The Berlin Rebels will play host to the Dresden Monarchs in a weekend of major showdowns at the midpoint of the 2017 German Football League regular season.
The Rebels and Monarchs are deadlocked at 4-2 in the German North standings with Dresden ahead owing to a better points differential. So this is an early battle for home field advantage in the playoffs.
Berlin had opened the 2017 season with four straight wins, but then dropped two in a row to the Cologne Crocodiles (34-29) and New Yorker Lions (50-17). They enter this game badly needing a win. The Monarchs were also flying high until they faced the Lions who brought them back down to earth with a 47-7 trouncing. Then they lost to Kiel before they disposed of the hapless Hamburg Huskies.
Needless to say, this is a huge game for both teams.
On paper, there is not much that separates the two. Dresden has the better offense in terms of points scored averaging 45.2 points per game as compared to the Rebels 31.2. Defensively, Berlin has the slight edge giving up 19.7 points a game while the Monarchs allow 26.2.
In fact, the biggest difference is in pass defense where the Rebels secondary has allowed far fewer yards passing (174.8) than Dresden (234).
All the stats mean nothing though once these two hit the field.
Dresden quarterback Garrett Safron is averaging 278 yards passing a game while the Rebels James Harris is at 202. Safron has thrown 23 touchdown passes though as compared to Harris’s 12. This could make a difference.
Dresden receiver Sebastian Sagne is the fourth leading receiver in Germany with 26 receptions for 558 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Rebels top receiver, Alexander Tounkara has 341 yards receiving on 20 catches, which places him eighth.
Both head coaches, Kim Kuci of the Rebels and Dresden’s John Leijten, are veterans of big games. Both are aware of the importance of this game.
