BRIGADE HOST VALOR IN FINAL HOME GAME OF THE REGULAR SEASON
BRIGADE PLAYER TO WATCH: DB Joe Powell – Powell has become a threat on both sides of the ball since becoming a kick returner for the Brigade. Powell ranks second in the league with kickoff returns touchdowns with two and has only returned the ball 11 times, scoring in his past two games. Powell also ranks second in the league defensively in interceptions with six and interception return yards with 118. Powell is second on the Brigade in tackles with 40, (36 solo). In the last Brigade and Valor matchup, Powell picked up one interception and returned a 55-yard kickoff for a touchdown.
VALOR PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Arvell Nelson – In the Brigade’s last matchup with Washington, Nelson brought in five touchdowns (four rushing, one passing) and threw one interception. Nelson leads the AFL with 175 rushing yards and is second in the league in passing yards with 2,467. He also ranks second in the league in interceptions with 13. In Week 1 against the Brigade, Nelson completed 27 passes for 391 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions.
MATCHUP TO WATCH: Brigade DBs vs Valor WRs – The Brigade defensive backs have tallied 13 total interceptions this season which is the second best in the league and are led by Joe Powell with six, Josh Victorian with four and Nias Martin with three. During Week 10, all three players scored one touchdown; Powell with a kickoff return score, Victorian with a pick-six, and Martin with a 41-yard fumble return score. Victorian has had four 6+ solo tackles games this season and is currently fourth in the league in total tackles (49). Martin, who recorded 12.5 total tackles against Washington during their last matchup, leads the league in fumble return yards (41) and Powell ranks second in interceptions (6). Washington has a variety of wide receivers as options for quarterback Arvell Nelson. Wideout Dezmon Epps is fourth in the AFL with 749 receiving yards and Jared Dangerfield is third in the league in receptions (63). In the teams’ last matchup, receiver Reggie Gray was the only wideout to score against the Brigade with a touchdown reception, but wideout Josh Reese scored the game-winning touchdown off a net recovery in the final seconds of the game.
BROADCAST INFORMATION: All Brigade games will broadcast live on NBC Sports Washington and streamed on ESPN3 and the ESPN app.