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Even with a second half shutout, the Vegas Knight Hawks couldn’t undo a lopsided first half en route to a 34-25 loss in their most recent contest.
The team lost to the Green Bay Blizzard, who have now won back-to-back games after starting the year 0-4.
Moreover, both of Green Bay’s wins came at home while Vegas drops to 1-2 on the road this season.
A road matchup against the Massachusetts Pirates is set for Sunday, May 1 and will mark the end of this three-game road trip for the Knight Hawks.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Vegas will take a 2-4 overall record into the meeting against the league’s reigning champions. This year’s Massachusetts team is 4-1 seven weeks into the season.
As it currently stands, the Knight Hawks are tied for fourth in the Western Conference.
From the start, Vegas had its hands full with the explosiveness of the Green Bay offense. Penalties and squib kicks made the climb all the more uphill.
Defensive back Kyree McLean was whistled for illegal contact on a third and three on the game’s first drive that would’ve prompted a fourth down and more than likely the first possession for the Knight Hawks.
However, McLean’s mishap elongated the drive and allowed the Blizzard to put up points first following a touchdown run by quarterback Jack Shaheen.
Additionally, the home team would opt for a squib kick on the ensuing kickoff; a squib kick that would be recovered by the kicking team, keeping Vegas’ offense on the sidelines for a little longer.
Defensive back Jericho Flowers was flagged for defensive pass interference in the end zone on the first play of the drive.
That drive would end with a wide open reception in the end zone to push the lead to 14-0 Blizzard.
With nearly eight minutes elapsed off the clock, the Knight Hawks got their first possession of the game.
Flowers was penalized again later in the first half before the defense would give up a touchdown on the very next play.
By that point, Vegas was down 34-0 with five seconds left before halftime. That would also mark the final points of the night for Green Bay.
In fact, the Blizzard missed two second half field goals that could have kept the game out of striking distance.
The first half mishaps forced the Vegas offense to sit on the sidelines for the first 7:56 of the game.
Quarterback Kare Lyles got the start with former starter Jaylon Henderson taking a contract in Japan earlier this week.
On his very first drive, Lyles was picked off on a third and five. In addition, he took a sack on a third and six on the second Knight Hawk drive of the first quarter.
Lyles would only get one more drive as he went down and stayed down on the team’s first drive of the second quarter.
He went 2-for-3 for six yards with an interception and a sack.
With no other quarterback on the roster, head coach Mike Davis opted to turn to leading wide receiver Frank Brown to take snaps.
It was a shaky start as Brown was intercepted on his second play from scrimmage on a second and 23.
The second half brought about a different energy circulated around the workhorse play of running back Elad Covaliu.
He rushed for a touchdown in the third and caught a touchdown in the fourth to finish the night with 22 yards on 11 carries and 33 yards on three catches and both scores.
Covaliu’s scores accounted for two of the team’s three touchdowns.
Brown would throw a second touchdown pass right at the one-minute warning to wide receiver Desmond Epps, who finished with 64 yards on four receptions.
Even when Green Bay gave extra opportunities to Vegas, the Knight Hawks just couldn’t capitalize.
On a third and four, Brown missed Epps on a deep route on a pass that just missed the receiver’s fingertips.
After converting on a fourth down, the team ran into issues on back-to-back third and fourth down plays on failed jet sweeps.
Brown ended the night with 120 yards through the air on 8-of-16 passing with two touchdowns, an interception and a sack.
He also rushed for 41 yards on nine attempts.