After two weeks of play, we’re starting to get a picture of how the Alliance of American Football is shaping up. The AAF will begin its slate of Week 3 games on Saturday and Sunday, and they do so with three undefeated teams, three winless teams, and two sitting at 1-1. Week 3 broadcasting information includes games on the NFL Network, CBS Sports Network and live streaming on B/R Live. The Birmingham Iron and Orlando Apollos have been standouts so far, and they’re joined by the Arizona Hotshots in the undefeated column. The teams that have struggled are the Memphis Express, Atlanta Legends and Salt Lake City Stallions. Finally, the San Antonio Commanders and San Diego Fleet sit at 1-1. None of the undefeated teams will face each other in Week 3, so there is a chance all three make it through unscathed. The first game on Saturday, between Arizona and Salt Lake City, will be live streamed on B/R Live and will not be televised. Below is all the TV and other viewing information you need to follow the action in Week 3 of the Alliance of American Football. How to watch AAF Week 3 action All times Eastern Saturday, Feb. 23 Arizona Hotshots at Salt Lake Stallions Location: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah Time: 3 p.m. TV: N/A Online Streaming: B/R Live Memphis Express at Orlando Apollos Location: Spectrum Stadium, Orlando, Fla. Time: 8 p.m. TV: NFL Network Online Streaming: FuboTV, NFL Sunday, Feb. 24 Birmingham Iron at Atlanta Legends Location: Georgia State Stadium, Atlanta, Ga. Time: 4 p.m. TV: CBS Sports Network Online Streaming: FuboTV, CBS Sports San Antonio Commanders at San Diego Fleet Location: SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, Calif. Time: 8 p.m. TV: NFL Network Online Streaming: FuboTV, NFL<doc-sep>After going 4-0 with our Alliance of American Football picks in Week 2, we followed with a solid 3-1 in Week 3 so we'll look to keep up that winning percentage as Week 4 comes along. There was one big surprise last week and that's when the then-winless Stallions upset the then-undefeated Hotshots. It was the biggest upset so far of the short AAF season, although it wasn't an insane surprise as Salt Lake has been a solid team all year. Also, Arizona lost its starting quarterback to injury in the third quarter. MORE: 10 AAF players who have made a case for the NFL But before we dive too far into the matchups, let's look at the plate of games we have this weekend. Betting odds are via BetOnline. Alliance of American Football Week 4 TV schedule Matchup Time Network San Diego Fleet at Memphis Express 4 p.m., Saturday B/R Live Orlando Apollos at Salt Lake Stallions 8 p.m., Saturday NFL Net/ fuboTV San Antonio Commanders at Birmingham Iron 4 p.m., Sunday CBSSN/ fuboTV Atlanta Legends at Arizona Hotshots 8 p.m., Sunday NFL Net/ fuboTV AAF Power Rankings: How good are the Iron, really? Fleet (2-1) at Express (0-3) Spread: Fleet -6 (+120) Over/Under: 41.5 Despite Memphis' 0-3 record, this should be an interesting game. The Express have improved over the last two games, especially on defense, and Mike Singletary finally made the decision to bench Christian Hackenberg. Starting in his place will be Zach Mettenberger, who showed some promise against a tough Apollos squad in Week 3. Hackenberg had no touchdowns (and three interceptions) in his 62 pass attempts. Mettenberger had two in just 12 attempts. He may not be the best quarterback in the AAF, but Mettenberger should be a big improvement over Hackenberg. But while the Express have improved, the Fleet actually converted their improvements into wins. After a poor Week 1, San Diego switched quarterbacks and started to lean more on their great running back duo of Ja'Quan Gardner and Terrell Watson. The Fleet's defense has also been one of the best in the league. Who to watch: Zac Stacy started the season as the main Express back, but Sherman Badie showed up in a big way last week after just joining the team. He ran eight times for 59 yards and caught a pass for another 16. He certainly looks like the real deal and is a player I'm excited to watch for another week. Prediction: Fleet win 23-16 MORE: Full schedule for the 2019 AAF season Apollos (3-0) at Stallions (1-2) Spread: -4 (+105) Over/Under: 43.5 The Apollos are our top team, but they should get a good challenge from the Stallions this week. For starters, it's a road game, and the Stallions were extremely close to being 2-1. If not for an injury to QB Josh Woodrum, the Stallions may even be 3-0 at this point. Salt Lake played spoiler in Week 3, ending the Hotshots' undefeated run. But can they do it again this week? It'll be tough, but there's a reason this game was flexed to the more desirable primetime slot. We expect