Today, the Rhein Fire will travel to Barcelona to take on the Dragons in week 9 of the European League of Football.
After starting the season strong both the Fire and Dragons have fallen into disarray following unexpected defeats and roster turnovers.
The Dragons‘ woes began with a hotly anticipated week 6 matchup between them and the Vienna Vikings, the final remaining undefeated teams left in the league.
Despite dominating for three quarters, the Dragons fell apart in the final period of the game and lost 27-20. This defeat seemed to have unhinged the Dragons as they experienced another vital loss against the winless Istanbul Rams the following week.
Quarterback Zach Edwards, once believed to be the strongest candidate for league MVP, now looks unnerved.
One of the areas that the Dragons need to shore up if they want to win today is their tackling. It was the single reason they lost to the Vikings and why Isaiah Green ran for over 100 yards in their 22-19 loss.
For the Fire, the recent injury and replacement of starting quarterback Matt Adam led to a painful 40-16 defeat to the Hamburg Sea Devils last week. This loss in turn has led to the culling of five players, four coaches and an athletic trainer.
For the Fire to rebound, newly acquired quarterback Jadrian Clark will need to step up and provide the team with an explosive element that it has lacked in recent weeks. Head Coach Jim Tomsula will also need to stabilize his team, a team that has only seen instability in recent weeks.