The Baltimore Brigade thought they were in the playoffs, but now they're not due to an "oversight"

Jul 26, 2017 5:52 PM

The Baltimore Brigade take on the Tampa Bay Storm in the team's inaugural home game.(Reginald Thomas II/For City Paper)

The Baltimore Brigade, with a record of 4-8, announced earlier this week they had clinched a playoff berth. But that was not the case.

"Due to an oversight in the AFL Playoff scenarios, Baltimore was misinformed that they had clinched a playoff berth earlier this week," the team said in an email.

Well, that sucks!

So how did this all happen? A rep from the team and a league official say there was a misunderstanding of playoff tie-breakers involving three or more teams. As it stands now, Baltimore, Washington, and Cleveland could all end the season with a 4-10 record.

Playoff spots are then determined by: 1. head-to-head record among the teams in playoff contention, 2. strength of schedule, and 3. best net points in all games.

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If it's not settled after consulting all these criteria, there's a coin toss (!).

By virtue of its 3-2 record against Baltimore and Washington, Cleveland has locked down a playoff spot.

The good news is the Brigade (4-8) can still make the postseason by winning its next game against the top-ranked Philadelphia Soul, on July 29, or if the Washington Valor (2-10) lose that same day against the Cleveland Gladiators (4-9).

The Valor and Brigade square off on Aug. 4, with potential playoff ramifications if the above scenarios do not play out.

With a record of 10-3, the Tampa Bay Storm, the only other team in the recently rebooted AFL, have also clinched a postseason spot.

Hey, at least the Brigade had fun with the whole mix-up on Twitter.