this to be a close game, but the Apollos have just been too good for us to see another upset in the works. Garrett Gilbert has looked like the league MVP so far and running back D'Ernest Johnson is third in the league in rushing. Orlando can get it done in so many different ways. Who to watch: Karter Schult has a sack in every game this season, and leads the league with four overall on the season. He's also second in the league with eight quarterback hits. If he can pressure Gilbert, he'll give the Stallions a chance at winning. Prediction: Apollos win 32-26 MORE: Steve Spurrier, Trent Richardson give new AAF old-school SEC swagger Commanders (1-2) at Iron (3-0) Spread: Iron -7 (-110) Over/Under: 39.5 After picking up a win in Week 1, the Commanders have fallen on hard times, losing two straight. In Week 3 they tried going with backup QB Marquise Williams late in the game to try and spark something on offense, and they kind of did. Williams completed all four of his passes and ran five times for 33 yards. There's been no official announcement on who will start this week, but we assume Logan Woodside will get another chance at starter. Despite some struggles, he's' still looked impressive as he's currently second in the league in passing yards. No matter who comes in under center, though, they'll get a tough task against arguably the best defense in the league. The Iron are holding opponents to seven points per game this season and are doing enough on offense to win games. Turnovers will be key in this one, as Birmingham's eight forced turnovers lead the league. Who to watch: Commanders RB Trey Williams was activated for the first time last week, and played well. He ran seven times for 75 yards (10.7 YPC) and caught two passes for another 13. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep up his high production against such a tough defense. Prediction: Iron win 18-11 Legends (0-3) at Hotshots (2-1) Spread: -13.5 (-115) Over/Under: 42 On paper, this should be an easy win for the Hotshots. Talent-wise, they're one of the best teams in the league and they're going up against a Legends team that has easily looked the worst of the eight franchises. But Arizona is dealing with several key injuries in linebacker Steven Johnson (hamstring), defensive back SaQuan Edwards (hamstring) and starting QB John Wolford (back). The main injury to keep an eye on is Wolford as his backup, Trevor Knight, did not look good when he came in during Week 3's game. Still, even if Knight starts it's hard to see the Legends winning this one. It's a road game, and they've just looked so bad in their three losses. Who to watch: Hotshots running back Jhurell Pressley is fourth in the league in rushing yards, and he could improve on that in a good matchup this week.<doc-sep>It’s hard to believe, but Week 4 of the Alliance of American Football's (AAF) season is already upon us. Week 3 was arguably the most entertaining week of the season so far. A total of 158 points were scored last weekend and for the first time, every team posted double digits. All four winners finished above the 20-point threshold, a total of 56,312 fans attended last week’s games, and for the third straight week, the AAF averaged more than 1 million television viewers. While there is still talk about the AAF's reported financial state, the league continues to push on. Week 3 was definitely the most competitive week of the season as even the losing teams put up a fight, especially in the latter stages of those games. Heading into this weekend, the league’s top contenders are starting to emerge. With that being said, here are the AAF’s power rankings leading into this week’s games. AAF Power Rankings Entering Week 4 1. Orlando Apollos (3-0, tied for 1st in Eastern Conference) Steve Spurrier’s unit is hands down the best overall team in the AAF. They’re averaging 30 points per game (98 total points so far) while giving up a little less than 20. On offense they’ve gained a total of 1,179 yards (averaging 393 per game), Garrett Gilbert (827 passing yards, 5 TDs) has been a stud at quarterback, and they’re second in the Eastern Conference in both sacks and turnovers (6 in each category). Saturday night the Apollos play their first road game of the year when they travel to Salt Lake City to take on a Stallions team that has had some struggles to start the season. 