PLL Power Rankings entering Week 9: Outlaws, Atlas stay on top

The Premier Lacrosse League volition beryllium successful Salt Lake City this week for Week 9 of the regular season, a homecoming for the back-to-back champion Utah Archers.

The apical 3 successful the standings remains steady, but there's been immoderate question successful the mediate of the battalion aft an entertaining Week 8 successful Fairfield, Connecticut. I'm taking over for Quint Kessenich connected this week's powerfulness rankings. Here's however things presently stand:

1. Denver Outlaws

Current record: 5-2
Previous ranking: 1

The Outlaws are the league's hottest team, having won 5 straight. Former NFL wide receiver Jared Bernhardt is backmost playing lacrosse for the archetypal clip since 2021 and helium has deed his stride -- scoring 2 fourth-quarter goals against the Boston Cannons, including the crippled winner. Brennan O'Neill and Pat Kavanagh are playing astatine an All-Pro level connected offense, portion rookie goalie Logan McNaney leads the league successful prevention percentage. There aren't immoderate holes connected this team!

This week: Saturday, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2/ESPN+) vs. the Archers

2. New York Atlas

Current record: 5-2
Previous ranking: 2

The Atlas person the apical scoring discourtesy successful the PLL and 2 of the apical 4 scorers successful league successful Connor Shellenberger and Jeff Teat, some of whom tin backmost an discourtesy with passing oregon scoring. Nobody shares the shot similar New York, and they tin play make-it, take-it lacrosse with Trevor Baptiste astatine the stripe. Midfielder Dox Aitken's anticipated instrumentality gives them a unit successful the aboriginal discourtesy that volition make a superior occupation for defenses.

This week: Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+) vs. the Whipsnakes

3. Philadelphia Waterdogs

Current record: 4-3
Previous ranking: 3

Philly's up-and-down violative performances successful back-to-back weeks are a spot of a head-scratcher. In Chicago, they scored 16 goals against the Utah Archers. But successful Fairfield, they went up 5-0 against the Maryland Whipsnakes and ended up losing 10-7. Michael Sowers is intelligibly the biggest match-up nightmare successful the league with unparalleled quickness. Once Tewaaraton victor CJ Kirst gets acclimated to the offense, teams without 2 premier screen defenders volition struggle. Finding an extracurricular shooting beingness wrong the discourtesy volition beryllium important, arsenic the Waterdogs are past successful the league successful shooting percent down the arc.

This week: Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+) vs. the Chaos

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Michael Sowers connected occurrence with his 4th extremity of game

Michael Sowers scores the game's archetypal 4 goals to gait the Waterdogs.

4. Maryland Whipsnakes

Current record: 3-4
Previous ranking: 6

At times implicit the past mates of weeks, you ticker this squad play and you wonderment however they tin marque a run, particularly erstwhile their discourtesy tin astatine times disappear. Maryland tin triumph immoderate crippled they play successful due to the fact that they person the league's champion statistical defence that has an established identity, a pro lacrosse Hall of Famer astatine the stripe successful Joe Nardella (who leads the league successful faceoff triumph percentage), and plays elite successful the specialty areas (only squad successful the league successful the top-3 successful powerfulness play and punishment kill).

The operation of second-year pros TJ Malone and Matt Brandau is intriguing, arsenic they hooked up for 3 consecutive goals successful the 4th fourth against Philadelphia.

This week: Friday, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+) vs. the Atlas

5. Utah Archers

Current record: 3-4
Previous ranking: 5

The two-time defending champs had to excavation heavy for their triumph implicit the Chaos successful Connecticut. They person the worst scoring discourtesy successful the league, but tin triumph with defence and Brett Dobson successful net.

I don't deliberation galore radical thought rookie Sam King would pb the squad successful points with Tom Schreiber, Connor Fields and Grant Ament successful the offense. If the proven veterans connected discourtesy play arsenic expected, Utah tin marque a run. The double-header this play astatine location successful Salt Lake City tin get them backmost connected track.

This week: Friday, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+) vs. the Redwoods; Saturday, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN+) vs. the Outlaws

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Archers drawback 3-game skid with triumph implicit Chaos

Utah ends its losing streak with a choky 12-11 triumph implicit Carolina.

6. Boston Cannons

Current record: 3-4
Previous ranking: 4

The one-goal nonaccomplishment to Denver had nary shortage of violative fireworks. Scoring doesn't look to beryllium an contented for Boston, but the Cannons person struggled to marque stops astatine times and statistically person the worst defence successful the league.

For Boston to triumph shootouts, they request to find much cohesion with its onslaught unit. Who volition fastener down that 3rd onslaught spot, Will Manny oregon Coulter Mackesy (their first-round prime this season)? Is determination a satellite wherever some lefties tin beryllium successful the lineup? Regardless, Asher Nolting's passing should beryllium the focus, arsenic helium is tied for the astir assists successful the league.

This week: Bye

7. Carolina Chaos

Current record: 3-4
Previous ranking: 7

The world is determination is not overmuch of a quality betwixt teams 3-7 connected this list, and Carolina has proven they tin bent with anyone. Blaze Riorden is inactive the champion goalie successful the league and they are overmuch improved astatine faceoffs this play with Justin Inacio.

Although rookie Owen Hiltz has been a prima since joining the lineup, consistency connected that extremity has been an issue. The Chaos are the second-worst scoring discourtesy successful the PLL and deficiency a draw-and-dump crippled with the 2nd fewest assists successful the league. Based connected each of the offseason changes, Roy Colsey has done a large occupation coaching this radical and playing against this squad guarantees a canine fight.

This week: Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+) vs. the Waterdogs

8. California Redwoods

Current record: 2-5
Previous ranking: 8

After 5 consecutive losses, the Redwoods are searching for immoderate answers. They bash person immoderate agleam spots successful rookies Chris Kavanagh and Andrew McAdorey, who are stars! The contented with California has been making antiaircraft stops. They are 1 of 2 teams allowing 13 goals per game, and are the lone squad successful the league with a prevention percent nether 50%.

I similar their extremity scorers, but the deficiency of passing successful their discourtesy makes them 1 dimensional astatine times. They person the fewest assists successful the league and the worst powerfulness play successful the PLL.

This week: Friday, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+) vs. the Archers