The Graz Giants (1-4) will host the Vienna Vikings (4-1) Sunday, May 29 in a crucial matchup for both teams as the Austrian Football League hits the midpoint of the 2022 season.
The Giants desperately need a win to have any chance at all of making the playoffs while Vienna needs to keep pace with the front runners, the Danube Dragons and Prague Black Panthers.
The Giants are coming off a surprise loss to the previously winless Salzburg Ducks who beat them 35-20. Graz had opened the season with promise, beating the Traun Steelsharks 41-25 but then were surprised by the Mödling Rangers 26-25 and then lost to the Prague Black Panthers, 31-19. They dropped a surprise 28-26 decision to the Knights before the loss to Salzburg.
Vienna enters this game after handing the Prague Black Panthers their only loss of the season, a 21-0 shutout two weeks ago. The Vikings had opened the season by beating the Znojmo Knights 43-14 and followed that with a 70-63 offensive explosion over the Swarco Raiders. They then edged the Salzburg Ducks 14-13 before suffering a surprising 49-42 loss to the Telfs Patriots.
Graz import receiver Darrell Adams continues to be one of the league’s top 10 receivers, hauling in 38 passes for 443 yards and three touchdowns in the five games. Working together with his former college teammate, quarterback Tyrone Willaims (Azusa Pacific), who has thrown for 1,438 yards and 17 touchdowns in the five games, good for second in the AFL, Adams is a threat every time he is on the field. However, the Giants running game has struggled. As a team they average only 91 yards rushing a game with running back Lukas Bauer as their leading rusher with 31 carries for 128 yards even though he has not played in two games. They will need to find a ground attack to be able to beat Vienna.
Vienna’s young Austrian quarterback, Nico Rhouda, has played well this season throwing for 1,111 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Vikings lean lean heavily on running back Devontae Jordan however. Jordan enters week six as the league’s leading rusher by a wide margin putting up 905 yards and 14 touchdowns in five games. His best game came three weeks ago where he ran for 282 yards and seven touchdowns against a league-worst Swarco Raiders defense. In last week’s blanking of the Black Panthers, he had 29 carries for 149 yards and two scores. There is no question, he’s one of the favorites for league MVP.