In a matchup of two top teams in the German Football League’s North Division, the 4-1 Berlin Adler will take on the 3-0-2 Braunschweig New Yorker Lions.
These teams are tied for second in the division, behind the undefeated Potsdam Royals, so this game has huge implications for the rest of the season.
After losing at home to the Potsdam Royals, Berlin has won three straight games, taking care of business against three teams below them in the standings. Last week, they took down the Cologne Crocodiles on the road in a thriller, winning 34-33 on a last-second field goal from kicker Lenny Krieg. Berlin’s quarterback, Zach Cavanaugh, had a great game, completing 24 of 31 passes for 358 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. The 35-year-old American has played well all season, as his abilities in the pocket and clutch plays late in games have been a big reason why Berlin has had such a strong start to the season after being promoted from the second division. He has been aided by some standout receivers, including Max Zimmerman and Patrick Donahue, another American veteran, who recorded 10 catches for 154 yards and a touchdown last week at Cologne. Berlin’s offense has carried them to four victories on the season, and they are looking to make it five this weekend.
On the other side, Braunschweig comes into this game still undefeated, yet two ties early in the season have given them the strange record of 3-0-2. The Lions are coming off a blowout 59-6 win over the last-place Dusseldorf Panthers. After the first quarter ended 3-3, the Lions completely took over the rest of the way. Quarterback Jakob Parks completed 17 of 26 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns in an efficient performance, while Finn Opperman recorded 80 yards on 14 carries on the ground. The MVP of the game was Mika Wickinger, who had a rushing touchdown, a receiving touchdown, and a kickoff return touchdown. His kickoff return touchdown came in the second quarter after Dusseldorf had taken a 6-3 lead, and it began a stretch of 56 unanswered points to end the game for Braunschweig. The defense had a great day as well, scoring as many points as they conceded, as Florian Fehrle returned an interception for a touchdown. That performance has given the team a lot of momentum heading into this matchup with Berlin.
With both teams coming in on a roll, it is hard to say who has the upper hand in this contest. Expect a hard-fought and close game between two of Germany’s top teams.
