ELF: Stuttgart Surge shut down Munich Ravens in 27-5 victory

In a matchup between two teams perceived as European League of Football playoff contenders, the Stuttgart Surge made a statement with a dominant 27-5 win over the Munich Ravens in Sinsheim, Germany this past weekend.

Stuttgart opened the scoring with a short field goal from Lenny Krieg, and doubled their lead in the second quarter with an impressive 51 yard field goal from Krieg,  The Ravens got on the board with a field goal from Robert Werner to cut the deficit to 6-3.  But the Surge got a big touchdown before halftime, as quarterback Reilly Hennessey found receiver Jan Pietsch for a 12 yard touchdown pass with 17 seconds remaining in the half.

In the third quarter, the Surge extended their lead when Yannick Mayr made an incredible catch in the end zone on a Hennessey pass from 10 yards out.  Later in the third quarter, the Surge gave the Ravens a gift when a wayward snap went over the punter’s head and through the end zone to give Munich two points.  Munich got the ball back and had a chance to make it a game, but Chad Jeffries was intercepted by Surge defensive back Mitch Fettig.  Stuttgart then struck again on a touchdown pass from Hennessey to Louis Geyer.  That touchdown would be the last score of the game, and the game ended at a score of 27-5.

For a Munich offense which was high-powered last season, they came out flat in 2024, as they managed just 196 total yards and just three points.  They did not even convert a single third down all game.  Their lackluster performance was indicative of the strength of the Surge defense which was a strong unit last season that got even stronger over the offseason.  

Stuttgart hits the road next week to face the Wroclaw Panthers in a intriguing matchup, while Munich will look to rebound next week in Milan against the Seamen.