THIS GIVEN SUNDAY: FINAL PLAYOFF PIECES FALL INTO PLACE
For all the complaints and concerns about one-sided games and a supposed lack of quality in the European League of Football, the 2025 regular season reached its conclusion with a lot to be decided.
Although all four division titles had been secured, with three teams going into the weekend on identical 10-1 records, there was a small matter of seedings and bye weeks to be sorted, while both Wildcard places remained up for grabs, with four teams still in contention. What followed was a series of close-fought games for those with their season on the line.
The Vienna Vikings and Munich Ravens eventually emerged with the top seeds and automatic bye through the Wildcard round, but both were made to work for their reward on Saturday evening, as Paris pushed the Vikings far enough that the Austrians needed to force overtime before clinching the #1 seed, and Munich had to see off a feisty Wroclaw Panthers side with little to play for but pride. The Polish team led from the start, responding in kind to any Ravens score and were still ahead at the half, but wilted late on as Munich QB Russell Tabor again showed his class. Victory was enough to secure the #2 ranking for the Ravens, thrusting them into a first-ever ELF semi-final.
The Musketeers’ defeat in Vienna opened the door to each of the remaining Wildcard hopefuls, all of whom were in action the following day. Whilst the biggest clash again featured the already-qualified Nordic Storm and North Division rivals Rhen Fire, the game with most on the line took place in Frankfurt, where the home town Galaxy were hoping for a miracle to convert a once 3-5 record into a postseason spot. Their opponent, however, was also chasing the same goal and, behind their high-powered offense, the Madrid Bravos prevailed in a high-scoring encounter behind the combination of QB Reid Sinnett and WR Aron Cruickshank.
The second ‘FireStorm’ of the season already had more than just playoff hopes riding on it, as the reigning champions sought to avenge the one-point defeat inflicted on them in Copenhagen just a matter of weeks before. A cautious start from both sides led to a scoreless first quarter but, despite results earlier in the day having confirmed Rhein’s postseason return — and another clash with the Scandinavian ‘newcomers’ — neither was going to back down. With starters on display throughout, the Fire showed that they didn’t need a lot of offensive possession to carve out a satisfying win, although they had to fend off a stirring Storm recovery to ensure they got the W.
Nordic’s defeat cost them the third seed with Stuttgart having beaten the Fehérvár Enthroners on Saturday afternoon, the German side having to see off a typically resilient performance from their Hungarian hosts before emerging 47-20 victors on the arm of quarterback Reilly Hennessey and a 100-yard performance from WR Louis Geyer.
Among those teams playing out the string, there were expected comfortable wins for the Prague Lions over the Helvetic Mercenaries and Raiders Tirol over Cologne Centurions, but the German side must be commended for actually making sure the fixture went ahead as the Centurions’ financial position looked certain to force a non-appearance. Instead, the team’s ‘homegrowns’ drove themselves to Tivoli Stadium to ensure what is likely to be the club’s final continental appearance was met.
The remaining game, which saw Hamburg travelling to Berlin, produced not only a high score, but also a pleasingly close encounter, which the Sea Devils — potentially also making their last European league appearance — eventually clinched 56-44.
And, with that, the ELF playoff picture fell into place. While Vienna and Munich enjoy a weekend off, Stuttgart’s rise to the #3 seed earns them a visit from the high-scoring Bravos, while the Storm and Fire meet for a third time in a little over six weeks, this time back in Copenhagen as the Scandinavians look to both extend their own dream season and end Rhein’s stranglehold on ELF championship games.
***
WEEK 14 SCORES
16.08.2025
Stuttgart Surge 47 @ 20 Fehérvár Enthroners
Munich Ravens 49 @ 26 Wroclaw Panthers
Paris Musketeers 29 @ 35 Vienna Vikings (OT)
17.08.2025
Helvetic Mercenaries 12 @ 69 Prague Lions
Hamburg Sea Devils 56 @ 44 Berlin Thunder
Madrid Bravos 47 @ 32 Frankfurt Galaxy
Cologne Centurions 6 @ 63 Raiders Tirol
Nordic Storm 19 @ 27 Rhein Fire
***
Game of the Week:
Paris Musketeers 29 @ 35 Vienna Vikings (OT)
While the return game between the Nordic Storm and Rhein Fire stole the midweek headlines and deservedly ended the Week 14 slate given the burgeoning rivalry brewing between the clubs, the most riveting encounter of the weekend took place almost 24 hours earlier, as the Paris Musketeers gave everything in search of a playoff return, only to be cruelly denied by their hosts.
The game was close throughout, but Paris kept the raucous home crowd on the edge of their seats, not least by controlling the fourth quarter clock through their ground game before adding a two-point conversion to Jason Bofunda’s touchdown with less than two minutes remaining. Trailing 29-21, the Vikings new exactly what they needed to stay in the game, and QB Ben Holmes duly guided them downfield before going in himself for the score. Vienna still needed to convert, but WR Reece Horn ensured overtime as he forced his way into the endzone for two.
Getting the ball first in the extra period proved crucial for the Vikings as Holmes again called his own number to push the home side ahead, but a missed kick kept the door ajar for the Musketeers. With the crowd now deafening, Henderson and his offense faced more than the 11 men across the line of scrimmage and it proved decisive, not just for the result but for the Musketeers’ season.
