The Premier Lacrosse League’s playoff field will come down to the final week of regular season play. For both the Cannons and Chrome, it’s win, and you’re in.

The PLL playoff outlook got a bit clearer this weekend in Colorado Springs in the league’s penultimate showcase before the postseason begins. The Atlas, Archers, Waterdogs, Chaos, Whipsnakes and Redwoods all clinched spots in a field that will include seven of the league’s eight teams. Now it’s down to two clubs for that coveted final spot. It will be decided in Albany with the first meeting ever between the Cannons and the Chrome.

The other teams will still be fight for seeding, but at least they can take solace in knowing their season won’t come to an end in Albany. Here’s how each punched their ticket:

BELIEVE IN THE BULLS

Atlas LC, the hottest team in the PLL, took care of business in the weekend’s first game thanks largely to a historic performance from Trevor Baptiste. He set new PLL bests for faceoff wins (25) and ground balls (19) to help his squad to a 19-10 victory against the Chrome. He won 83 percent of his draws in a 25-for-30 performance in addition to scoring a pair of goals.

The big-name young guns led the way on the offensive end, with Bryan Costabile notching six points and Jake Carraway and Jeff Teat each adding four. And thus, a team that appeared to be rebuilding after a major restructure in the offseason became the league’s first locked-in playoff participant. Two days later, the Bulls made sure they had the inside track to the league’s top seed and a bye in the first round of the playoffs.

The Atlas came up strong late, breaking an 11-11 tie with two goals in 43 seconds to pull off a 13-11 victory against the Chrome. Costabile had five points, while rookie Dox Aitken added four, as the Atlas won a fifth straight and moved to 6-2, one game up on the Waterdogs for the top spot.

“We enjoy each other’s company, which I think is the first step to going through the process of trying to get better,” Atlas coach Ben Rubeor said Friday. “It’s not easy playing in this league. It’s not easy getting better. It’s not easy being honest with each other. But when you really enjoy spending time around each other, you can take steps in that way.”

The Atlas can clinch the No. 1 seed with a win on Aug. 14, but a loss opens the door for the Waterdogs and the Archers. Archers LC, which has two games in the final week and could tie the Atlas with two wins and an Atlas loss, has a serious advantage in the score differential thanks to posting a league-leading 25 in the category.

ARCHERS SHOOT THEIR SHOT

Weather delayed the Archers’ matchup with the Redwoods into the late hours of Saturday night.

Thankfully for the Archers, Ryan Ambler doesn’t have an early bedtime.

The former Princeton Tiger scored two straight goals in the fourth quarter to break a tie at 12, propelling the Archers to a 15-12 win. Marcus Holman added the insurance tally, showing off the stunning effect rain can have on rubber hitting mesh.

Wait… WHAT?! @MarcusHolman1 @PLLArchers pic.twitter.com/n6cNKdEA2Y

— Premier Lacrosse League (@PremierLacrosse) August 1, 2021

The Archers overcame a 20-for-27 night on the faceoff stripe from Redwoods’ TD Ierlan, as well as a tying goal from Charlie Bertrand that made it 12-12. They also snapped a surprising three-game losing streak for a team that looked like a clear title contender earlier this season.

“This team’s been gutted through three one-goal losses in a row, and a lot of time to sort of think on it, so it’s a good one for us,” Archers coach Chris Bates said. “At that critical moment, I think we didn’t lose our belief and just kept on playing.”

The Redwoods still clinched a playoff berth thanks to two Chrome losses. Even if the Chrome won their second game of the weekend, the Redwoods would have been safe with the Cannons’ loss to the Atlas.

DOG DAYS ARE NOT OVER

The Waterdogs has gone from a team that appeared to lack an identity in Year 1 to the top half of the standings heading into the final week of Year 2. They helped solidify that position with a win against the two-time champion and preseason favorite Whipsnakes as part of a Sunday tripleheader.

