ELF: Playoff Race tightening up

And then there were six (or maybe seven).

After this past weekend’s action, the nine teams in contention for a playoff spot were whittled down to six with two of them – the Vienna Vikings and Rhein Fire – now shoo ins for the semifinals.

The other four teams – the Madrid Bravos, Stuttgart Surge, Munich Ravens and Paris Musketeers – are pretty much set for the Wild Card Round. However, there is an outside chance that the Tirol Raiders can still sneak in after their thrilling come-from-behind win over the Surge.

Let’s take a look at the situation.

Semifinalists

1) Vienna Vikings (11-0)

The Vienna Vikings head into the final weekend of the season for them with the only unblemished record in the ELF. If there was any doubt about their status, in their return game against the Helvetic Mercenaries who had given them a score in their first encounter finally beating them 49-40, they made a statement, trouncing the Swiss team 49-3. They face the Fehervar Enthroners in their last regular season game.

This top seed guarantees them a bye during the Wildcard Round and home field advantage in the semifinals.

2) Rhein Fire (10-1)

The defending champions climbed back into championship contention and a certain semifinal berth after handing the Hamburg Sea Devils an embarrassing 51-2 thumping. Since dropping their only loss since 2022 earlier in the season to the Madrid Bravos, the Fire have been on a tear, winning eight straight including a 38-6 pummeling of the Paris Musketeers. The Fire earned the second playoff seed following Stuttgart’s loss to the Raiders.

However, the Fire still have to face the Berlin Thunder in their final regular season game. They had trouble with them in their first encounter this year, finally winning 27-24.

This seed also guarantees a bye week during the Wildcard Round and home-field advantage in the semi-finals.

Wildcard Round qualifiers:

Madrid Bravos (#6, 7-3) @ Stuttgart Surge (#3, 9-1)

With the Bravos and Surge both losing their most recent games (the Bravos were upset 37-20 by the Frankfurt Galaxy), they slid down in the rankings. With a 7-3 record, the Bravos are tied with the Munich Ravens and Raiders Tirol. However, the tiebreaker for best point differential puts the Bravos behind the Ravens but ahead of the Raiders. The Surge also fell in the rankings but still hold the third playoff seed due to their nine wins, third among all teams. Stuttgart had already secured the Central Conference title despite the loss.

The Bravos have to get by the Musketeers this weekend and then the Hamburg Sea Devils in their final regular season game. Stuttgart plays the Dragons and then the Mercenaries.

Munich Ravens (#5, 7-3) @ Paris Musketeers (#4, 8-2)

Both Munich and Paris won their games this past weekend and for the Ravens it was important. They handed the Barcelona Dragons a 90-0 defeat and although it may have seemed unnecessary, they needed to improve their points differential. Now, with their 7-3 record and the top points differential among the teams with the same record, they are the highest ranked team in the group. For Paris, the win, a dominant 57-7 victory over the Cologne Centurions, may have secured home field in the Wild Card Round.

The Musketeers still have two challenging games left. They have the Bravos at home and the Frankfurt Galaxy away. Meanwhile, Munich has the Helvetic Mercenaries and then the critical matchup against the Raiders.

Still alive:

Although the Raiders remain the odd man out among the teams with a 7-3 record, despite their win over Stuttgart, they still have a chance to reach the Wild Card Round as they face the Milano Seamen, a team they whipped 32-0 early in the season, and then the Ravens in their final game which will likely decide the last playoff spot.