ELF: Week 4 Power Rankings – Unchanged at the very top
With Week 4 in the books, most teams have now played one third of their schedule. There has been some fantastic football throughout the season in the top half of the table, but the bottom half seems to be struggling with the level of play.
Below is our power ranking of all European League of Football (ELF) teams through Week 4.
1.Rhein Fire
Still number one, the Rhein Fire are steam rolling all competition. Quarterback Jadrian Clarke is currently in the form of his (European) life leading the league with 18 touchdowns and 1,370 yards.
Both their offense and defense are hovering around the top of the league and it looks like it will take one amazing performance from a rival team to stop them winning the title this year. The only issue is that they won’t play the likes of the Vikings, Surge or Raiders until the postseason.
2. Vienna Vikings
The Vikings, like the Fire, have been storming through all competition. In only one game, against the Thunder, did the score actually run close. And even then, they did not buckle under pressure.
The Vikings are a well oiled machine and currently have one of the most complete teams in the league. There are few individual standouts on the team; instead the Vikings as a squad appear in the top five of every statistical category in the league.
In two weeks, the Vikings will face the Raiders. This will be their first real test of the season and one that may surprise many fans.
3. Stuttgart Surge
The Surge have been storming up the power rankings since their 2023 opener against the Paris Musketeers. They have since knocked off all competition, including the Raiders Tirol just last weekend.
Since long-time GFL coach Jordan Nueman has come over, the Surge have been a completely different team. This has been due to a combination of outstanding coaching and a complete shake up of the roster. The Surge, like the Vikings, do not rely on single playmakers and therefore will have longevity.
4. Raiders Tirol
Following their 6–3 defeat at the hands of the Surge last weekend, the Raiders have slipped down the rankings. It goes without saying that the Raiders have an excellent roster with a lot of talent. However, one thing the Surge game did expose was their reliance on Jarvis McClam.
McClam caught five passes for just 17 yards. Whether this was due to injury or excellent scheming by the Surge, it was a far cry from what we have seen from McClam so far.
The Raiders are one of the best teams in the league, but the Surge may have just exposed their kryptonite.
5. Frankfurt Galaxy
Despite having more than their fair share of quarterback turbulence this year, the Galaxy are showing what a quality team they are. They have been rotating quarterbacks since Week 1 but both the German Lars Heidrich and American Steve Cluley have won the games they started in.
The Galaxy defense has one of the best secondaries in the league and more than enough veterancy in the front seven. This has allowed their offense to stumble but keep their footing. They will not play the Fire again until Week 14 and should be well within playoff contention by that point.
6. Hamburg Sea Devils
The Sea Devils had an uncharacteristically horrific start to their 2023 campaign. But over the last two weeks they have begun to feel a bit more comfortable in their new identity and are putting up great numbers.
Against the Berlin Thunder last weekend, quarterback Preston Haire had the game coaches had been expecting of him since Week 1. In their 37–17 win, Haire threw for 243 yards and managed to connect with wideout Malik Stanley for four touchdowns.
7. Wrocław Panthers
The Panthers have slipped a bit in recent weeks. Their 63 points on the Enthroners last weekend was an impressive scoreline, but it doesn’t cover their recent beatdown at the hands of the Thunder.
The Matthew Vitale and Tony Tate connection is still one of the most electric in the league, but without it the Panthers don’t look nearly as threatening. The outstanding game by Polish running back Dawid Brzozowski against the Thunder where he ran for 223 yards looked like a sign of things to come, but we will need to see it against a tougher opponent before he can convincingly diversify the offense.
8. Munich Ravens
There have been quite a few surprises this year in the ELF, and the Ravens have been one of them. Nearly every other new team in the league this year has shown significant growing pains. The Ravens on the other hand have excelled. Granted their wins have come against bottom half teams, but the Ravens have shown a willingness to take chances and score a lot of points no matter who the opponent.
9. Berlin Thunder
The Thunder have managed to put together a fantastic roster, but they are missing one key component, a quarterback. Donovan Isom was placed on injury reserve yesterday after two weeks of attempting to battle through the pain.
It is now rumored that former Panthers’ quarterback Slade Jarmann will replace Isom. He will be going into one of the best receiver rooms in the league. How quickly he can take advantage of it will decide their playoff fate.
10. Barcelona Dragons
After starting the year positively, the Dragons have lost their mojo a bit. Conor Miller did not look like the same quarterback he did over the first two weeks in the league. There is still a lot of firepower with Theo Landstrom and Josh Johnston out wide, but they will need some more consistency from their offensive line if they want to give Miller the time to make things happen.
11. Paris Musketeers
The Musketeers are still unable to find their groove. They have steadily been adding to the roster since the beginning of the year, and with some impressive signings too. But things just aren’t clicking considering how deep their roster is.
Edwards has no time to throw the ball and Kyle Sweet is now an afterthought for defensive coordinators. They will remain competitive due to the sheer talent on the team, but they are currently not the team we thought they would be.
12. Cologne Centurions
Cologne has one of the toughest schedules in the league and their quarterback play has not been what they would have wanted. Dylan Jacobs was cut just a couple of weeks ago and has been replaced with Judd Erickson. This has been a noticeable upgrade, but the team as a whole ranks near the bottom in every category.
Cologne’s grueling schedule will force a sharp learning curve, but on the flip side it will mean that they don’t win many games this year.
13. Milano Seamen
The Seamen have not had the start they would have wanted. Luke Zahradka is still a premier quarterback in the league, but the domestic players are still not used to playing this level of competition week in, week out. They should turn the corner sooner or later.
14. Leipzig Kings
After the Kings’ shock announcement this week that they were considering folding, who knows what the future holds for Leipzig. They have managed to beat the bad teams but have struggled against the good teams. At the moment, their main concern will surely be if they can continue as a club in the ELF.
15. Prague Lions
The Lions had their bye week this weekend past, one that they almost certainly needed. Both imports and domestic players have struggled for Prague so far. Saying this, the Lions have not been hopeless and have been able to put a number of drives together on both offense and defense, but there have been far too many mistakes for them to remain competitive.
The Lions will have undoubtedly made some significant changes during their bye week, but whether they have the depth of talent to back it up is another question entirely.
16. Helvetic Guards
Silas Nacita is one of the most electric players in Europe, period. But he is not enough to win games alone in the ELF. The Swiss team has not been what fans had hoped for and two quarterbacks in four weeks is anything but ideal.
17. Fehervar Enthroners
The final spot has unfortunately been reserved for the Enthroners. Outside of a couple of special teams plays from imports, the Enthroners haven’t been able to do much of anything this year. Like most teams losing games, they too have rotated quarterbacks and are currently waiting for the second import. To avoid an Istanbul Rams like situation, they need to make some changes fast.
