The Cougars secured a narrow victory over the Mantises with a final score of 28:24 in their regular-season NFL fixture on 2026-09-19. The home side held firm through a challenging afternoon to claim three points against a Mantises outfit that pushed them all the way. And here's the thing — the result keeps the home side's momentum intact after a string of competitive games.
The 28:24 scoreline tells you this was never going to be a straightforward afternoon for either side. The Cougars found themselves responding rather than dictating, which is not how they typically want these encounters to unfold. To be fair, the Mantises brought an edge that suggests they are building something meaningful this season.
The Cougars arrive at this fixture having come off a comfortable 42:14 victory over the Hawks on 2026-09-04. That result gave them confidence, but confidence can evaporate quickly when the opposition plays with intent. They needed to prove they could close out a tighter contest, and they managed to do so.
The Mantises come into this game with two wins behind them — a 26:21 triumph over the Monarchs on 2026-09-11 and a defensive 17:0 shutout of the Eagles on 2026-09-04. By then, they had established a pattern of keeping games within reach, even when the scoreboard does not always reflect their dominance. Losing 28:24 at home is not ideal, but the margin is nothing to be ashamed of.
The result leaves both sides with one win and one loss after two matches each. The table is still fluid, and these early fixtures rarely tell the full story. What matters is how teams respond — the Cougars will want to build on the win, while the Mantises will review what went wrong in the closing stages.
