The Cleveland Gladiators need a win at Orlando Saturday night to stay alive in the playoff chase.
ARENA FOOTBALL
Mathematically, the Gladiators still would be alive in the Arena Football League playoff chase if they were to lose tonight in Orlando, Fla.
Realistically, though, the Gladiators cannot afford to drop this game -- or any of the three after that -- unless they receive a ton of help.
Kickoff against the Predators is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Amway Arena. It will be Cleveland's final road game of the regular season.
The Gladiators (5-7) entered the weekend sixth out of seven National Conference teams in winning percentage. The two division winners and two remaining best records qualify for the postseason. Only Utah (1-10) was worse. The fourth-best team, the Milwaukee Iron, was 7-5 with a favorable schedule over the final month.
The Iron already has beaten the Gladiators once. The teams play again in the regular-season finale July 31 in Cleveland.
The Gladiators are coming off, given the circumstances, their worst loss of the season. They were beaten at Tulsa, 65-44. One month earlier, they defeated the Talons, 68-55, in Cleveland.
Quarterback John Dutton went 33-of-55 for 348 yards and six touchdowns but threw two costly interceptions, one of which was returned for a score.
Receiver Ben Nelson caught 10 passes for 106 yards and four touchdowns. Nelson owns at least one TD reception in 20 straight games, including the playoffs, dating to 2008.
Orlando, from the American Conference, is 5-6.
In 2008, the Gladiators' first in Cleveland, they beat the Predators twice -- once in the regular season and once in the wild-card round of the playoffs.