LIVESTREAM GFL Semifinal PPV: Braunschweig New Yorker Lions @ Potsdam Royals, Oct. 1, 15:00 CET (3 pm, 9 am EDT)

| American Football | 10/01/2023

The second German Football League semifinal matchup takes place Sunday, October 1 as the GFL North #2 seeded Braunschweig New Yorker Lions travel to face the number one seeded Potsdam Royals.

After both teams won their quarterfinal matchups, this sets the stage for them to meet for the second time this season. Braunschweig advanced to this semifinal round after defeating the Allgäu Comets last weekend in double overtime 36-34. The Royals are coming into the game after easily handling the Ingolstadt Dukes 54-0.

In the last matchup between these teams, Potsdam defeated the Lions 40-33 in front of Royals home crowd. This time around, Braunschweig will again be traveling into enemy territory to try and pull off the postseason upset.

Watch live PPV. Braunschweig New Yorker Lions @ Potsdam Royals, Oct. 1, 15:00 CET (3 pm, 9 am EDT)

For the Royals, the key to their success is through their star quarterback Jaylon Henderson. Henderson has gotten off to a great start in the postseason. During the first-round matchup against Ingolstadt, Henderson finished with 435 passing yards and 7 total scores en route to a 54-0 shutout.

Potsdam’s entire offense has been electric all season. The Royals rank first in points (50.2) and yards per game (480.2). They also lead the GFL with 46 total 2-point conversions.

While Royals may come into the game with the advantage on offense, the New Yorkers come in with statistically the best defense in the GFL. Through the regular season, Braunschweig was the only defense in the GFL to give up fewer than 200 points (175).

On offense, their usual success comes on the ground from star running back D’wayne Obi. But with him missing the first-round game, their quarterback Karé Lyles had to carry the load on offense. While the passing game was not the Lions strength in the regular season, Lyles had no problem stepping up. The Braunschweig signall caller threw for 316 yards and five touchdowns in their two-point double overtime victory over Allgäu.

While Braunschweig boasts a very strong defense, it will be interesting to see if they can bottle up Henderson. Expect this game to be a shootout, similar to their earlier regular season matchup.

The winner of the game will advance to the 2023 GFL Bowl to face the winner of the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns vs Dresden semifinal.

Watch live PPV. Braunschweig New Yorker Lions @ Potsdam Royals, Oct. 1, 15:00 CET (3 pm, 9 am EDT)

Noah Costantino is a student and football player at Baldwin Wallace University in Cleveland, Ohio. Fueled by his love for the game he looks to continue his knowledge of football at an international level. He is majoring in Communications with a