PUEBLO, Colo. – After finding themselves atop the Week 1 PBR Teams power rankings while bringing a pair of regular season championships into year three of PBR Camping World Team Series action, the Austin Gamblers are not where they, or anyone else, imagined they’d be heading into Duluth, Georgia, and the tour’s Week 2 slate.

RELATED: Week 2 PBR Camping World Team Series power rankings

At this point last season, all was right in the world for the Gamblers.

The team was off to a 2-0 start after sweeping competition as the main attraction during Cheyenne Frontier Days. Eventual 2023 PBR Teams MVP Jose Vitor Leme not only guided his squad to a pair of victories courtesy of his flashy 2-for-2 start …

… but went on to clinch the league’s first event win and MVP honors of the season, courtesy of a rank 90.5-point journey in Extra outs atop I’m Legit Too.

Hell, even back in 2022, during the league’s inaugural season, the green and black contingent started 1-1 as everyone was still figuring this whole “Teams” deal out.

And yet somehow, after making the biggest blockbuster swap of the offseason in adding 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco to the roster, they’re amidst their worst start yet, now 0-2 after a slower than usual start at PBR Teams: Wildcatter Days.

So, while they’re very much flirting with uncharted territory, maybe the series’ preseason favorites could use a little extra hunger and motivation?

Something to grind for.

Featured in the first contest of the 2024 campaign, they drew a tough matchup against 2024 World Champion Cassio Dias and the Kansas City Outlaws. And while they ended up dropping the contest, it wasn’t for a lack of effort, as the end score saw Austin fall by just 4.25 points (178.25-174).

Dalton Kasel was able to get his team off to a hot start Friday night, courtesy of a quality 87.25-point conversion aboard Big Hawk. But after seeing Koltin Hevalow throw down a slick 88.5 points during the event’s very-first out, the Gamblers were behind from the start.

Naturally, it came down to a pair of Champs in Dias and Jose Vitor Leme as the sun began to set.

RELATED: Dias and Leme trade blows, renew MVP rivalry as 2024 PBR Teams season begins

But with Dias ripping off a quality 89.25-point dance aboard Let’s Roll during the out prior, Leme needed a 91 to tie the game and a 91.25 or better to outright clinch the win.

While we’ve seen him deliver clutch performances time and time again, Micheal Gaffney and company were forced to settle with Leme’s 86.75 points, thus dropping the game. Yet, at the same time, it had been nearly four months or so since we saw Leme exit a matchup both healthy and with a qualified ride. So, in some ways, this was still a win for Austin, though not anywhere official.

Afforded its first bye game on Saturday night, members from the team were still present, albeit taking in the action as part of the audience. Unfortunately for the Week 1 favorites, the night off didn’t provide as many benefits as needed, as the Gamblers returned to the chutes Sunday, only to drop their second matchup of the season.

Knowing Pacheco was a bit banged up, suffering a concussion after landing on his neck and shoulder during Friday’s go, the Gamblers were already behind the 8 ball once again.

Despite drawing one of the league’s new expansion squads in the hometown Oklahoma Wildcatters, Austin wasn’t able to piece things together during their second contest.

Technically, they didn’t have a single piece to play with, as the team turned in a rare 0-for-5 performance. Which, yes, included buckoffs from each of their top-tier trio in Kasel, Pacheco and Leme.

Ending the opening weekend with just two conversions across 10 attempts, we can all but assume that Gaffney, Assistant Coach Adriano Moraes and company went directly back to the drawing board during the league’s bye break last week.

But with plenty of capable personnel already littered throughout the roster, with certain bull matchups practically dictating themselves, is there that much to tweak for the Gamblers?

Ezekiel Mitchell didn't draw into the opening weekend lineup. But after exiting the 50-man showdown during the midweek Camping World PBR Last Cowboy Standing courtesy of a 3-for-5 showing, surely he'll be in consideration for Austin, right?

