Last week former San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Tomulsa made history in his return to Europe, helping the Rhein Fire upset the league’s defending champions, the Frankfurt Galaxy, 29-26, in the team’s first game since 2007.
A strong defensive performance and some clutch plays offensively led the Rhein Fire to go into a packed PSD Bank Arena in Frankfurt and pull off the win with a last-second field goal.
Some standouts from the game were German running back Daniel Rennich and Swiss linebacker Lukas Ruoss. Quarterback Matt Adams made some amazing throws as well connecting with Timothy Knuettel and Nathaniel Robitaille for big plays.
Was this the Play of the week? @MattAdam11 with a 68 yards ROCKET to Nathaniel Robitaille! 🔥
Watch the Highlights now on our YouTube Channel, Website & App 📲 pic.twitter.com/aflZ345k1N
— European League of Football (@ELF_Official) June 7, 2022
This week, Tomsula and the Rhein Fire are on the road again, this time visiting the Leipzig Kings in eastern Germany. The Kings are coming off of a heartbreaking loss. Leipzig fumbled the ball giving up a last second defensive touchdown last week blowing a a two-score lead from earlier in the game.
Leipzig’s defense did raise eyebrows as AJ Wentland, Jan Phillip Bombek, and Aslan Zetterberg all got the quarterback often. Veteran defensive backs Roedion Henrique, Javier Carrasco, and William James are all capable of capitalizing on hurried throws for interceptions.
Offensively, former NFL receiver Athony Dable-Wolf showed he can still be a go-to guy connecting well with new quarterback Jordan Barlow. If the Kings can avoid turnovers and play to the strength of their defense, they could be celebrating a win in front of their home fans.
The Wroclaw Panthers, who beat the Kings on that clutch defensive score, are on the road this week in Stuttgart.
Defensive walk-off touchdown for the @pantherswroclaw – Clutch forced fumble from linebacker William Lloyd #ELF @AFIReview @JustinAaronUH91 pic.twitter.com/C66r1xIP8J
— Alex Malchow (@MalchowAlex) June 6, 2022
The Panthers offense showed big play ability as new quarterback Justice Hansen connected with Przemyslaw Banat, Jakub Mazan, and Malik Stanley. While the Panthers offense had some sloppy moments, fans are expecting running back Phileas Pasquilini and many of the returning players to find their groove soon
Photo: Wroclaw Panthers
Stuttgart looks to bounce back at home after a poor performance in week one. The Surge were dismantled by a Barcelona team to the tune of 38-9. Stuttgart’s offense produced only 100 total yards, with much of that coming in garbage time.
Surge fans hope to remain more competitive against a physical Wroclaw team with championship expectations.