With only two games left to go in the 2022 German Football League season, it is now clinching time for half of the league. The Braunschweig New Yorker Lions (4-2-2) are trying to clinch a playoff spot for the ninth season in a row, while the Dresden Monarchs (4-4) are looking to get their 10th consecutive postseason berth.
The Lions are the league’s most storied franchise. They have been in a predicament like this before where they know that they need to just win one game and they are playoff bound.
The Monarchs finally won their first German Bowl last year. However, this year, they are in danger of being the first reigning champion to miss the playoffs in over a decade. In order to avoid such an outcome, the team knows they have to win their final two games.
So far for Dresden, they have won two of their last three games, led by running back David Baum, who has made the Monarchs the fourth best rushing team in the league. Baum’s play for the season has made him the fourth best running back in the GFL in particular, with 605 yards, five touchdowns, 6.5 yards per attempt and 75.6 yards per game. The Monarchs have also welcomed the return of quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels who was in the first game of the season. He has played in the last two games for Dresden, both wins, and thrown for a total of 392 yards and six touchdowns in the two.
Their most effective force on defense has been linebacker Andrew McElroy. Despite not having any sacks for the season this far, he has led the team in total tackles for the season with 64; 40 of them being solo tackles.
For Braunschweig, they have lost their last two games and need to perform better. Quarterback Jacob Parks suffered a season ending injury and has been replaced with Casey Therriault who led the Lions to four German Bowl victories and one Eurobowl title between 2013 and 2017. This will be a completely different Lions offense. On defense, their most effective force has been linebacker OJ Thompson, with six sacks so far this season.
Who is going to get the W this time? Will it be the Monarchs, winners of their last two and all of the pressure on the road? Or will it instead be the Lions, who lost their last two games but have been in this situation will go. Sunday will give us the answer.
Dresden Monarchs @ Braunschweig New Yorker Lions, August 21, 15:00 CET, (3 pm, 9:00 am ET)