***
MVP of the Week
Jonathan Scott (Rhein Fire)
While Rhein quarterback Chad Jeffries again performed his own heroics in leading the Fire to victory over the Nordic Storm, it was running back Scott who proved to be the difference, answering a nine-minute scoring drive by the Storm with a one-play 60-yard scamper to keep the home side in front at the half. A second touchdown after the interval was enough to put clean air between the sides as Scott racked up 138 combined yards on a day when the home side didn’t need a lot of plays to emerge victorious.
UPS
Reid Sinnett & Aron Cruickshank (Madrid Bravos)
The Bravos ex-NFL duo not only confirmed Madrid’s place in the playoffs for a second straight year, but also continued to reset the record books as they tore into the Frankfurt Galaxy. QB Sinnett racked up another 300-yard throwing performance, adding six touchdowns for good measure, while Cruickshank placed himself firmly atop every receiving metric with 122 receptions, 1,729 yards and 20 touchdowns across the 2025 campaign.
Carlton Aiken Jr (Hamburg Sea Devils)
The latest face under center for the Sea Devils was definitely not a new one, as former Dragons and Mercenaries QB Aiken Jr rolled back the clock with seven total touchdowns, including six through the air on a 268-yard day, and one more as his legs racked up 141 yards on the ground, as he guided Hamburg to what amounted to a consolation win on what could be their final day in European competition. Not bad for a guy dragged out of retirement.
Wilie Patterson (Prague Lions)
If the Helvetic Mercenaries defense had been able to lay a tackle on him, Patterson may not be appearing here, but the eel-like American, playing out of the backfield in the absence of injured RB Adam Žouželka, was the focus of the Prague offense, running for 294 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another two scores on the end of passes from QB Javarian Smith. Even though three other scores were negated by penalties, with his mum in the crowd, it was a great season finale for Willie P!
Ben Holmes (Vienna Vikings)
He may not have been electric with his arm, but Holmes again proved to be the key to a Vikings victory in the face of a fiery defense. Having driven his side the length of the field to tie up the Paris Musketeers with an eight-point score as the clock ticked into its final seconds, Holmes then scored again to hand Vienna the overtime advantage and, ultimately, the win that secured the #1 seed.
Lukas Haslwanter (Raiders Tirol)
The opposition may not have been up to much, even by usual Cologne standards, but five touchdowns is still nothing to be sniffed at as Haslwanter took advantage of the situation to push himself further up the rushing charts.
DOWNS
Jaylon Henderson (Paris Musketeers)
Not for anything he did on the field, as Henderson played his heart out for the Musketeers, but the American’s efforts in playing through a facial injury that left his left eye practically closed for the entire second half were not rewarded as Vienna won in overtime to end the season for both Henderson and Paris.
Frankfurt Galaxy comeback dreams
They knew they needed a lot to go their way in Week 14, but Frankfurt gave it their best shot as, clad in orange in support of Cosnova, they went toe-to-toe with Madrid in what could have been a winner-takes-all game for the sixth seed. Ultimately, however, the stars refused to align and 21 unanswered third quarter points from the Bravos rocket-ship offense was the wake-up call on another season.
Cologne Centurions fans
Having made the trip to the Austrian Alps in support of a ragtag roster that ensured the Centurions final game of the season went ahead, the team’s devoted supporters — who were heatily thanked in what appeared to be a goodbye post on Instagram — not only witnessed another serious beatdown, but now face the prospect of not having a team to follow, at least in continental competition.
***
SEEN AND HEARD
- “The incredible noise and support of the Fire fans is on the minds of Nordic Storm now!”
Rhein Fire assistant head coach Fred Armstrong - “We gotta play every game 100 percent — if you slow down, that’s when injuries come, risk comes — so we had to pull it up and just go 100 percent as always. [Next week]’s gonna be a tough match, but we know that we’re gonna have a lot of our crowd on there, so we are confident about it. Everybody is united right now. We are like a brotherhood, and that makes the greatest teams. We’re gonna win that game for sure!”
Rhein Fire RB Jonathan Scott (to ProSieben) - “It’s great to finish another season with double digit wins. It’s three seasons in a row now, and we’re establishing a programme here for the long-term, so that’s really good.The Enthroners have a pretty good offense but, at the end of the day, I felt like our defense had it really under control and did a good job creating turnovers.”
Stuttgart Surge HC Jordan Neuman - “On offense, I thought we just kind of rolled, did our thing outside of a turnover, but, looking at the stats again, I think that’s a few weeks in a row where it’s been so many people contributing [and] it just shows again how deep we are as a team.”
Stuttgart Surge HC Jordan Neuman - “It was a very tough game. Unfortunately, we couldn’t turn things around in the fourth quarter, even though up until then we were fighting on equal terms. In the last quarter, the Ravens made the most of their chances, while we came up just a few plays short of finishing our drives with points. On top of that, mistakes on special teams gave them too many favourable field positions. Still, I have to praise the guys for battling until the very end. I believe the entire Polish American football community should be proud of these players, who put their hearts into competing all season long against some of the best teams in the European League of Football,”
Wroclaw Panthers OC Jakub Samel