Week two was an absolute thriller, but week three was lacking, yet still entertaining. If you’re a fan of the Liberty or Punishers you enjoyed blowouts, if not you were left clambering for week four. As you’ll see below big news came for the entire league, let’s take a look back on last week as we look forward to this weekend:
Table of Contents
NAL Week 3 Game Reviews
Omaha 22, Salina 60
From literally the first pass attempt to his last, Demry Croft’s night doomed the Beef in a must-win game. They came into the match-up still feeling the sting of last week’s home loss to Pueblo. With a slew of roster moves this week it was almost a guarantee that Omaha was coming locked in and ready to get back on track. To add to the already early-season stress, this contest was also a rivalry renewed, dating back to their time together in the CIF. Unfortunately, none of the new additions from this week’s transaction list were able to make much of a difference.
Demry Croft threw two pick-sixes and before the beef could blink they were down multiple scores. To make matters worse the defense that kept them in the game last week totally faltered, allowing a touchdown on every drive Salina had in the game, begging the question is Salina’s offense that good, or is the beef defense just really that bad? The silver lining is that Tabyus Taylor came in relief of Croft and led to some scoring drives. Still, the lingering question for their next game is who will be the quarterback and whether they will be able to finally get a win in the column.
The Salina Liberty came into this season looking to put a stamp on their arrival to the NAL, and that is exactly what they did. Evan Lewandowski played great in his debut with the Liberty, throwing nearly as many touchdown passes as incompletions and showing off his dual-threat ability scrambling for nearly 50 yards in the game as well. He was also the leader behind an offense that didn’t get stopped all night and with the help from their defense, caused more turnovers than points allowed for the majority of the game.
Speaking of those turnovers, two of them were interceptions thrown by Croft, and both were intercepted by defensive end Kyle Jarvis and returned for six. The most impressive thing for Salina’s offense was probably their running back Tracy Brooks. In a game tailored to passing being the primary attack, he tallied up 60 rushing yards for the day. At the end of the game the final score speaks for itself, Salina doesn’t have to do much soul searching but rather just maintain focus for their next matchup. If they come out and play like they did against Omaha they should end up with another win.
A game that was titled “a rivalry renewed” between the Salina Liberty and the Omaha Beef turned into a route quick and early on. By the end of the first quarter, the beef were already down double digits and had more turnovers than completed passes on offense. Salina’s defense was all over whoever was in the backfield for Omaha, causing constant disruption and constant scrambling to try and complete a pass.
The run defense was also no slouch making it tough for David Ross to ever get going and with Tabyus Taylor taking over quarterbacking duties early on the only true yards he was able to get on the ground were essentially QB scrambles. The game was 32 to 7 at halftime and obviously, it didn’t get much better from there. In what was a must-win game for Omaha, it turned into a worst-case scenario fast as Salina pretty much had their way in this one and milked much of the second half while leading by three or more scores.
Beef Outlook:
While this is clearly not what they wanted at this point it is a reminder that the sky is not yet completely falling. Bring 0-2 is an easy hole to get out of but you don’t want to wait for another game or two to start turning things around. Clearly, they need to figure out who their starting quarterback for the 2026 season will be moving forward. They also need help on defense as they looked like they couldn’t stop anything against Salina.
Salina Outlook:
The debut in the NAL could not have gone any better. Not only did they come out and get a dominant win, but did so against a familiar foe and a team that came into this season off a championship appearance last year. If Salina’s offense can continue with their efficient ways and their defense can continue to play lockdown while their defensive line wreaks havoc on opposing backfields, they could quickly rise to the top as a potential NAL championship contender.
Dallas 19, Pueblo 49
If there is such a thing as a slow methodical blowout, this was it. Early on you couldn’t tell that these two teams were sorely mismatched. Out of the gate, it seemed like the typical slow but not too slow start we have gotten from the Punishers all season long, the first quarter only ending at 14-0. Jo-El Shaw, at least on the ground met one of the only bright spots for Dallas, the DL.
He would only average 1 yard per carry, on 6 attempts. Though short yardage he shined, with 2 redzone rushing TDs.What lacked in the rushing game Hollins more than made up for in the air. finding four different receivers for a TD, with 5 total passing. While Pueblo was busy throwing for over 200 yards, the opposite was happening for Samuel Seward, his passes for the most part were on target but the Punishers felt like glue to anyone trying to make a catch.
Seward wouldn’t get much going at all, only completing 9 of 28. Though he would end up with 54 yards on the ground, mostly running for his life. The Bulls would find more completions to the opposite team than the endzone to top it all off with a 3:1 INT to TD ratio. The game was never in doubt, but the relief of going up 28-7 felt like a hill the Bulls couldn’t climb. In the end, we would get the same “trash time” touchdowns we got in the previous game to end with a respectable 49-19.
Bulls Outlook:
We won’t hold you here long, it’s bleak, after a season start that has seen them outscore 101-31. The one bright spot is the DL, just like the previous weeks. The OL is easily the worst in all of the NAL, and it’s reflected in the sacks and QB rushing yards. We aren’t fully convinced that Dallas was ready for the NAL but if they do plan on snagging a win, it will come in the next two games against Amarillo or Louisiana.
Punisher’s Outlook:
Hot, and the flame is only growing stronger. After the defacto tune up may of us are wondering if Hollins could be the OPTY. They have an offense that most teams at this level will have a hard time stopping, but the tests are coming. They have made easy work of the NALs established playoff level franchises, the NALs’ biggest cupcake, but the next two games will decide the first round bye. If they can go 1-1 against Sioux City and Saina they will sit atop the league after the final week, and we are confident they will be.
Highlights & Drawbacks
With the slow week, we only got one real highlight or drawback, but it’s a huge milestone for the NAL:
Scripps Partnership
This is huge, in a world where it’s not always about butts in seats, but sometimes more about eyes on screens this move gives a massive amount of validity to the NAL. Scripps Sports Network already has deals in place that give it a national presence with the WNBA and NHL, meaning this is an opportunity to grab the attention of even the most casual of fan on a national scale! Details haven’t dropped; but we will bring you all we can, whether it be here or on the shady Sports socials.
Through the three weeks we have had, there have been no shortages of surprises! Omaha holds a three-game losing streak (and a two-game losing streak to expansion teams) for the first time this decade. The expansion teams are a mixed bag, and it’s all building up to potential chaos in week 4 with huge meaningful matchups. If you haven’t already, be sure to tune into Around the Indoor Football World from Shady Sports every Saturday at 7 AM Central!
Big thank you to TJ from Around the Indoor Football World for once again helping co-write, he does a fantastic job, especially on the Omaha Beef section!
If you enjoyed this article check out our other recent content below:
- National Arena League (NAL): Week 3 Review
- Lumberjacks: 2026 NLFA Preview
- Shady Sports Alternative Football Betting Guide
- All American Run Down Part 5
- Roughnecks: NFLA 2026 Roster Breakdown
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