2. Birmingham Iron (3-0, tied for 1st in Eastern Conference) As the only other unbeaten team in the AAF, the Iron are the most balanced team to this point. They average 22 points per game thanks to workhorse running back Trent Richardson (213 yards from scrimmage, six touchdowns), the efficient passing of Luis Perez (58.8 completion percentage, 596 passing yards), and they’re backed up by a defense that’s only given up a league-low 21 points and leads the AAF with eight takeaways (5 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries). On Sunday they return home to Legion Field to take on a San Antonio Commanders squad that’s lost two in a row and is in the midst of a three-game road trip. 3. San Diego Fleet (2-1, tied for 1st in Western Conference) The team’s quarterback situation seems to have been remedied. Since taking over for the struggling Mike Bercovici, Philip Nelson has thrown for 403 yards and two touchdowns. And in that time the Fleet have won two straight games, avenged the season-opening loss to San Antonio, and have put themselves atop the Western Conference. Complementing Nelson is dynamic running back Ja’Quan Gardner who leads the AAF in rushing yards (281), is averaging eight yards per carry (8.0), and is second behind Birmingham’s Trent Richardson in rushing touchdowns (3). As the Fleet travel to Memphis on Saturday to take on the winless Express, their offense is starting to look more like what head coach Mike Martz envisioned at the start of the season. 4. Arizona Hotshots (2-1, tied for 1st in Western Conference) Despite falling short against the Stallions last week, the Hotshots are still a formidable threat. They are the AAF’s No. 2 offense with 81 total points scored and 1,068 total yards. The three-headed monster that is quarterback John Wolford (7 TD passes, exited last week's game with an injury), running back Jhurell Pressley (188 yards from scrimmage), and wide receiver Rashad Ross (221 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns) would give any defense a hard time. Rick Neuheisel’s team looks to get back on the winning track when they host the winless Atlanta Legends on Sunday night. 5. Salt Lake Stallions (1-2, tied for 2nd in Western Conference) Dennis Erickson’s team finally got in the win column last week by slowing down the red-hot Hotshots in their first home game. Quarterback Josh Woodrum is healthy again as he returned and threw for 178 yards and a touchdown against Arizona. But the key to this offense has been running back Joel Bouagnon. The Northern Illinois alum is fifth in rushing yards (154), tied for third in rushing touchdowns (2), and ranks fourth in rushing attempts (39). The Stallions also lead the AAF in sacks (8) but with undefeated Orlando coming to Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday, Erickson will need both his offense and his defense to be at their best to help keep the Apollos' offense off the field. 6. San Antonio Commanders (1-2, tied for 2nd in Western Conference) After putting on the best defensive performance in their Week 1 win over San Diego, the Commanders have fallen on hard times. They’ve lost their last two games by a combined score of 68-40, Logan Woodside has thrown three interceptions in those two losses, he’s been sacked six times in that same stretch, and San Antonio hasn't scored in the fourth quarter of either game. To say this three-game road trip has gotten off to a rough start is an understatement. Next up is a visit to Birmingham to play the undefeated Iron on Sunday. 7. Memphis Express (0-3, tied for 2nd in Eastern Conference) Despite the struggles that this team has faced, the Express have a couple of things going for them. Running back Zac Stacy is second in the AAF in rushing yards (188), their defense comes to play every week (5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries), and their recent change at quarterback has given this offense a new lease on life. Former LSU and Tennessee Titans starter Zack Mettenberger replaced Christian Hackenberg in the second half of last week’s loss in Orlando. In two quarters, Mettenberger completed 75 percent of his passes for 120 yards, two touchdowns (none for Hackenberg), and no interceptions (Hackenberg has thrown three). With newfound confidence in their offense, head coach Mike Singletary is quite optimistic that his team can finally get in the win column when the Express host San Diego on Saturday afternoon. 8.