 With Rattay out for the rest of the season, the Locos relied on backup quarterbacks Drew Willy and Chase Clement for the team's final three regular season games, the last two of which resulted in losses, giving the Locos a 5–3 record going into the title game.The Tuskers, who lost to the Locos in the 2009 title game and were now under the leadership of new coach Jay Gruden, began with the aforementioned Week 1 win at Las Vegas that was followed by late-second losses at Sacramento and to Las Vegas at home.Going into Week 8, the Tuskers had a 2–3 record and were in danger of being eliminated from playoff contention.