LIVESTREAM: Germany – Düsseldorf Panthers @Berlin Rebels, Sunday, June 23, 3p CEDT (9a EDT)

The 0-7 Düsseldorf Panther are traveling to Berlin’s Mommsenstadion for the second game in a home-and-away series  Sunday, June 23 against the 2-3 Berlin Rebels as the German Football League wraps up its seventh round of play.

The Rebels downed Düsseldorf last week 55-20 in the first game of the series.

The Rebels earned their first victory of the year the week before, downing the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes 33-13. They had suffered through a dismal opening to their 2019 season losing all three games, which they have not done since 2015 when they lost their first three games of the year en route to a 4-8 season.

The Rebels were beaten 30-17 in their opening game by the Potsdam Royals in Potsdam, and then they dropped a 29-12 decision to the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions. Three weeks ago, the Hildesheim Invaders proved too much for the 2018 German quarterfinalists, beating them 56-41.

Berlin’s new quarterback, Kurt Palandech, in his first start, threw for 367 yards and six touchdowns in the win over the Panther. The week before, in his first game, he rotated with regular quarterback Terrell Robinson in the win over Kiel. He completed 13 of 18 passes for 130 yards and rushed for another. Robinson engineered one of the touchdown drives but also caught four passes for 31 yards. TJ Esekielu as the leading receiver with 24 catches for 409 yards and three touchdowns. Alexander Tounkara caught four passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns last week to boost his totals to 216 yards for the year. The running game which was the strength of the team last season, seems to have come alive and with Andreas Betza rushing for a total of 259 yards, has now risen to ninth overall averaging 109 yards a game.

The Panther have dropped seven in a row following last week’s loss to Berlin. The week before they suffered a 44-21 loss to the Cologne Crocodiles which followed a game in which they were beaten by the HIidesheim Invaders 46-10. They had opened the season losing to the Monarchs 49-13, the Invaders 49-17 , Potsdam Royals, 34-17 and the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes 37-17.

Panther quarterback Christian Strong (Seton Hill) has completed 149 of 269 passes for 1,467 yards and 10 touchdowns with Féli Manoka as his leading receiver with 563 yards. He has tossed 14 interceptions however. Sergej Kendus is the team’s leading rusher but he has only carried the ball 56 times for 288 yards in six games and with 137 of those yards in one game against Potsdam. 

The Rebels are playing at home and with their quarterbacking issue now seemingly resolved, they are looking to improve to a 3-3 record.

Watch the game live here. Düsseldorf Panthers @Berlin Rebels, Sunday, June 23, 3p CEDT (9a EDT)