RELATED: Ezekiel Mitchell wins Camping World PBR Last Cowboy Standing in Cheyenne, Wyoming

Leme has notched at least 19 qualified rides (2022: 19-for-26, 2023: 23-for-32) in each of the league’s first two seasons. And with 11 regular season events remaining, he’s got plenty of time to improve on his 1-for-2 start. But with both Cort McFadden and Elizmar Jeremias off to successful 3-for-3 starts, not to mention another 12 or 13 cowboys who managed to double down in Week 1, are the Brazilian’s odds to three-peat as PBR Teams MVP starting to slip?

Basic math says the Gamblers will be able to improve upon their one qualified ride per-game average this time around come Duluth. However, both the New York Mavericks and Carolina Cowboys, who are set to challenge the winless Austin unit this weekend, aren’t looking to provide any handouts when the three-day slate rolls around.

Knowing Leme is 7-for-12 all-time inside Gas South Arena (with 1st, 3rd, 5th and 12th-place finishes in four UTB appearances) and Pacheco won the premier series’ stop in Duluth back in 2023 means the veterans have plenty of experience and good luck in this building.

With the Oklahoma Wildcatters and Missouri Thunder set to endure opening night bye games, the Gamblers will join the Texas Rattlers, Florida Freedom, New York Mavericks, Nashville Stampede, Kansas City Outlaws, Carolina Cowboys and Arizona Ridge Riders in hoping to put on an electric opening night showcase Friday night inside Gas South Arena.

And if we had to guess, we’d expect the two-time PBR Teams MVP in Leme to properly rally his troops. Facing off against the fellow winless (0-3) New York Mavericks on Friday night, Austin should be able to take care of business en route to securing their first win of the season against the newcomers, who stumbled in their own right inside Paycom Center.

However, when Cooper Davis, Daylon Swearingen, Sage Steele Kimzey and the undefeated Carolina Cowboys appear across the chutes from them during Saturday night’s Game 1 showdown, they’ll need to kick things up a gear if they hope to defeat the team who posted a perfect 5-for-5 effort in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Eleven of this weekend’s 12 games will air on Merit Street and Merit+ (with Saturday’s Game 4 “Game of the Week” showdown between the Arizona Ridge Riders and Texas Rattlers primed to air on CBS Television Network on Sunday at Noon EST) ...

… So, be sure to download the Merit+ App and tune into Merit Street for all of this season’s PBR Teams rank rides, wrecks and beyond and get ready for some 5-on-5 entertainment!

CAROLINA COWBOYS SIT ATOP LEAGUE STANDINGS AHEAD OF WEEK 2 By now, we know the Carolina Cowboys are one of the trendiest groups on tour after piecing together the first perfect game of the 2024 slate. But we’re left wondering: What’s next for the league’s top-ranked team? In the long run, Jerome Davis can only hope his team stays healthy, something the Cowboys have struggled with in the past. And if they do, they should have a chance to make their best run yet at the 2024 PBR Teams Championship.

In the foreground, however, they’re set to go head-to-head with both of the circuit’s other undefeated teams inside Gas South Arena this weekend, with matchups against the (2-0) Kansas City Outlaws and (2-0) Arizona Ridge Riders looming. As if that wasn’t a spicy enough pair of tests, they’ll endure a showdown against the (0-2) Austin Gamblers Saturday night. Which, their record may not seem intimidating after the season-opening contest, but the reality remains that they should be one of the toughest groups to beat this season. Only time will tell.

RELATED: Cooper Davis returns from broadcast booth to impact role for Carolina Cowboys

Thankfully for the blue and white contingent, time has been on their side lately, as it’s allowed 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis to feel like he’s 18 again after sitting out the 2024 premier series slate. That’s not just a saying for the spry 30-year-old, either, as he’s officially 2-for-2 after getting his team in the ride column during both of their first two matchups. Occupying the No. 5 overall spot in the 2024 PBR Teams MVP standings, fans should get used to seeing the pair of broadcasters turned cowboys in Davis and Kimzey continue to convert in year three.

