LIVESTREAM Germany: Düsseldorf Panther @ New Yorker Lions, June 11, 18:00 CET (6 pm, 12 noon ET)

| American Football | 06/11/2022

This Saturday, June 11, the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions will host the Düsseldorf Panther in a German Football League third round clash.

The Lions have a strange record of 1-0-2, as they have already tied twice in three games, including last week’s 21-21 deadlock against the Berlin Rebels. They downed the Cologne Crocodiles 27-14 in the second game of the year after tying the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes 14-14 to open the season. The Panther are 0-2 and are hungry for their first win of the season. Though it can be hard to compare teams this early in the season, we can look at common opponents for an idea of how teams stack up against each other. Each of these teams have played the Cologne Crocodiles so far, with the Lions beating them and the Panther losing to them 48-21.

Last week, the Lions were relatively happy to walk away with a tie, as they scored a touchdown late in the 4th quarter to even the score. Now, they are hoping to get back into the win column. Quarterback Jakob Parks completed 21 of 36 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns, including a late strike to Mika Wickinger to tie the game. Tasmir Seck was the Lions’ leading receiver, catching seven passes for 75 yards, while Abedi Bawa led the way on the ground with 13 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown. Parks and his offensive teammates are looking to build off that strong ending and carry their momentum into this week. The defense has been pretty solid to start the season, conceding an average of just over 16 points per game. Against a weaker opponent in Düsseldorf this week, Braunschweig has a chance to secure a comfortable win at home and keep pace at the top of the standings, but they must be careful to not overlook the Panther.

After being promoted to the top division of German football, the Panther added several import players over the offseason, including a couple of NCAA Division 1 players in quarterback Kevin Doyle from the University of Arizona and receiver Joey Walden from Ole Miss. Early on in the season, they are still trying to adjust to their new team and their new league. The Panther offense has struggled to start the season, as the team is averaging just 10.5 points and 218 yards per game. Last week, they were stifled by the Berlin Adler, being on the receiving end of a shutout. Doyle completed just 12 of 26 passes for 114 yards and threw four interceptions in the loss. The defense has also gotten off to a slow start this season, giving up 69 points in 2 games. In order to get the win in this contest, both units will have to find a way to put it all together and play their best football

Düsseldorf Panther @ New Yorker Lions, June 11, 18:00 CET (6 pm, 12 noon ET)

A current student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Carter played football in high school and has been a lifelong avid football fan.