Tough loss for the Bay Area Panthers against the Vegas Knight Hawks in Indoor Football League Playoffs at SAP Center in San Jose on Sun Aug 3, 2025 (Bay Area Panthers photo)
By Michael Roberson
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The #1 seeded Bay Area Panthers (13-3, 0-1) were de-clawed and escorted out of the Indoor Football League Playoffs, after an odds defying loss, 36-31 to #4 Vegas Knight Hawks (10-6, 1-0) in the Capital City of the Silicon Valley at SAP Center on Sunday night.
The Panthers were in trouble early and never led during the 60-minute postseason battle, Although the home team and favorite opened the game with the ball, they weren’t able to take advantage of having the primary possession.
The Knight Hawks took full advantage of their initial possession. Vegas QB Ja’Rome Johnson scored on a 1-yard keeper for an early lead. With the Nevada guests being up by seven points, they were on the verge of doubling their score.
Panthers’ QB Josh Jones was picked off by CB Elijah Blades on their second possession. Vegas followed the turnover with another visit to the endzone. Signal Caller Jayden De Laura performed a 25-yard scramble over the goal line.
The Knight Hawks were up 14-0 with four and a half minutes left in the first quarter. That lead held up until the end of the first 15 minutes of gametime, 14-0.
Less than a minute into the second quarter, Vegas lit up the scoreboard again with yet another touchdown. Wide receiver CJ Windham Jr, caught a scoring pass for six points, but the PAT was not converted by kicker Ben Derby. The guests from the Silver State went up by 20 points, 20-0.
The Panthers finally scratched the scoring column when running back Josh Tomas rushed into paydirt, bringing his squad within 13 points, 20-7. BAP recovered their own kickoff and was seemingly in business, with momentum.
However, Vegas CB James Ceasar performed a trifecta on the defensive side of the ball. He forced a fumble by Jones, recovered the ball, then ran it into the endzone. This feat put the team up by 19, with another missed PAT, 26-7.
Tosin Oyekonmi scored on a rushing play, closing the deficit to 12 points. During the kickoff, Axel Perez booted the ball through the uprights, garnering a “Deuce” for his accuracy, and narrowing the margin they trailed by to 10 points, 26-16.
After a huge defensive stop by the Panthers, the inhabitants of the “Jungle”: were activating a shift in energy of the contest. Tomas was able to score another rushing touchdown with nearly a minute and a half left in the half. Perez; drop kick put two more points on the board and placed BAP in the closest position to the lead during the entire game, 26-24 VKH.
Right at the recess bell/whistle, Knight Hawks’ Derby kicked a crucial FG with triple zeros on the scoreboard. At the half, Vegas was up by five, 29-24.
Nearly five minutes into the second half, Vegas was not done scoring. Wide receiver Quinten Randolph caught a TD pass, to put his team up by 12, 36-24. However, about four minutes later, Panthers’ WR Tyrese Chambers caught a TD pass to get the Panthers within single digits again, 36-31.
That advantage lasted until the end of the third quarter. The final quarter was a defensive standoff, as both teams made big stops against each other. With a five-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the Panthers could still earn a dramatic comeback win on a touchdown.
The Bay Area Panthers turned the ball over on downs while attempting a pass to a receiver in the end zone, They also had a forceful goal line stance, turning Vegas over on downs, saving their playoffs life.
At the One-Minute Warning, the Panther had a golden opportunity for an extraordinary win in the final seconds of round 1 of the playoffs, On 4th and 11, they only used up five seconds on the clock.
Vegas on the other hand, only used 16 seconds, then commenced to miss a field goal that would have put them up by 8. With 30+ seconds on the clock, the Panthers had one more chance. Unfortunately for them and the SAP faithful, that dramatic victory did not come to fruition for the top-seeded team.
After 60 minutes of regulation, and the final incomplete pass, the Bay Area Panthers’ season ended in the quarterfinals, Final score, Vegas Knight Hawks 36, Bay Area Panthers 31.
As the Panthers will go into the offseason looking for answers, the Knight Hawks will be taking on either the Arizona Rattlers or the San Diego Strike Force, on the road for the Western Conference title. In the Eastern Conference Championship, the Green Bay Blizzard faceoff with the Quad City Steamwheelers.
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