The Atlantic City Blackjacks will have quite the test in Week 5. The league-leading Albany Empire come to town Saturday as the only undefeated Arena Football League team remaining this season.
Led by veteran quarterback Tommy Grady and star wide receiver Malachi Jones, the Empire are a complete team all around. Playing against an undefeated team, the Blackjacks look to play their most complete game yet and hope to hand the Empire their first loss of the season.
“There is a reason why Albany is undefeated at this juncture in the season,” said Ron James, head coach of the Blackjacks. “They are an exceptionally talented football team and are excellent in every facet of the game. We look forward to facing the league’s best team this weekend.”
The game will be played in Atlantic City at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday. Ticket information is available at ACBlackjacks.com or by calling (609) 609-783-9494.
Fans can watch live on NBCSP+ and ESPN 3 or listen to the call on 97.3 ESPN on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The biggest and most obvious matchup to watch is Grady against the Blackjacks defense. Grady leads the league is passing touchdowns with 23 and in quarterback rating with 127.6. His average of 5.8 touchdowns per game is the best in the league along with his completion percentage of 70.2 percent. It’s going to take a collective effort with everyone playing their best to slow Grady down.
The Blackjacks defense had a great game in Week 4 with Kiante Northington getting two interceptions, Nick Haag forcing a fumble and Marvin Ross getting seven tackles. They will need to replicate this performance and improve on it to stop the Empire offense.
The other big threat is Grady’s main target, Malachi Jones, who leads the league in receptions with 33, receiving yards with 529 and is tied for first with eight receiving touchdowns. He was the Rookie of the Year and Wide Receiver of the Year last season and is showing no signs of a sophomore slump.
Besides Jones, the other weapon Grady will utilize is Quentin Sims. Sims has seven touchdowns with 158 receiving yards so the Blackjacks will have to cover multiple threats on the field on Saturday night.
The next task will be to stop the Empire defensive line and backs led by Joe Sykes, Jeramie Richardson, and Tevin Homer. Sykes took home the Defensive Player of the Year award last year and continues to be a force. Sykes has 1.5 sacks this year, which is good for second in the league. Richardson has two forced fumbles, which is tied for first in the league.
Homer sits in second behind league leader Arthur Hobbs in tackles with 26 and has one interception on the year. With Cornelius Lewis missing last week’s game due to injury, Atlantic City quarterback Randy Hippeard was sacked twice in Week 4, something the Blackjacks will need to fix leading up to Albany. Hippeard also threw two more interceptions in Week 4 and will need to be on target to avoid giving Albany extra possessions.
The final matchup to watch for will be how the Blackjacks receivers can get open and give Hippeard good looks. LaMark Brown continues to produce through the first four weeks and Kendrick Ings has produced more and more every week.
Brown pitched in with two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown in Week 4. Ings had two receiving touchdowns, 91 receiving yards and 77 kick return yards in Week 4. Antwane Grant had another six receptions for 54 yards. If Ings can give Hippeard and the offense good field position with his returns and Brown continues to score touchdowns, this game has the potential to end in a very high score.
Fans can secure their season tickets for the Atlantic City Blackjacks now with a $50 deposit per seat ($75 for VIP seats) by calling 609-783-9494 or by going to ACBlackjacks.com.