EXPANSION SQUAD MAVERICKS, WILDCATTERS EMBRACE INAUGURAL MATCHUP We’ve had a select few matchups from this season’s slate circled since the league’s schedule was announced last month. This is 100% one of them, as the set of expansion squads in the New York Mavericks and Oklahoma Wildcatters prepare to clash for the first time PBR Teams history. The first time two expansion teams, in general, face off within the 5-on-5 landscape, really. While we’ll have to wait until Sunday’s show-opener to see the new squads get the final four games of the weekend started, we have a feeling it’ll be worth the wait!

Each of the teams experienced quite the different Week 1 starts, as the Wildcatters were able to cruise to a fruitful 2-1 start behind the support of their hometown crowd while Head Coach Kody Lostroh and the Mavericks suffered an unfortunate 0-3 start to year one. The Wildcatters are still awaiting the return of Austin Richardson, who continues to recover from an injury sustained during the 2024 season. When he’s back, the Mauney-guided squad will be even more prepared to make sure their first regular season session is one to remember.

As far as the Mavericks are concerned, they’re a bit banged up collectively, if not still coming together But if rookie Marco Rizzo can join the group midseason for a late push, they still have plenty of talent in the locker room to string some 8s together. Seeing an unlikely hero in Davi Henrique de Lima secure the franchise’s first-ever qualified ride just days after signing him as a free agent means anything is possible for New York. Once Vitor Losnake and Braidy Randolph figure it out and provide the strong starts and finishes the squad needs, they’ll be just fine the long run. It’s never fun living in the shadow of your brother, teammate, classmate, etc. (al la the Wildcatters in this situation), so we totally expect the Mavericks to come out with some vengeance when the expansion units meet up on Saturday!

2024 PBR TEAMS: DULUTH MATCHUPS Friday, July 26: Texas Rattlers vs. Florida Freedom New York Mavericks vs. Austin Gamblers Nashville Stampede vs. Kansas City Outlaws Carolina Cowboys vs. Arizona Ridge Riders Saturday, July 27: Carolina Cowboys vs. Austin Gamblers Florida Freedom vs. Kansas City Outlaws Oklahoma Wildcatters vs. Missouri Thunder Texas Rattlers vs. Arizona Ridge Riders Sunday, July 28: New York Mavericks vs. Oklahoma Wildcatters Texas Rattlers vs. Nashville Stampede Missouri Thunder vs. Arizona Ridge Riders Kansas City Outlaws vs. Carolina Cowboys FOLLOW ALONG This weekend’s PBR Teams: Duluth showcase in Duluth, Georgia, is set to begin Friday, July 26 at 7:45 p.m. EST as the Texas Rattlers and Florida Freedom kick off the three-day showdown inside Gas South Arena.

With competition set to resume Saturday, July 27 at 7:45 p.m. EST, the first of two neutral-site events will conclude Sunday, July 28 at 2:45 p.m. EST as each of the league’s 10 teams attempt to close out the weekend in the win column!

RELATED: Where to Watch: PBR Teams: Duluth

Fans can tune into Merit Street Media and the Merit+ App on Friday, July 26 beginning at 9 p.m. EST (one hour delay) to take in the four opening night games. The first three games of night two’s slate, taking place on Saturday, July 27, will also air on Merit Street Media and the Merit+ App starting at 9 p.m. EST, while Sunday’s entire slate of games will be broadcast on Merit Street Media and the Merit+ App beginning at 3 p.m. EST.

The very first “Game of the Week,” featuring the Texas Rattlers and Arizona Ridge Riders, is set to air on CBS Television Network on Sunday, July 28 at Noon EST.

Spanish broadcasts of all three days of action will also air on TUDN, with night one’s action airing on Saturday, July 27 at 3 p.m. EST, Saturday’s games airing on Sunday, July 28 at 3 p.m. EST and all of Sunday’s showdowns set to be shown at 3 p.m. EST on Monday, July 29.

Fans can keep an eye on PBR.com and @PBR social media channels for the latest news, scores, wrecks and more! And be sure to download the Merit+ App for all of this season’s exclusive action!

Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media