GFL: Top passing performances through week 13
The 2023 German Football League has shown that offensive play is more crucial than ever, with teams averaging over 27 points scored per game.
In 13 weeks of GFL we have seen records broken, high-scoring shootouts, and incredible offensive showcases.
As we approach the playoffs, let’s take a look at the best QB play so far.
1. Steven Duncan – Dresden Monarchs (Week 7 vs Saarland Hurricanes)
32/35, 378 yds, 9 TDs, 0 INT, 91.4%
Week seven saw Dresden’s QB1 break the GFL record for passing touchdowns. Set in 2008 by Dennis Zimmermann (Braunschweig NY Lions), two passers had tied the record of eight passing touchdowns (Blake Bolles in 2015, Jared Stegman in 2017), but only this year did someone surpass it, as Steven Duncan passed for nine against the Saarland Hurricanes in week seven.
Not only did Duncan have an impressive performance scoring, but he also had an incredibly clean and efficient day, completing 91.4% of his passes and not turning the ball over with any of his 35 attempts. The ex-Tarleton State standout actually threw three times as many touchdowns as incompletions, which is a stat you are unlikely to see again.
Of his nine scores, four were caught by British slot receiver Tommy Wilson, three by the GFL’s leading receiver Austin Mitchell, and two went to Oliver Tribler.
2. Steven Duncan – Dresden Monarchs (Week 6 @ Potsdam)
32/45, 502 yds, 6 TDs, 0 INT, 71.1%
Guess who?
The week prior to his record-breaking performance, Steven Duncan had the first (and currently only) 500-yard performance of the season as the Monarchs upset the then-undefeated Potsdam Royals, putting 59 points on one of the top defensive units in the league.
Despite Austin Mitchell being well into his stride, with two of his last three games seeing him go for 200 yards, Duncan spread the ball tremendously; Leon Otto led the stacked receiver corps with 144 yards and a score, while Mitchell and Wilson both surpassed 100 yards with two scores. Duncan also hit Tribler for a score, splitting his six passing touchdowns between four receivers.
This was another game without a turnover for the 6’6 pocket passer, who currently has a TD:INT ratio of 37:4 over just eight games.
3. Javarian Smith – Allgäu Comets (Week 1 vs Saarland Hurricanes)
27/34, 413 yds, 7 TDs, 1 INT, 79.4%
Week one saw Javarian Smith and the Comets offense come out hot, opening the season with a seven touchdown passing performance as well as a score on the ground. Needless to say, with lots of touchdowns came a ton of points; the matchup finished 52-48 in favor of Allgäu, as defenses apparently forgot to show up.
On top of an impressive 79.4% completion rate, Smith turned the ball over just once in his eight score showing, averaging 12.15 yards per attempt. Nathanael Stewart played the role of the primary receiver, catching nine balls for 96 yards and three touchdowns, although Ahsan Moore surpassed Stewart in yardage with five for 173 and two scores. Marcel Shade also had two touchdown receptions to go alongside a 90-yard performance.
4. Javarian Smith – Allgäu Comets (Week 11 vs Marburg Mercenaries)
21/32, 387 yds, 7 TDs, 1 INT 65.6
Although Steven Duncan leads in every passing stat, Smith is the only QB to have scored seven touchdowns in two separate games this season, and what a way to do it. The game saw the Comets beat the Mercenaries 56-20, with Nathaneal Stewart having yet another three score performance, alongside 107 yards receiving.
One of the most impressive throws came late in the second quarter, when Smith planted his foot on the 50-yard line and launched a ball with pinpoint accuracy onto the front pylon, where Ashan Moore ran under the ball for a score.
5. Matthew Weimer – Ingolstadt Dukes (Week 7 vs Munich Cowboys)
27/34, 436, 4 TDs, 1INT 79.4%
Although his shine was stolen by Steven Duncan’s record breaking nine-touchdown game, Matthew Weimer’s week seven performance is nothing to take lightly. In a 39-20 win over the Cowboys, Weimer only threw seven incompletions on 34 attempts, finding the endzone four times.
Three of the four scores landed in the hands of Gabriel Boccella, including an opening score that can only be described as pinpoint accuracy from Weimer; the QB let a deep ball fly, perfectly landing in Boccella’s hands despite being excellently covered. The other touchdown went to Anton Chereminskiy, while Sven Beyrich remained scoreless despite leading the team with 187 yards.
