Week 11 was the shortest we have had all season, just two games. Though it was short it was still action-packed! We saw Omaha in all the fury you expect, special teams insanity from Salina, and a shake-up in the standings. We cover it all in this week’s NAL review!
Table of Contents
Amarillo 35 Salina 49
You have to give the Warbirds a ton of credit, they had absolutely nothing to play for and came out swinging anyway. Though if you didn’t know they had a single win through eleven weeks, the constant laundry on the field would have been a strong indicator. The lack of overall discipline was painful to watch, key points in the game saw third and short, ran out to fourth and 10+ on the vast majority of the drives.
While the majority of the team had a lot of fight, the defensive line did not. Yes, Salina has a dangerous running game, but the Warbirds ‘ line was gashed on play after play. This was especially true in the fourth when they had to have stops and just couldn’t find a way to keep Brooks and company from creating chunk plays at a time. At the same time, this wasn’t a typical game for Salina, they seemed very out of sorts at various points, but the defense, and special teams were the edge they needed to win comfortably.
Right out of the gate both teams missed field goals: Amarillo, a reasonable kick and a bad miss, and Salina a glorified punt. That punt setting up a short drive riddled with penalties, and ultimately, a holding call in the end zone. The first points only brought the score to 2-0. Shortly after the Samuel-Brooks combo, paired with Lewandowski’s ability to take off out of the pocket, soon saw the score move to 9-0.
The real edge in this game came on special teams, at the end of the first half it was going to be a one-score game. Though Brooks and Samuels didn’t want it to end that way, Samuels then went weaving through traffic on the ensuing kick off scoring on a walk-off return touchdown to end the half and push them back ahead by 15. Samuels would make the same magic happen in the second half and end the day with 152 Kick return yards on four returns.
The crazy part of this game was seeing the Salina lead evaporate. The scoreboard read 36-14 at the end of the third, and by the middle of the quarter, it read 36-27. This was in large part due to two stalled drives and a horrendously bad snap on fourth down.
This sadly was also the beginning of the end for Amarillo, Coach O’Neal and his vicious running game would turn around and demoralize the Warbirds’ defense, marching down the field and putting the ball across the goal line twice in the final five. No single player would have a standout day on the ground, but Brooks, Samuels, and Lewandowski all ended with 13 or more rushing yards and a rushing TD on the day.
In the end, it was simply better coaching and better talent, paired with some special teams magic that kept it just out of reach for the home team.
Update: Following this game, the Salina Liberty re-signed their former quarterback Tyrie Adams. Adams previously played with the Liberty in 2021 and 2022 before signing with the CFL. Adams stuck with the Ottawa Redblacks through two coaching changes, until being let go following training camp this season. Adams now returns to Salina as the presumptive starter down the stretch.
Battle of I-29 Omaha 41 Sioux City 37
The Beef came into the game needing a win to keep the lead for the final playoff spot and their win streak alive. The season started off very rough for the Beef failing to find a win in the first five weeks, and ultimately moving on from Head Coach Brandon Negron. Defensive Coordinator Adam Loftis stepped in as the Interim Head Coach marking the 5th head coach the Omaha Beef have had since the beginning of the 2023 season.
Since that move, and Offensive Coordinator CJ Cain taking over play-calling the Beef were 2-1 with back-to-back wins. In those two wins the Beef scored a total of 104 points, to put that into perspective during their first four games the Beef managed 85 points. Could the Beef make it 3 straight, and continue this success in Sioux City?
Vincent Espinoza had a solid night throwing the ball with 152 yards and 4 touchdowns while still showing his dual threat ability adding 41 rushing yards to his totals. Devanaire Conliffe was the favorite of the receiving core accounting for 89 yards and 2 touchdowns on 10 receptions.
Defensively this meeting would show much improvement, holding the Bandits’ offense to 37 points, a takeaway via interception, having pressure on Lorenzo Brown for much of the night, and holding in the final seconds to secure a major win for their playoff hopes. It was a collective team win against a well-known rival who is also playoff-bound, showing that this team may have put together the right pieces at the right time.
The Bandits’ last meeting with Omaha ended in a dominant win at the Slaughterhouse and they wanted to hit repeat this time in Sioux City. Lorenzo Brown with another chance to pay back the Beef would have an overall good game. His numbers would be virtually even with his counterpart (Espinoza), with 155 passing yards and 4 touchdowns.
He would also be the bulk of the team’s rushing attack with 49 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Brandon Shepard and Jadon Johnson would combine for the bulk of receiving totals with 11 receptions, 122 yards, and 3 touchdowns between them. While they would approximately fall short of winning the game, the defense for Sioux City was no slouch. They had pressure on the Beef quarterback Espinoza all game, intercepted a pass, and blocked a field goal attempt. Ultimately the game would come down to one final play to score and on this night the Bandits were unable to make it happen.
A rivalry renewed once again this season after an earlier matchup was a one-sided win for the Bandits. This matchup however, would live up to the usual rivalry hype between these two teams. On a night where points weren’t necessarily hard to come by, they were definitely earned by both offenses. After a slow start in the first quarter, offensive adjustments could be felt in the second.
Each team would score two touchdowns in the period and it would be a tight halftime score of 20-17 in favor of Omaha. The Bandits would get the jump in the third quarter and take the lead with a pair of touchdowns. While Sioux City built a 10-point lead mid-way through the final period, the Beef would come storming back. In the final minutes defensive back Chris Perry picked off Brown’s pass and set up the game-winning drive for the Beef offense. A last-second attempt for Sioux City would come up short with the final score 41-37 Beef.
In four games since the coaching changes, the offense has scored a total of 171 points, over doubling the offensive output the Beef had in their first four games. Some of that is due to the opponents, but if you wanted a stark indication of the improvements, days before the coaching change Omaha lost to Sioux City 26-6 at home, and in this game they defeated Sioux City 41-37 on the road.
Omaha Section Written By: TJ Bartholomew
NAL News
The National Arena Leauge has officially released the sponsor for the 2026 Championship game, check the link below:
NAL Playoff Outlook Update
The Bandits’ loss to Omaha caused a minor shake-up as most of the field was already set. The upset really helped two teams, Omaha and Pueblo, and really hurts another, Colorado,here is how:
Pueblo:
This all but cements the first-round bye, with only one game left on their schedule against Amarillo it would be tough for anyone to overtake them. They can tie in record, but as far as we know the Punishers have the tie breaker
Omaha:
This win puts them in a prime spot to not have to take on the three seed in week one of the playoffs. It also locks them in with a Louisiana loss to Southwest Kansas.
Colorado:
The Spartans currently sit at fifth, at 4-4. If they lose to Omaha this coming weekend the two would be tied, and a May 30th win over Louisiana by Omaha would send Colorado most likely to Sioux City in the first round, a spot that they have little Chance in.
It was a short week, but still an interesting week for NAL fans, we got to really see what a turnaround looks like, and a clear idea of the playoff picture. There are only two weeks left remaining, but a lot can still happen in those two weeks! Check back in next week as we will start to dive into the possible match-ups and predictions. Don’t forget to jump on to Shady Sports Network and listen to Around the Indoor Football World at 7 AM Central for all the Intel, drama, and in-depth analysis of everything indoor and Arena football!
Need to catch up?
- 2026 NAL Championship Preview + Semi-Final Review
- NAL: National Arena League Playoff Review + Semi-Final Preview
- NAL: National Arena League Week 13 Review + Playoff Preview
- NAL: National Arena League Week 12 Review
- National Arena League (NAL): Week 11 Review
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