TKFL Week 2 Power Rankings

Week 2 of the 2025 Turkish American Football League didn’t bring big surprises, but it gave us more signs of how the season is shaping up. Most teams stayed in the same spots as last week, and the top teams continued to play strong. While there weren’t big changes in our power rankings, Week 2 helped confirm what we saw in Week 1—some teams are clearly ahead, and others still have work to do.

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1st. ITU Hornets (2-0), 28-6 Hacettepe Red Deers

An expected win at home against the Red Deers. ITU started strong both offensively and defensively, quickly scored three touchdowns in the first quarter, and the Red Deers couldn’t answer. Even though the Hornets gave their backups a good amount of playing time, they set the tone early and kept it the whole game. They are the clear number 1 in our list, but time will show if things keep going this smoothly.

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2nd. Istanbul Bisons (2-0), 13-7 Gazi Warriors

The Bisons got themselves a critical win as they faced the Warriors in Ankara. Losing their starting quarterback in the first quarter, the new addition to the roster Yiğit Yabaneri (QB #11), showed up. Earning the starting spot for the national team quarterback wouldn’t be a surprise, but with limited time to practice with the team, this was a solid challenge and he managed to come up with the win. Promising defense didn’t let many chances until the very end and held on to the victory as they sealed the game with an interception on the last play.

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3rd. Koç Rams (1-1), 14-12 METU Falcons

The Rams came out on top against the Falcons in the road game. Starting the game with their defense, the Rams forced a three and out situation for the Falcons, and a bad snap on the punt unit caused a safety. Disciplined defense and a big play on offense kept the score in their favor for the first half. In the second half, the Rams trailed for a short while and got ahead again with a field goal. The Rams' special teams played a huge role for the win as they forced bad starting positions and scored when needed. Defense also had clutch stops inside the red zone.

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4th. METU Falcons (1-1), 12-14 Koç Rams

The Falcons lost an important game on their home field against the Rams, which can be a problem in the upcoming weeks. Both offensively and defensively, the Falcons had a pretty good game, but the offense missed the chances to score, and the defense gave up some crucial plays. Next week will show if they get up stronger after this loss or not, as they are facing the Halcyons in Izmir.

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5th. Izmir Halcyons (1-1), 7-0 IU Bulls

Close win against the Bulls in the second week. The Halcyons' defense was on point again and didn’t let a single score in the whole game. But it seems that the offensive struggles continue, as they got the touchdown on a special teams play. As a side note, this game might be repeated due to a huge mistake in the ruling on that specific play: Which would normally be a muffed ball was considered a fumble, and the Halcyons scored. Izmir started with a big play from Kemal Aslan (RB #35), but had trouble scoring and sometimes getting a first down in the remainder of the game. If they find ways to move the ball and score, they would climb up the ladder.

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6th. Gazi Warriors (1-1), 7-13 Istanbul Bisons

What would be a repetition of last week’s nail biter victory for the Warriors has gotten away in the last play. Up until the fourth quarter, Gazi trailed by two scores. They had the chance to score in the fourth quarter for the first time and didn’t miss that chance. And after huge defensive stops and rhythmic offensive plays, they got the chance to score again. The Warriors scored the second touchdown at the end of the game, but unluckily, it was called back. Next week’s match up against the Hornets will show us if they are ready for the step up.

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7th. IU Bulls (0-2), 0-7 Izmir Halcyons

Another tough loss for the Bulls, which might also be a result of a missed call. Unlike the first game, the Bulls' offense had some good plays and first downs. Unfortunately, they couldn’t put numbers on the board for another week. Defense had a solid game with minimal errors; they kept the Halcyons’ offense scoreless. The Bulls might also be a problem for the league if they come up with solutions on offense.

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8th. Hacettepe Red Deers (0-2), 6-28 ITU Hornets

Both offensively and defensively, the Red Deers didn’t look like a contender. Lots of missed tackles on the defense and not many bright plays on the offense. It seems that Hacettepe needs to shaken up and make a statement against the Rams in the upcoming week or the chances of playoffs might start to diminish.

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This week didn’t change much in the rankings, but that tells us something important. The strong teams are staying consistent, and the rest are still trying to catch up. If this keeps going, we might already be seeing which teams will lead the season. Still, anything can happen in football—let’s see if Week 3 shakes things up or if the current order stays the same.

written by: A. Rafet Gökçe and Emirkan Cinkilic