It’s PLL playoff time! The field is set for this year’s playoff tournament. The New York Atlas and Utah Archers claimed the Eastern and Western Conference titles, respectively, each earning a first-round bye in the playoffs. They’ll await their opponents in the second round next week. Let’s take a look at the PLL picks and best bets for the playoff quarterfinal round.
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PLL Picks and Best Bets for the Playoff Quarterfinal
The four teams playing this week will all head to Foxborough, Massachusetts, and Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, for the quarterfinal round. Action will kick off Monday, September 2nd, with the Stars and Stripes classic at 1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The first-of-its-kind event will pit the Navy Seals against the Army Green Berets in a lacrosse match of their own!
Then, the Carolina Chaos will take on the Boston Cannons at 4:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+. That’ll be followed by Saturday’s nightcap, with the Denver Outlaws facing the Maryland Whipsnakes at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Carolina Chaos (+1.5) vs Boston Cannons (-1.5)
These two teams just battled it out in their last game in Week 11. It was a thriller that went into overtime, with the Cannons Ryan Drenner tapping in the game-winner. That goal gave the Cannons the 11-10 win.
The Cannons ended the season 7-3, tying the New York Atlas record atop the Eastern Conference. New York held the tiebreaker (score differential) and, therefore, won the conference. Boston ended the season on a 3-1 run post-All-Star break, including a win over the New York Atlas. Boston was the league’s best two-point scoring team on the season.
Carolina was the last team to make the playoffs with a record of 4-6, finishing third place in the Western Conference. Their road to the playoffs post-All-Star break was quite the roller coaster. They started off with a win against the Whipsnakes and then lost to one of the worst teams in the California Redwoods.
They turned around and beat the eventual Western Conference champion Utah Archers, then lost to the Denver Outlaws. The Chaos finished the season, taking the Cannons to overtime last week.
Carolina seems to be able to play at the level of their competition. Even though Boston seems to clearly be the better team, the Chaos held them to zero two-point goals last week. Their offense struggled along the way, yet again. Carolina had the worst-scoring offense in the league in 2024. They gave it a valiant effort last time out, but I think they’ll fall short this time.
Pick: Cannons -1.5 (-135)
Denver Outlaws (+1.5) vs Maryland Whipsnakes (-1.5)
The Outlaws went into Week 11 just needing Utah to lose one of their two games, including the one against Denver on Saturday night. Unfortunately for the Outlaws, the Archers squeaked out the win over California in overtime and then took Denver to the woodshed, earning the Western Conference championship and the bye week. That means the Outlaws will have to play this week and draw a tough opponent in the Whipsnakes.
Denver finished the season 5-5, going 3-2 after the All-Star break. The Maryland Whipsnakes ended the year at 6-3 but finished third place in a tough Eastern Conference. Maryland has the second-highest points scored in the season, only trailing the Atlas.
The Whipsnakes got the luck of having the Week 11 bye, making them nice and fresh for this playoff run. In Week 19, they beat this Outlaws team 16-9 in Denver, the last of three straight wins for the Maryland team, who heads into the playoffs on a hot streak.
For that reason, and the fact they just beat the Outlaws by seven in their last game out, it’s hard to bet against the Whipsnakes right now. Denver should keep this game much closer than the last one, but it’s all about the favorites for me this week.
Pick: Whipsnakes -1.5 (+110)
