AFLE: Vienna Vikings once again show Rhein Fire their limits

The Vienna Vikings reinforced their status as the team to beat in the American Football League Europe on Saturday, defeating the Rhein Fire 28-16 in front of 6,055 spectators at Duisburg’s Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena.

The Vikings improved to 8-0 and completed a regular-season sweep of their biggest rival, having also beaten the Fire 24-10 in Vienna in Week 3. The Fire, which entered the game riding a four-game winning streak, dropped to 5-2.

Defenses set the tone

The anticipated clash between two of the league’s most productive offenses instead began as a defensive struggle. The Rhein Fire lost a Jonathan Scott fumble on its opening possession, but Vienna failed to take advantage when Dennis Tasic missed a 45-yard field goal. The Fire answered with a lengthy drive of its own, only for Sebastian Van Santen to miss from 37 yards as the opening quarter ended scoreless.

Momentum swings before halftime

The game finally broke open just 11 seconds into the second quarter. Fire defensive end Diego Paz intercepted Ben Holmes and returned the ball 55 yards for a touchdown, giving the home side a 7-0 lead.

Holmes responded like a quarterback who had thrown only one interception during the first seven games of the season. He led the Vikings on a methodical 13-play, 62-yard possession that consumed nearly eight minutes, finishing it with a three-yard touchdown pass to Yannick Mayr. The extra point was missed, leaving the Rhein Fire ahead 7-6.

After the Vikings defense forced a punt, Holmes needed only five plays to put Vienna in front. Passes of 14 yards to Karri Pajarinen and 16 and 39 yards to Noah Touré carried the Vikings to the one-yard line, from where Holmes scored on a quarterback sneak. The attempted two-point conversion failed, but Vienna had taken a 12-7 lead.

The Fire appeared poised to answer after Nazir Streater’s 50-yard kickoff return gave the offense possession at the Vienna 36. Kenji Bahar moved his team to the 10-yard line, but Benjamin Straight intercepted his pass in the end zone. Kaylon Geiger tackled Straight before he could escape, resulting in a safety that reduced Vienna’s halftime advantage to 12-9.

Vikings seize control

The Vikings took control immediately after the break. Holmes found Darrell Stewart Jr. for 50 yards on the opening possession of the third quarter and completed the seven-play, 75-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown pass to Bernhard Seikovits.

The Vienna Vikings’ defense then forced a three-and-out before the offense mounted another sustained drive. The Vikings traveled 68 yards in 12 plays and kept the ball for almost seven minutes before Tasic converted a 34-yard field goal, extending the lead to 22-9.

Defense closes the door

The Fire finally produced its first offensive touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Bahar connected with Harlan Kwofie for 26 yards to set up first-and-goal, then found him again from six yards out to make it 22-16.

Any momentum the Fire had generated lasted less than three minutes. Holmes completed three passes to Touré on Vienna’s response, including a 19-yard gain to the four-yard line, before Pajarinen powered into the end zone. Another failed two-point attempt left the score at 28-16.

The Fire still had an opportunity to make it a one-score game and drove from its own 40 to the Vienna one. Geiger caught a pass near the goal line, but Amani Dennis knocked the ball loose and recovered it himself, ending the Fire’s best remaining chance. Vienna’s defense stopped the Fire on downs once more in the final two minutes to seal the victory.

Numbers tell the story

Holmes completed 23 of 29 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to his rushing score. Touré led the Vikings with seven receptions for 114 yards, while Seikovits caught five passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. Pajarinen contributed 42 rushing yards, 48 receiving yards and the decisive fourth-quarter score.

Bahar finished 26 of 43 for 211 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Kwofie was the Rhein Fire’s leading offensive performer with 11 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.

The Vikings finished with a 382-233 advantage in total offense, recorded 26 first downs to the Fire’s 16 and held the hosts to just 34 rushing yards. Most importantly, Vienna scored on four of its five red-zone possessions while the Rhein Fire managed points on only one of five trips inside the Vikings’ 20.

Scoring summary

Second quarter

RHF – Diego Paz 55-yard interception return (Sebastian Van Santen kick), 14:49. Rhein Fire 7-0.

VIK – Yannick Mayr 3-yard pass from Ben Holmes (kick missed), 7:01. Rhein Fire 7-6.

VIK – Ben Holmes 1-yard run (two-point pass failed), 2:22. Vienna 12-7.

RHF – Kaylon Geiger safety, 0:43. Vienna 12-9.

Third quarter

VIK – Bernhard Seikovits 2-yard pass from Ben Holmes (Dennis Tasic kick), 11:02. Vienna 19-9.

VIK – Dennis Tasic 34-yard field goal, 2:02. Vienna 22-9.

Fourth quarter

RHF – Harlan Kwofie 6-yard pass from Kenji Bahar (Sebastian Van Santen kick), 14:09. Vienna 22-16.

VIK – Karri Pajarinen 4-yard run (two-point pass failed), 11:05. Vienna 28-16.