ELF: Week 3 features a battle of unbeatens and plenty of action across the board
Week 3 of the 2024 European League of Football season has a seven game slate over Saturday and Sunday.
Let’s take a look at the matchups.
Madrid Bravos (1-0) @ Rhein Fire (2-0)
After drubbing their Spanish rivals in Barcelona last week by a score of 42-12, the Bravos now play the first road game in team history on Saturday. Unfortunately for them, it happens to be against the powerhouse of the league. The Fire will have their home opener this weekend after handling a challenge from the Frankfurt Galaxy on the road last week. This game should tell us a lot about the type of team Madrid is.
Raiders Tirol (1-1) @ Barcelona Dragons (1-1)
After releasing quarterback D’Angelo Fulford in a surprising move following last weekend’s loss to Vienna, the Raiders signed Kason Martin as an interim quarterback. This might be the only game he plays for the Raiders this season, so he has a chance to show what he can do against a Dragons squad that is reeling from a tough loss to Madrid last week.
Helvetic Mercenaries (0-1) @ Milano Seamen (0-2)
In perhaps the weakest matchup of the weekend, the Mercenaries travel to Italy to face the Seamen in a matchup of winless teams. Both of these teams have a great chance to get their first victory of the season, and we could be in store for one of the closest matchups of week 3.
Frankfurt Galaxy (0-1) @ Paris Musketeers (1-0)
Frankfurt and Paris are teams who have championship aspirations in 2024. While Frankfurt was defeated in their opener against last year’s champions in the Fire last week, Paris put on a show in a 41-14 victory over the Hamburg Sea Devils. If the Paris offense plays like it did last week, it will be hard for Frankfurt to keep up with them. This contest will impact each team’s status in the ELF hierarchy one way or another.
Fehervar Enthroners (0-2) @ Berlin Thunder (1-1)
After a hard-fought loss in Wroclaw to open the season, the Thunder bounced back admirably by thrashing the Prague Lions by a score of 48-17 at home. Now they get another favorable matchup at home against an Enthroners team that lost in disappointing fashion against Cologne last week.
Vienna Vikings (2-0) @ Wroclaw Panthers (1-1)
Vienna continued their dominance of their Austrian rivals in the Raiders last week with a 27-6 win. They’ll look to remain undefeated on Sunday, but have a tough matchup in the Panthers, who fell short last week in an exciting battle with the Stuttgart Surge. These two teams are the favorites for the Eastern Conference crown, so this game will be important in the long run.
Prague Lions (0-2) @ Munich Ravens (1-1)
The Ravens came out flat against the Surge in the season opener, losing 27-5, but bounced back last week by dominating Milano 47-7. This week will be their home opener, as they face a weak Prague team that is looking to make a big statement with an upset victory.
