ELF: Berlin Thunder find rhythm in decisive victory over Wrocław Panthers

The Berlin Thunder have finally found their rhythm on offense with a 36–27 victory over the Wrocław Panthers in Week 3 of the European League of Football (ELF). Both the Thunder and the Panthers now sit at 2–1.

Over the first two weeks in the league, Berlin quarterback Donovan Isom ranked nearly dead last, despite having one of the best receiving rooms in the league. In their Week 3 matchup against the Panthers however, Isom finally produced what was expected of him with a 364-yard and four touchdown performance. 

From the offset the Berlin defense smothered Panthers’ quarterback Matthew Vitale, resulting in the young American getting sacked eight times and throwing two picks, a far cry from what we had seen previously. The single bright spark for Wrocław offense was 22-year old running back Dawid Brzozowski who exploded onto the scene with a 223-yard game. Look for Brzozowski to be a feature of the offense moving forward.

The game was relatively close in the first half with Berlin going in up 13–6 after the second quarter. The Thunder began to pull away in the third quarter with touchdowns from both wideouts Max Zimmerman and Aaron Jackson as well as a field goal. But the star on the day, and undoubtedly Isom’s new best friend, was Robin Wilzeck. With just five receptions he managed to amass 209 yards and two touchdowns. His ability to make plays after the catch, including a 61-yard touchdown off a hitch, kept the Panthers at arm’s length.

A touchdown for the Panthers with 1.40 left on the clock in the fourth quarter made the game appear closer than it was. With the Thunder competently taking down the red hot Panthers their season may well be back on track after their agonizing loss to the Vienna Vikings last week.