<doc-sep>It's good to have Steve Spurrier coaching again. Back in January during training camp, he mentioned a recent encounter he had with now-retired Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, who was at a coach's convention in the area. As they caught up on old times, Spurrier couldn't help notice how at-ease Meyer seemed. "He looks really good. He is happy and content," Spurrier said, before adding, "I told him wait 'till you're out about two years, though, and we'll see how happy you're going to be." Spurrier called it the two-year itch. And, sure enough, about two years after retiring from coaching at South Carolina, Spurrier got the itch to get back into coaching again. That's when the Orlando Apollos offered him a position he couldn't pass up. It was a chance to call plays again in a familiar area not too far from Gainesville, where he's still an ambassador at his alma mater, the University of Florida. Two games into the AAF's first season, it's easy to see that Spurrier still has it -- both as a play-caller and as a thrower of maximum shade. Not only does Orlando have the No. 1 scoring offense in the Alliance, Spurrier's wit remains as sharp as ever. Following the Apollos' thrilling 37-29 win at San Antonio, Spurrier was asked what he thought of the Alamodome crowd noise. His answer: The Apollos should in every right be No. 1 in this week's power rankings based on that answer alone, but we're trying to run a legitimate operation here. Yes, Orlando is your new No. 1 team in the AAF, but it's earned that recognition. It wasn't a terribly difficult call, either. After No. 1, though, is where things get interesting. Check out this week's power rankings below to see how the rest of the AAF shakes out. 1. Orlando Apollos (2-0) Let's go beyond the 37-29 win at San Antonio. Points and offensive explosiveness have been at a premium, so their value is higher. No team is valued more than the Apollos, who lead the AAF with 38.5 points per game. The scoring isn't solely from the offense -- Orlando has a pair of pick-sixes as well -- but that's what stands out. Quarterback Garrett Gilbert has gone from career journeyman to one of the Alliance's standout players, no doubt because of the work of coach Steve Spurrier. Gilbert has weapons around him, too. This offense is already clicking on a level that most others aren't, which gives them the inside edge towards a championship run. Previously: No. 2 2. Arizona Hotshots (2-0) Coupled with Orlando's big win, Arizona's 20-18 escape at Memphis knocks the Hotshots down a spot. Rick Neuheisel's team could still be the one to beat in the West division, but the first half of Saturday's road game brought them down to Earth just a bit. Five turnovers, including two failed fourth-down attempts, will do that. Credit Memphis' defense for circling the wagons and playing lights out for most of the game, but the Hotshots also showed they're still one of the most prolific offenses in the Alliance. When they absolutely needed points, Arizona scored two touchdowns on consecutive drives spanning an average of 81 yards in under five minutes. That's worth something. Previously: No. 1 3. San Antonio Commanders (1-1) Finally, controversy. Wins and losses matter, of course, but the Commanders had a lead on Orlando heading into the fourth quarter of Sunday's thrilling game. San Antonio fell victim to what eventually became a game-sealing pick-six, but that was a terrific back-and-forth football game with a lot of positives. The Commanders have weapons with running back Kenneth Farrow and the emergence of receiver Demarcus Ayers. One negative, though: The defense I was so bullish on after Week 1? Yuck. There were a few too many busted coverages in the secondary. Previously: No. 4 4. Birmingham Iron (2-0) The Iron cut it close at home against the Stallions, erasing a 9-0 halftime deficit to win 12-9. Gritty, certainly, but worrisome at times. Two-thirds of the Iron's offensive possessions were four plays or fewer, and their average yards per play for the game was 3.4. And the receiving drops? Woof. Birmingham had one offensive touchdown and the other, a muffed punt returned for a score, probably shouldn't have counted. I'll never dog on a team for finding a way to win -- the Iron are committed to grinding teams out with strong defense -- but if I'm sticking to my guns that explosiveness matters, this team is a couple of steps behind. Previously: No. 3 5. San Diego Fleet (1-1) Like every other favorite this past weekend, the Fleet needed a rally to win. Shout out to Mike Martz's team for 1) getting their first touchdown of the year, 2) kicking down the front door in a 24-12 win over Atlanta and 3) doing it all in the pouring rain. There are still plenty of questions about the offensive line and quarterback situations, but this defense has looked strong over two weeks. Previously: No. 6 6. Salt Lake Stallions (0-2) Thus begins our journey into the 0-fors. The Stallions have looked the best of the winless teams and defensive end Karter Schult (two sacks vs. Birmingham) is emerging as one of the top defensive players in the Alliance. But not having starting quarterback Josh Woodrum (hamstring) hurts and Austin Allen had his share of struggles in the Birmingham loss. Previously: No. 5 7. Memphis Express (0-2) It wasn't over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, and it wasn't over when the Express got shut out by the Iron in Week 1. Mike Singletary's team did an excellent job of getting Arizona out of its comfort zone with three turnovers in the first two quarters -- all in plus territory. What they didn't do well was converting those turnovers into points. A 12-0 halftime lead was nice, but didn't feel too comfortable. Sure enough, the Hotshots made a comeback. Memphis looked better from Week 1 to Week 2, but that offense remains a liability.<doc-sep>
