Barcelona Dragons travel to Paris to take on Zach Edwards and the Musketeers

| American Football | 08/27/2023

Today, the 2–8 Barcelona Dragons will travel to Paris to take on the 4–6 Musketeers in Week 13 of the European League of Football (ELF)

Last year, Zach Edwards quarterbacked the Barcelona Dragons to their first ever playoff game in the ELF. Teamed up with receiver Kyle Sweet, Edwards was the league’s top passer and arguably should have won MVP. In the off season however, both Edwards and Sweet left Barcelona for the new franchise in Paris, the Musketeers.

The pair were expected to carry the French side deep into the playoffs this year, but unfortunately their 2022 success has not been replicated. Edwards is currently sitting on 21 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and Sweet six touchdowns and 679 yards.

Edwards has had far less time to throw the ball this year and it often seems like he’s having to escape the pocket and freestyle. He is still averaging around 250 yards per game but can rarely score more than two touchdowns through the air. 

The Musketeers defense on the other hand has been an intense unit. They fly around and punish the ball carrier. They are currently ranked as one of the league’s top run defenses but continue to struggle to defend the pass. To make matters worse, they have a turnover margin of -3.

Fortunately for the Dragons, who got hammered 37–6 when they first met in Week 9, their star quarterback Conor Miller has returned and should be best placed to attack the Musketeers’ weaknesses.

The first four weeks of this season were dominated by Miller and receiver Theo Landström. The two were borderline unstoppable. Since Miller’s mid-season injury sidelined him for a few weeks however, the two have barely been able to connect. The past two games have produced just six receptions for 70 yards. If the Dragons want to be competitive this week, they need to reignite that connection.

Both the Musketeers and the Dragons have been eliminated from the playoffs, but pride is very much on the line. Fortunately for Paris, the Dragons conceded a lot of yardage through the air and on the ground. If the Musketeers can snatch another dominant victory, they’ll be pretty close to a .500 record which should give them some confidence going into year two.

Daniel Mackenzie is a Press Association graduate who works in journalism and communications in the third sector. Daniel began playing football for the London Warriors and Team Great Britain and has since played across Europe.