeycutt caused problems for the Firebirds last time out with 93 yards and a touchdown as well as returning three kickoffs to the endzone.

    One of the big X-factors for the Nashville Kats is their kicker Kyle Kaplan who has been great this season.  He is 68-77 on extra points and also has an astonishing 18 deuces.  Last time out against Albany, he was able to kick six deuces which helped Nashville.  Jaquan Artis is a player to watch out for on defense with 10 sacks and Omari Alexander is coming off a game last week with 4 interceptions.

Two Legends Face Off

This matchup also brings two together two elite coaches in the AF1.  Damon Ware of the Firebirds was the 2025 coach of the year and also led the Firebirds on a 20 game winning streak that stretched over a season and a half.  For Nashville, Kats coach Darren Arbet has won over 200 games in his career as well as winning coach of the year in both 2000 and 2002.  These two coaches are both legends to arena football and will meet once again this weekend.

High Expectations

    This game will be full of offensive firepower between the two squads and is the last regular season game for both sides.  After this, both teams will be on a bye for week 15 getting ready for what will be home playoff games.  This game will likely be a high scoring one in Albany and is about as must watch as there can be in the AF1.