Week 3 of The Alliance of American Football is in the books, and we saw the greatest upset in AAF history when the Stallions defeated the Hotshots. The Express and the Legends were not as fortunate, though, as both teams are looking for their first wins of the season. There are seven more weeks of AAF (plus the playoffs), which extend the season to April 27. After every week, we'll take a look at the results and rank each team based on performance. MORE: Christian Hackenberg benched during AAF game First, the scores from Week 3: — Salt Lake 23, Arizona 15 — Orlando 21, Memphis 17 — Birmingham 28, Atlanta 12 — San Diego 31, San Antonio 11 AAF power rankings 1. Orlando Apollos The Apollos have been on top of our AAF power rankings all season, and for good reason. Orlando is one of just two undefeated teams remaining, and the Apollos' 32.7 points per game leads the league. Their win against Memphis was a lot closer than expected, but they pulled off a road victory, which is rare in the AAF. After three weeks, Orlando QB Garrett Gilbert leads the league in passing yards (827), and the team has two receivers (Charles Johnson, Jalin Marshall) in the top five in receiving yards. Gilbert is the clear AAF MVP so far, as he has been tearing apart defenses in different ways. And the award for Best QB Scramble for a TD goes to...Garrett Gilbert. Watch his next great performance against Arizona. | 🎟: https://t.co/lh34IKopP4 #Oscars 🏹#TakeAim pic.twitter.com/cYg1Nti9lH — Orlando Apollos (@aafAPOLLOS) February 25, 2019 2. Birmingham Iron This is the hardest team to figure out — on one hand the Iron are 3-0, and on the other hand, they've played the easiest opponents. In Week 1, they shut out Christian Hackenberg (who was recently benched). In Week 2, they faced a Stallions offense playing its third-string QB. In Week 3, they faced a bad Legends offense. Adding to the confusion is Trent Richardson, who has 145 yards on 59 carries (2.5 yards per carry) but also has a league-leading six touchdowns. He is not good, but it's hard to ignore that red-zone production. And although Luis Perez is a talented QB, he has been relegated to checkdowns, as his yards per attempt is only 5.8. He also has not scored a TD all season. The main reason the Iron keep winning is they've forced an insane nine turnovers in 12 quarters. But is that a result of good defense, or have they just played bad offenses? We might not find out this week when they face another struggling offense in San Antonio. 3. San Diego Fleet The Fleet are moving up. After a Week 1 loss, they have changed course by putting together two impressive wins. The difference? San Diego has started to lean on running back Ja'Quan Gardner. In Week 1, the Fleet threw the ball 35 times while only giving Gardner eight carries. Since then, Gardner owns the two best rushing performances in AAF history. Also, the Fleet's defense is no joke. They have 11 sacks and five interceptions while only allowing an average of 12 points per game. Against the Commanders, nine different Fleet players had at least 0.5 sacks while adding seven QB hits. A good defense combined with the best rushing attack is a great equation for success. 4. Arizona Hotshots Another week, another drop in the rankings for the Hotshots. Arizona suffered its first loss of the season in large part because QB John Wolford was knocked out of the game in the third quarter. Before leaving, Wolford had completed 14-of-22 passes (64 percent) for 127 yards. His replacement, Trevor Knight, finished 6-of-15 for 68 yards. Coach Rick Neuheisel said after the game Wolford had a "back strain," but it's unclear what his status will be for Week 4. 5. Salt Lake Stallions Salt Lake finally picked up its first win after an unlucky first two weeks. With QB Josh Woodrum able to play an entire game, the Stallions showed some life on offense. He completed 22-of-31 passes for 178 yards, a touchdown and a two-point conversion. More importantly, the Stallions were able to manage time of possesion with a strong running back duo in Joel Bouagnon and Branden Oliver. Bouagnon is fifth in the league in rushing yards (154), while Oliver is seventh (139), the highest ranked pair in the AAF. 6.