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Tampa Bay off their best win of the season, a road win at rival Orlando 48-41 as six-point underdogs, return home to face the best team in the American Conference, in the Chicago Rush. With a quirk in the Arena Football schedule, these teams have not done battle since the 2004 campaign. Tampa Bay (3-5, 2-6 ATS) is last in the tough Southern Division and can’t afford many more losses if they expect to make playoffs. The Storm is coach by Tim Marcum, who has the most wins in AFL history at 194 and his Tampa Bay teams are 27-12 ATS in May games since he’s been there. The Storm is 33-18 ATS off a road win since 1996. Chicago (7-2, 5-4 ATS) is easily the class of the American Conference, with both losses coming at the hands of teams from the National Conference (Phil. and Orlando). This is a reminder game for Chicago coach Mike Hohensee, who was the losing quarterback in the first ever AFL championship game, to a team coached by Tim Marcum, his opponent on the sidelines tonight. The Rush has rattled off three straight wins and are 14-4 ATS after two or more consecutive straight up wins over the last three seasons. It appears Russ Michna is the Chicago quarterback even if veteran Sherdrick Bonner’s knees were fine. Michna is now 5-0 as starter, with 22 TD tosses and just three picks, leading the league’s number two scoring offense at 59.7 PPG. The Rush is now 9-1 ATS off a division game over the last two seasons. Tampa Bay is a 4.5-point home underdog, with total of 107 at Sportsbook.com. The Storm has been good against offensive teams scoring 52 or more points a game after eight or more contests in a season, with 24-11 ATS record. Quarterback Bruce Dietz will have his hands full against the league’s number two scoring defense (46.1 PPG). The secret to the winning side, likely resides in understanding the total. If the game goes OVER, that favors Tampa Bay, who is 8-0 OVER in home games off a upset win as an underdog, winning by average of 3.4 PPG. If it goes below the total, this could signify Chicago, who is 11-2 UNDER after having won three out of their last four games, with winning margin being 9.5 PPG. ESPN2 will broadcast this conflict starting at 8 Eastern. StatFox Power Line - Chicago by 7
StatFox Edge – Chicago covers
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