Beef and Bandits battle in first round of playoffs.

Omaha Beef @ Sioux City Bandits June 6th – 7:05pm CT Tyson Events Center

Break out the cowbells as indoor football’s oldest rivalry meets for the third time this season in the 58th all-time matchup, with the sixth-seeded Omaha Beef (5-5) facing the third-seeded Sioux City Bandits (6-4).  Last Saturday, Omaha beat Louisiana 63-33 in Bossier City but stayed as the sixth seed, while Sioux City handed Southwest Kansas its first loss of the season, 49-42 to grab the third seed. In other games last Saturday Colorado beat Salina at home as the lost cost the Liberty the second seed. The Spartans will now travel to Kansas as Salina is the No. 4 seed and Colorado is No. 5 for a Sunday afternoon playoff game. Southwest Kansas claimed the top seed with a 9-1 record as Pueblo received the second seed and received first-round byes.

The two teams split games this year each winning at the other’s arena. Sioux City won 26-6 in Ralston on April 10th, and the Beef won in Sioux City 41-37 on May 16th. Omaha leads the all-time series 32-25, but the Bandits have outscored the Beef 2340 to 2306.

The teams are evenly matched on both sides of the ball. Sioux City ranks fifth in offense, one spot ahead of Omaha, while the Bandits lead the league in scoring defense and the Beef lead in total defense. Sioux City also tops the NAL with a +11-turnover margin, while Omaha ranks sixth at -3. Omaha has committed the third-fewest penalty yards with 66 penalties for 410 yards, while Sioux City ranks sixth with 57 penalties for 487 yards. The matchup also features the league’s top two kickers, as Chase Contreraz and Dylan Karnes lead the NAL in extra-point percentage and kicker scoring.

In four games since signing with Omaha, Vincent Espinoza is 45 of 74 (60.8%) for 535 yards, 15 touchdowns, and two interceptions, with 142 rushing yards and one touchdown on 18 carries. He ranks fifth in the NAL in rushing at 35.5 yards per game, first in passing efficiency at 111.2, and fourth in total offense at 169.2 yards per game. David Ross leads the Beef with 46 carries for 172 yards and six touchdowns, while D’Nerius Antoine has carried the ball 11 times for 89 yards and two scores in two Beef games. If you include his seven games with Louisiana, Antoine has 243 rushing yards on 59 carries and 10 touchdowns for the 2026 season. The receiver group is led by Dequan Dudley who has 22 catches for 356 yards and 10 touchdowns, plus 26 kickoff returns for 504 yards and a score. He ranks eighth in the NAL in receiving at 39.6 yards per game, fifth in kickoff return average at 19.4 yards per return, and second in all-purpose yards at 103.1 per game. Fellow wideout Devanaire Conliffe has 21 receptions for 295 yards and eight touchdowns, ranking ninth in the league at 36.9 receiving yards per game. Chase Contreraz has converted 37 of 45 extra points, the best PAT percentage in the NAL, and ranks second in kicker scoring with 43 points (4.3 per game).

Omaha’s Jaylen Perkins leads the Beef defense with 38 tackles, five interceptions, and nine pass breakups, ranking third in the NAL in interceptions. Jaylen Johnson is next with 33 tackles. Brandon Munoz has 30 tackles, a team-high six sacks, and 13 tackles for loss, ranking second in the league in both sacks and tackles for loss. In four games, Freedom Akinmoladun has recorded two sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss, while Rodall Rahmaan had six tackles in his team debut last week. Omaha has totaled 13 interceptions and 14 sacks this season.

Sioux City is led by quarterback Lorenzo Brown, who has completed 105 of 172 passes (61.0%) for 1,222 yards, 30 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He also leads the team in rushing with 206 yards and five touchdowns on 48 carries, ranking 10th in the NAL at 22.9 rushing yards per game and sixth in total offense at 158.7 yards per game. Since Jeff Mack’s release and subsequent signing with the Pueblo Punishers, Monalo Caldwell has become the Bandits’ primary running back and has 21 carries for 77 yards and one touchdown. Brandon Sheperd leads the receiving corps with 29 catches for 366 yards and 11 touchdowns, ranking 10th in the NAL at 36.6 receiving yards per game. Damond Powell has 27 receptions for 325 yards and eight scores, ranking third in the league at 4.5 catches per game. Jadon Johnson has 23 catches for 227 yards and five touchdowns, while veteran Fred Bruno has 16 receptions for 236 yards and five scores. Raheem Harvey leads the team in kickoff returns with 15 for 266 yards. Dylan Karnes leads the NAL with eight field goals, is 31 of 41 on extra points, and tops the league in kicker scoring with 55 points (5.5 per game).

Leading the Bandits defense is Laronji Vason-McCoy who has 56 tackles, seven interceptions, four passes defended, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery, ranking first in the NAL in interceptions and ninth in tackles at 5.6 per game. Carlton Watkins has 55 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one interception. Linebacker Juan Moore has added 44 tackles, one sack, 6.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and three pass breakups. Defensive lineman Devin Groenhagen has 31 tackles, three sacks, and seven tackles for loss while edge rusher Dajon Emory has 28 tackles, six sacks, and 10.5 tackles for loss, ranking second in the NAL in sacks and fifth in tackles for loss. Ben Pister has contributed eight tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three tackles for loss in three games for Sioux City.

Other Notes: 

Beef making their seventh straight playoff (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026) No season in 2020.

Watch party @ Hurrdat Sports Bar and Grill Saturday night.

The Beef are 5-0 vs the Bandits in the playoffs (2004, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2024). 2024 was NAL championship game won 47-46 in double overtime.

Erv Strohbeen 18-16 vs Beef, Adam Loftis 1-0 vs the Bandits. Omaha 15-11 at the Tyson Events Center.

Salina and Colorado game will have a 4:05pm CT start on Sunday.

You can listen to the game on Bluffs Country 106.9 FM and radio/audio stream at BluffsCountry.com and the Bluffs Country app.

2026 Omaha Beef Schedule (5-5)

Projected Starters

NAL Player of the Week Awards-

Otis Odom – Week 1 Special Teams POW

Giovanni Sanders – Week 8 Offensive POW

Jaylen Perkins – Week 10 Defensive POW

Vincent Espinoza – Week 11 Offensive POW

Chris Perry – Week 11 Defensive POW

Chase Contreraz - Week 12 Special Teams POW

Web information

Livestream – NAL Network

Website – beeffootball.com

Facebook- facebook.com/TheOmahaBeef

Radio - Bluffs Country 106.9 FM and radio/audio stream at BluffsCountry.com and the Bluffs Country app.