KATS TRAVEL TO ALBANY IN BATTLE FOR AF1 NO. 1 OVERALL PLAYOFFS SEED

KATS TRAVEL TO ALBANY IN BATTLE FOR AF1 NO. 1 OVERALL PLAYOFFS SEED

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – When the 2026 schedule for Arena Football (AF1) was released, all eyes went to see when the Nashville Kats and Albany Firebirds would play each other.

After all, they had squared off in the Arena Crown championship game last season with Albany winning 60-57. And this season, the Kats and Firebirds were prohibitive favorites to challenge for the league title again.

The Kats (10-1) and Firebirds (9-2) battle Saturday at 6 p.m. CDT in MVP Arena in Albany with the No. 1 seed in the AF1 playoffs on the line.

The game is the VICE TV National Game of the Week. There is a Kats Watch Party at Skyline 500 Bar at Shelby’s Trio in downtown Clarksville starting at 5:30.

All AF1 games this season can be watched at TheAF1.com — the league’s official website – and at the league’s YouTube channel and Home Team Network.

Sitting atop the league standings and riding an eight-game winning streak, the Kats head into their last game of the regular season having already clinched at least the No. 2 playoffs seed and a semifinal home game on Aug. 1-2 at F&M Bank Arena in downtown Clarksville.

The Kats defeated the Firebirds 78-69 at home on June 20. Should the Kats beat the Firebirds (9-2) again on Saturday, they will be the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs.

Should Albany win, that’s when several layers of tiebreaker scenarios come into play. After head-to-head play with the teams splitting the regular season games, the tiebreaker then goes to points differential between the teams in their contests against each other.

The Kats head into the game up by nine points on the Firebirds. Meaning, Albany would need to beat the Kats by at least 10 points to gain the No. 1 seed.

Should Albany win by nine points or less, the tiebreaker goes to overall points scored in league play and the Kats have a huge advantage by outscoring the Firebirds by 70 points thus far this season.

But there is also the expected game within the game as the Kulka brothers – Nashville’s Tyler and Albany’s Joshua – are projected to be the starting quarterbacks. Last week, Joshua Kulka, a Saint Francis product, was named AF1 Most Valuable Player for Week 13 following his team’s win at Beaumont.

The Kulka brothers were named Co-Offensive Players of the Week for Week 2 earlier this season. Against Beaumont, Joshua Kulka passed for 212 yards and accounted for eight touchdowns (seven passing, one rushing).

Tyler Kulka, a Lawrence Tech product, leads the league in total passing yards (2,603) and total offensive yards (2,585), while second in three categories -- touchdown passes (50), passing yards per game (236.6) and offensive yards per game (223.9).

For the season, Joshua Kulka has passed for 1,190 yards and 32 touchdowns in 11 games. In six games, Firebirds quarterback Sam Castronova has passed for 1,698 yards and 38 touchdowns in six games.

Kats wide receiver Malik Honeycutt, a Murray State alum, leads the league in total receiving yards (1,047), while second in receiving yards per game (95.2), third in touchdowns (19) and fourth in points scored (108). Fellow receiver Kendyl Williams, also a Lawrence Tech alum, leads the league in points scored per game (14.4).

Kats running back Desmond Maxwell, a Western Kentucky product, is first in the league in rushing touchdowns (11) and fourth in total rushing yards (113). Fullback Austin Collier is fourth in the league in rushing TDs per game (2).

Kats kicker Kyle Kaplan, a Notre Dame College alum, is third in the league in points scored (116) and fifth in points per game (10.5). He is only kicker in the league to be ranked in the top five in either category.

Defensive back Derrick Jones, a product of Ole Miss, is second in the league in solo tackles (59), while defensive lineman Jaquan Artis, a Lenoir-Rhyne product, is second in sacks (10).

Defensive back Omari Alexander, also a WKU alum, is third in the league in interceptions. He was named Wednesday the AF1 Defensive Player of the Week for Week 13 following four interceptions in the win at Washington.

For the regular season, the Kats finished 7-0 at home during the regular season with wins April 14 versus the Michigan Arsenal (78-40), April 27 over the Washington Wolfpack (45-3), May 9 against the Oregon Lightning (64-21), May 16 versus the Oceanside Bombers (63-49), June 13 versus the Minnesota Monsters (48-32), June 20 against the Albany Firebirds (78-69) and June 27 versus the Beaumont Renegades (72-20).