In a pivotal matchup in the last week of the regular season, the Mödling Rangers host the Prague Black Panthers this Saturday.
As of now, in a league in which four out of the 10 teams make the playoffs, the Rangers sit in a tie for fourth place with the Telfs Patriots at 5-4, so this game is essentially a must-win game for them. The Black Panthers are 7-2, and a win would clinch second place in the league.
These teams met way back in the first week of the season on April 3rd in Prague. In that game, the Black Panthers dominated the Rangers in a 48-14 victory. Prague quarterback Javarian Smith completed 21 of 28 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns, while Mödling quarterback Benjamin Brauer completed just 8 of 25 passes for 105 yards and one touchdown while throwing three interceptions. Smith also ran for 70 yards and added two touchdowns on the ground for the Black Panthers. Mödling’s rushing attack fared much better than their passing attack, as three different players ran for at least 40 yards. However, the disparity in the quality of each team’s passing game was far too much for the Rangers to overcome.
Over the course of the season, though, the Rangers offense has gotten much better. In their most recent game, for example, the team scored 54 points on the Steelsharks. The rushing game racked up 214 yards and five touchdowns, while Brauer threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns in a well-balanced effort. Though Mödling has relied on their running game all season, as their passing offense ranks second to last in the league, Brauer and his receivers have been able to make some key plays to help the offense move the ball. Defensively, the Rangers are the second-best team in the league at stopping the opposing running attack. As Prague is another team that likes to run the ball, perhaps this could play in Mödling’s favor.
With so much on the line, this game will most likely be a hard-fought battle that will be much closer than the previous meeting between the two teams. If Javarian Smith can play as well as he did in week one, Prague’s offense will be hard to stop. However, the Rangers have had plenty of time to grow as a team and learn from their first loss against the Black Panthers, so they could have a good chance of pulling off the upset and sneaking into the playoffs