Week Four of the 2024 IFL season has arrived, and at this point, each of the league’s 16 teams have now made an appearance. Now, each team has an idea of what their competition looks like, giving teams a more detailed scouting report of opponents moving forward. 
 
All of Week Four’s action will take place on Saturday night, with two games kicking off at 6:05 p.m. CT, and the remaining three kicking off an hour later.
 
In the first slot of games, the Northern Arizona Wranglers take on the San Antonio Gunslingers in the Gunslingers’ first-ever home-opener in the IFL. While they made their IFL-debut last week, this week they get to perform in front of a home crowd for the first time as part of the Indoor Football League.
 
San Antonio made a strong statement in their 69-61 loss to San Diego, as Sam Castronova and the Gunslingers offense came out of the gates hot and didn’t slow down until the final buzzer. Considering the Strike Force scored a last-second touchdown this is a loss that San Antonio can look back on with positive notes. In their first-ever IFL performance, their offense only turned the ball over on downs in one of their 12 drives.
 
On the opposing side, the Northern Arizona Wranglers hope to keep Castronova and Co. at bay,. The Wranglers enter Week Four with a record of 1-1 after a narrow victory at home against the Tucson Sugar Skulls. Tucson made their season-debut, while Northern Arizona returned from a Week Two bye. Both teams had ample rest, and the high-scoring nature of this game proved that. 
 
If both teams can perform similarly to last week, Saturday’s matchup should be nothing short of action-packed.
 
Also kicking off at 6:05 p.m. CT, the 1-0 Bay Area Panthers hit the road to face off against the win-hungry Jacksonville Sharks. The Sharks have become more acclimated to the IFL, as this will be their third-ever appearance in the league.
 
Following a five-touchdown performance by Daquan Neal against the Rattlers a week ago, it’s possible the Jacksonville Sharks could present a bigger challenge to the Panthers, given the defensive performances they’ve put on display this season. The Sharks have only given up 32 and a half points per game, making them one of the league’s more stingy defenses.
 
This season, turnovers have been a big part of the Jacksonville storyline. In Week One, the Sharks lost to the Pirates 26-21, following a performance in which the Sharks lost a turnover battle 2:0 with Conor Blount throwing two interceptions. The following week, the Sharks lost 39-33 in a game Jacksonville tied the turnover battle, though still turning the ball over twice. Obviously, the turnover margin is one of the most important statistics when it comes to winning. 
 
Later Saturday night, kicking off at 7:05 p.m. CT, the Tucson Sugar Skulls take on the Duke City Gladiators, as both teams look to secure their first victory of the season. Tucson opened their season last week with a loss on the road in an action-packed matchup against the Northern Arizona. IFL-rookie quarterback Mylik Mitchell found success both on the ground and through the air, throwing for 128 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for just short of 100 yards and four more touchdowns. It’s early in his IFL-career, but this was an impressive start for the Sugar Skulls quarterback.
 
Duke City enters this game on a similar note: looking for their first victory this season. The Gladiators have dropped their first two games of the season, both by less than one score. Quarterback Javin Kilgo had noticeable improvement from Week Two to Week Three. The Gladiators ground game, however, has been dormant to start the season. After two weeks of play, the Duke City Gladiators have run the ball 27 times for a total of 27 yards, averaging exactly one yard per carry this season. If this offense can establish the run game, while continuing to find success through the air, victories will follow.
 
Also kicking off at 7:05 p.m. CT, the Green Bay Blizzard and Quad City Steamwheelers face off in an Eastern conference matchup, as both teams return to play from a Week Three bye.
 
In their season-opener a week ago, the Quad City Steamwheelers came away with an overtime victory against the Sioux Falls Storm, giving them a 1-0 record to start the season. Quarterback Judd Erickson led the Steamwheelers to three touchdowns, including the overtime game-winner. The Steamwheelers also benefited from two rushing touchdowns by running back Edwards Vander. Quad City’s defense also made a big impact, causing two turnovers: an interception and a fumble recovery.
 
On the opposing side, the Green Bay Blizzard are led by quarterback Max Meylor, who has been the definition of consistent for Green Bay this season. In his two performances of the 2024 season, Meylor has completed 21/38 passes for 227 yards and four touchdowns, while adding 76 yards on the ground and four more touchdowns.
 
Overall, this should be a competitive matchup between well-rested Eastern Conference foes.
 
In the third game kicking off on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. CT, the Iowa Barnstormers return from their Week Three bye to face off against the 0-1 Tulsa Oilers.
 
The Barnstormers enter Week Four having lost 35-24 to Green Bay in their first game of the season. Now, following a bye week to troubleshoot areas of concern, Iowa heads into a matchup of two teams looking for their first win of the year. The Barnstormers found success on offense through the first half, though their offense hit a wall following Darius-James Peterson’s third rushing touchdown of the game with just over 12 minutes remaining in the third quarter. If the Barnstormers plan on walking into Week Five with a 1-1 record, they’ll need to find consistency on offense.
 
The last time Tulsa took the field, they lost in overtime to the Frisco Fighters 31-25. It’s a small sample size, but the Oilers have shown to have a defense that doesn’t break easily. Through four quarters of play, Tulsa held one of the higher-ranking offenses in Frisco to just 25 points. If their defense can replicate a performance like that, the Tulsa Oilers could walk out of Week Four with their first victory of the season.
 
All of Saturday’s Week Four action can be streamed live from the IFL YouTube Channel or Caffeine TV.