The BNL league wound up its fifth full weekend of action with a major switch in the standings and now heads into the second half of the season.
The Amsterdam Crusaders continue to top the BNL standings after five weekends of play with a perfect 5-0 record after overwhelming the Kasteel Nitros. So far they have only been threatened in one game, in a surprising battle against the Limburg Shotguns in Week 3. Otherwise, the Crusaders have rolled over their rivals including the two most likely at this point to challenge for the title, the Brussels Black Angels and Rotterdam Trojans.
The Rotterdam Trojans have undergone a transformation during the course of the season and this past weekend came away with a close win over the Brussels Black Angels to overtake them in the standings.
In other action, as expected, the Shotguns had no trouble in beating the Brussels Tigers.
1. Amsterdam Crusaders (5-0) (Last week 1)
The Amsterdam Crusaders remain at the top of the standings and rankings after an easy 64-0 rout of the Kasteel Nitros. The week before they earned a 28-0 win over the Brussels Tigers without playing a down after the Tigers forfeited the game. They had been pushed to the limit by the Shotguns, finally getting by them 35-30 to start the month. They had previously overwhelmed the Brussels Black Angels 35-0 to open the season and then the Rotterdam Trojans 46-0.
2. Rotterdam Trojans (4-1) (Last week 3)
Rotterdam staged the minor upset this past weekend when they defeated the Brussels Black Angels 24-20. The Trojans had been easy 47-12 winners over the Kasteel Nitros the week before and with a new quarterback they had rolled over the Brussels Tigers 35-0 in Game #3 which helped atone for the 46-0 drubbing they suffered at the hands of the Crusaders. With the win, Rotterdam moved past the Black Angels into 2nd. The Trojans had opened the season impressively, beating the Shotguns 41-7 but then lost their starting quarterback to a knee injury.
3. Brussels Black Angels (3-2) (Last week 2)
The Black Angels, finalists in 2023, suffered their second loss of the season when they were upset by the surging Rotterdam Trojans this past weekend. They had gotten by the Limburg Shotguns in triple overtime 25-23 prior to that after overwhelming the Nitros 39-7. The Black Angels had suffered an embarrassing 35-0 loss to the Crusaders to open the season but rebounded with a 42-0 blanking of the Brussels Tigers. With the loss to Rotterdam, the Black Angels slid to third in the standings.
4. Limburg Shotguns (2-3) (Last week 4)
The Shotguns were comfortable 35-6 winners over the Tigers this past weekend after losing a triple overtime 25-23 heartbreaker to the Black Angels the weekend before. Limburg had surprised observers in keeping it close against a powerful Amsterdam squad in a March 30 matchup ultimately losing 35-30. The Shotguns suffered an embarrassing opening day 41-7 loss to the Rotterdam Trojans but then rolled over the Nitros 48-6. They remain in the #4 spot with five games left in the season.
5. Brussels Tigers (1-4) (Last week 5)
The Brussels Tigers suffered their another lopsided loss, this time 35-6 to Limburg after forfeiting a game to the Crusaders. They had been dropped 35-0 by the Trojans after getting whipped 42-0 by the Black Angels. They had opened the season with a 20-6 win over the Nitros.
6. Kasteel Nitros (0-5) (Last week 6)
Kasteel were overwhelmed again, this time 35-6 by the Shotguns. The Trojans beat them 47-12 after they had suffered a 39-7 loss at the hands of the Brussels Black Angels. Kasteel opened the season by losing 20-6 to the Tigers and 48-6 to the Shotguns. They remain in the basement of the standings are will likely stay there.
Upcoming games
The Brussels Tigers will play host to the Brussels Black Angels while Limburg and Kasteel will face each other in the only two games being played this coming weekend.
Graphics: Igor Lazarevic