With the regular season officially behind us, the German Football League playoffs can officially commence.
The Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns after coming off of yet another undefeated regular season will begin another journey in the postseason against GFL returnee, Berlin Adler.
After quietly securing their sixth perfect regular season in a row, the Unicorns are the overwhelming favorites to win the German Bowl this year. With a squad dominant on all sides of the ball, it would be utterly shocking if they lost on the round in the first round.
The Berlin Adler are one of the GFL’s most storied franchises. After facing some financial troubles in 2017 and even relegation to the third tier in 2019, the team is back in the top league and are once again back in the playoffs.
Berlin boasted one of the league’s best offenses, finishing third in total offense with 4,146 total yards, 6.9 yards per play, 44 touchdowns and 326 points. Quarterback Zachary Cavanaugh was the top passer in the GFL, leading the league with a 312.8 yards per game average, after throwing for 2,815 yards and 26 touchdowns with a 68.6 completion percentage. His key targets were wide receivers Max Zimermann (51 rec. for 899 yards and 11 touchdowns) and Patrick Donahue (57 rec. for 845 yards and 5 touchdowns).
On defense, the team finished in seventh place, with 348.3 yards allowed per game, 6.4 yards per game, 40 touchdowns and 318 points. Because of their great offense, it allowed them to maintain a positive point differential with +8. However, that was still tied with the Dresden Monarchs, who finished fifth in their division and had two more losses. Defensive back Quentin Jackson led the team in tackles with 38 and had two forced fumbles.
The Unicorns, from top to bottom, have an excellent roster. Offensively, they are ranked second in the whole league, only behind fellow undefeated team, the Potsdam Royals and posted 7.4 yards per attempt, 428.6 yards per game, 58 touchdowns and 437 points. Their main starting quarterback for the season, Reilly Hennessey, started six games and was efficient commanding the offense throwing for 1,524 yards and 18 touchdowns with a 73.1% completion rate. H his backup James Slack started four games throwing for 1,253 yards and 19 touchdowns, for a 182.7 efficiency rating.
Schwäbisch Hall, besides having a top offense, also had the top ranked defense in the GFL. As a team they allowed only 242.8 yards per game, 4.4 yards per attempt, 20 touchdowns and 148 points. They also had the largest point differential in the game with a staggering +289.
The Unicorns are favored to win but can the Adler pull off the upset as they did in the 2013 quarterfinals and shock the Unicorns again?