The Dogs went on a stunning 10-0 run that stretched from late in the second quarter to the fourth quarter, erasing an early 4-1 lead for the Whips and securing an 11-6 victory. Ethan Walker and Kieran McArdle led the brigade with four points each, and Ryland Rees and McArdle each had two-pointers as part of the run.

Meanwhile, Dillon Ward was impressive between the pipes in a game played at 9 a.m. local time due to Saturday’s weather. He kept the Whipsnakes from scoring a goal in the second half until midway through the fourth, making 19 saves (76 percent).

“We said at halftime that the defense was just going to keep doing our thing, and we’d let the offense get going,” Ward said on Peacock. “I think that’s exactly what happened. We just believed in each other and good things happen.”

The Whipsnakes remain without Matt Rambo despite the long layoff during the All-Star break. Whips coach Jim Stagnitta said the team hopes for him to return for the next game, but he added the group also needs to improve overall to get back to its winning ways.

“He’s another weapon and a veteran and proven player, but there’s other things that we need to do better, and it doesn’t matter if Matt’s out there or not,” Stagnitta said. “If we don’t do those things better, we’re going to struggle.”

The Whipsnakes enter the final week tied for third place but ranked last among that group in score differential. They still clinched thanks to two losses by the Chrome.

CHAOS SURVIVE SURGE

The Chaos led 10-4 midway through the third quarter and 14-8 with just over five and a half minutes remaining in the fourth, but the Chrome still made them sweat in the closing minutes. A late push, including a 4-0 run in the final four and a half minutes, made it a one-score game when the Chrome had the ball in the final minute Sunday afternoon. But the Chaos were able to take advantage of a turnover on a skip pass, holding on for a 14-12 triumph.

There was a particular Buffalo Bandits flair for the Chaos on Sunday, with ten of the team’s goals coming from members of the National Lacrosse League squad. Four were by Chris Cloutier, three were Josh Byrne, two were Chase Fraser and one came off the stick of Dhane Smith. That group was nearly the entirety of the Chaos’ multi-point producers, joined by CJ Costabile with a two-point goal from the long pole.

“We talked about team maturity and finishing the game,” goalie Blaze Riorden said on the Peacock broadcast. “That’s a group of veterans that have all shared a locker room, and we knew they weren’t going to quit. At the end of the day, we made plays when we needed. That’s all that matters.”

The Chaos have won two of their last three entering the final week.

NOTEWORTHY

The Chrome finally brought former Tewaaraton winner Dylan Molloy back to the PLL, picking him up from the player pool this week (alongside Donny Moss). He notched six points on four goals and two assists in his first weekend in the league. The Whipsnakes also added Will Perry. … Chris Hogan left the PLL after spending time with both the Cannons and Whipsnakes due to getting an opportunity to continue his football career. He signed with the New Orleans Saints and was moved to the Whipsnakes’ holdout list. … The PLL announced a new partnership with Topps, producing the league’s first official trading cards. Topps is kicking things off with cards from last year’s Championship Series. … The PLL had two new play-by-play broadcasters on its NBC broadcasts this week due to Brendan Burke’s Olympic commitments. Working in his stead were Jay Alter and Jake Marsh. … Tanner Cook scored in his PLL debut for the Chaos, while Peter Dearth snagged three ground balls in two games in his first weekend for the Atlas.

UP NEXT

The PLL takes a week off before concluding the regular season in Albany. All times EST:

• Redwoods vs. Whipsnakes, 6 p.m. on Aug. 13 (Peacock)

• Archers vs. Chaos, 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 13 (NBCSN)

• Atlas vs. Waterdogs, 4:15 p.m. on Aug. 14 (Peacock)

• Cannons vs. Chrome, 7 p.m. on Aug. 14 (NBCSN)

• Chaos vs. Redwoods, 2 p.m. on Aug. 15 (NBCSN)

• Archers vs. Whipsnakes, 4:45 p.m. on Aug. 15 (Peacock)