Heading into the final week of the regular season a year ago, Denver Outlaws head coach Tim Soudan’s team had nothing to play for. The Chrome scuffled through a miserable season and came into Utah riding an eight-game losing streak.

A six-goal loss to the Chaos ended a last-place campaign everyone wanted to forget.

A year later, the now Outlaws return to Zions Bank Stadium with a playoff spot in their pocket and a chance to secure first place in the Western Conference.

“I don't know if it's a one-year rebuild, but it certainly feels like one right now,” Soudan said after Denver’s playoff-clinching win over Carolina last week.

Soudan’s been on a roller coaster as head coach of the Outlaws/Chrome franchise. Since taking over in 2020, he’s seen two last-place finishes, a second-place title and a Championship Series crown.

After last year’s disappointment, the team inherited the legacy of the old Denver Outlaws. There must’ve been something in those black and orange uniforms that brought winning, because the Outlaws have yet to have a losing season, from their MLL days through this year.

Obviously, the year-over-year improvement is more than a brand change. Savvy roster moves have made all the difference. 

Denver had the most draft picks in one of the most loaded draft classes in lacrosse history. That capital has turned into meaningful difference-makers in every part of the roster. 

Brennan O’Neill leads the team in scoring and is seventh in the entire league. Graham Bundy Jr. is second in the league in two-pointers and fourth in scoring among midfielders. Late-round pick Josh Zawada and undrafted rookie Dalton Young have provided punch to round out the lineup.

Luke Wierman is a top-half faceoff man in the league, and Jake Piseno is an All-Star long-stick midfielder. Non-rookies like first-year starting goaltender Owen McElroy and an at-times rejuvenated Sam Handley are also pushing the youth movement.

But Denver lacked some stability and experience. In came the steady hand of Eric Law as the final piece of the puzzle. Since Law’s arrival midway through the season, the Outlaws are 3-2.

There’s still some game-to-game variance, highlighted by the lack of a winning streak, but the actual play on the field has been more consistent outside of three bad quarters (third quarter against Boston, second half against Maryland) in the last five games.

Making the playoffs after last season’s misfortune is mission accomplished, but Denver is chasing bigger goals than just getting to the dance.

“We know that we still have a lot to do,” Law said. “Now, going into the weekend, how do you handle a win? … The playoffs are coming, we’ve got to start winning multiple games at a time.”

In Salt Lake City, the Outlaws will look to build momentum and consistency for the postseason, but the stakes are even more tangible than that.

Denver sits in first place in the Western Conference with one game left to play against the Utah Archers. If Utah wins its first game of the weekend, the winner of Saturday night’s conference clash will win the West and earn a place in the Championship Series.

If Utah loses its first game, then score differential comes into play. The Archers currently have a +4 SD, better than Denver’s even SD. Utah has the edge in this tiebreaker, so the simplest way for the Outlaws to complete their worst-to-first (in the West) turnaround is to win.

From the beginning of the season, Denver’s goal has been to compete for a championship. Despite the struggles last year, the coaches and roster were steadfast that this team was close to competing for silverware.

With a playoff spot secured, now it’s time for the Outlaws to prove it when the stakes are highest.