LIVESTREAM Austria: Telfs Patriots @ Prague Black Panthers, June 19, 15:00 CET, (3 pm, 090:00 am ET)

AFI | American Football | 06/19/2022

The Prague Black Panthers (5-2) will host the Telfs Patriots (5-2), Sunday, June 19 in Austrian Football League late season action.

Both teams enter the game with 5-2 records, but Telfs are coming off a win having beaten the Graz Giants last week 27-22 while the Black Panthers fell 24-0 a week ago to the Danube Dragons.

Black Panthers’ quarterback Javarian Smith (Lake Erie College, Michigan) was injured three weeks ago and did not play in that loss to Danube so backup quarterback Roba Kamil stepped in but had a rough day throwing for 128 yards nd two interceptions. If Smith is unable to play again today it could be a long day for the Prague offense. If Smith can play, he is a difference maker and has thrown for 1,137 yards, 12 touchdowns and no interceptions (!) this season. He is a potent threat on the ground, using his legs on designed run plays and scrambling when the pocket breaks down. He leads the team with 384 rushing yards, and his seven rushing touchdowns rank sixth in the league among all players. Smith likes to spread the ball around to his receivers, as five different Black Panthers have at least 150 receiving yards and a touchdown. Canadian receiver Ben Von Jagow leads the team in catches (34), yards (341), and touchdowns (4).

Telfs Patriots @ Prague Black Panthers, June 19, 16:00 CET, (4 pm, 10:00 am ET)

For the Patriots, quarterback Aaron Ellis is the key. He is the third leading passer in the AFL having thrown for 1,935 yards, 22 touchdowns and only two interceptions. His top targets are Steven Johnson who has 47 catches for 791 yards and nine touchdowns followed by Theo Landström who has 27 receptions for 542 yards and three scores while Thomas Langecker hauled in 20 passes for 432 yards and nine touchdowns.

The problem for Telfs is their ground game. They have only rushed for 453 yards in their seven games, an average of 64.7 yards a game, placing them second to last.

This is a key game in the battle for the fourth and final playoff spot in the AFL with only two games to go after this. The Mödling Rangers (4-4) and Znojmo Knights (4-4) are hot on their heels. The winner of this game will most surely finish third while the loser will need to win both of their remaining regular season games to be certain.