German Football League Midseason Power Rankings
The German Football League has seen a lot of changes from the 2022 season, with many teams shooting up in the rankings, while some former contenders find themelves lower on the list.
As we enter the second half of the season, let’s have a look at how each team has performed thus far.
1. Dresden Monarchs
Record: 5-1
Last Game: 63-32 W vs Saarland Hurricanes
Next Game: @ Paderborn Dolphins, July 30th
The top spot could have gone to any of the top three teams, but given their recent win over the Royals, the Monarchs take the mid-season crown.
Barring one uncharacteristically poor performance against the Berlin Rebels in week two, the Monarchs have been nothing short of incredible this year, particularly offensively. Led by QB Steven Duncan, who dominates the GFL in every passing stat when averaged per game, Dresden have ripped every defense they have faced to shreds, averaging 47.8 points per game. Dresden’s last outing saw Duncan break the GFL record for passing touchdowns, finishing the game with an outstanding 32 completions for 378 yards and nine touchdowns, at a ridiculous 91.4% completion rate.
Defensively, the Monarchs have had one of the better units in the GFL, averaging 25 points conceded per game, with some key performances coming from LB Hugo Dyrendahl, DL Adam Bender and DB Joe Cassidy to name a few.
2. Potsdam Royals
Record: 6-1
Last Game: 40-33 W vs Braunschweig NY Lions
Next Game: @ Paderborn Dolphins, August 6th
The 2022 German-Bowl runners-up have carried their momentum into this season, winning all but one of their matchups so far. Their lone defeat came in a 59-45 shootout against the Monarchs.
With the loss of Chris Helbig to the ELF, former Boise State QB Jaylon Henderson took control of the Royal’s offense and made an immediate impact. The dual-threat X-League star sits top five in passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage, while also racking up 366 yards and a league-leading seven touchdowns on the ground. Danish WR Simon Fons has been his primary target, recording 32 receptions for 677 yards and eight touchdowns while leading the league with 21.2 yards per reception.
3. Braunschweig NY Lions
Record: 5-1
Last game: 33-40 L @ Potsdam Royals
Next Game: @ Munich Cowboys, July 22nd
The New Yorker Lions have shown that they have easily the best defense in the GFL, conceding just 18 points per game in an offense-dominant league. The one exception is their single loss to Potsdam, a game where defense was simply not a factor with both teams scoring on all but one drive. Matthew Soldner leads the league in interceptions, while OJ Thompson sits second in tackles-for-loss.
Offensively, QB Karé Lyles has been solid, hovering around the top 10 in all passing stats, but their run game is where the Lions distance themselves from the competition. British RB D’wayne Obi has recorded 709 yards, which is almost 150 yards clear of second place – with a game in hand. Obi has an average of an absurd 118 yards per game, while his seven rushing touchdowns put him in first place with Jalyon Henderson.
4. Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns
Record: 4-2
Last Game: 24-21 W @ Allgäu Comets
Next Game: vs Saarland Hurricanes, July 29th
Following the departure of head coach Jordan Neumann and around half of the roster to the ELF’s Stuttgart Surge, the defending German champions had a rocky start to 2022, taking a loss in the season opener in a rematch of last year’s German Bowl vs Potsdam, followed two weeks later by a loss to Braunschweig. The Unicorns have since found their feet, however, claiming three straight wins, including a close win over the previously-undefeated Allgäu Comets.
Mike Gentili has been great on the ground, rushing for 85 yards per game, putting the veteran RB second in the league in this category. Despite this the Unicorns’ offense still leaves fans with much to desire, as Ian Gehrke has been far from accurate at QB, with a completion rate of 53.3%, barely scraping the top ten in yards and touchdowns.
5. Allgäu Comets
Record: 5-1
Last Game: 21-24 L vs Schwäbisch Hall unicorns
Next Game: vs Marburg Mercenaries, July 30th
Although undefeated until their last game, the Comets have not shown the same level of dominance as other teams with similar records. Their last two games have been an unimpressive stretch, beating an incredibly weak Marburg side by just one score, followed by a loss to the Unicorns.
Nevertheless, the Comets have still shown themselves as one of the top teams in the GFL, particularly in their QB play. Javarian Smith leads the league in passing yards, falling just shy of 2,000 yards at the midseason mark, while holding second place in touchdowns (24) and turning the ball over just four times.
6. Berlin Rebels
Record: 4-3
Last Game: 31-28 W @ Kiel Baltic Hurricanes
Next Game: vs Kiel Baltic Hurricanes, August 5th
The Rebels have definitely been hot-and-cold this year, having taken wins over the likes of Dresden Monarchs, while suffering a loss to the Paderborn Dolphins. QB Connor Kaegi has been disappointing, leading the league in interceptions (10), but has still managed to get the ball in the endzone 15 times with 11 of those touchdown passes going to Bryce Goggin.
Defensively, Berlin find themselves near the top of the GFL, allowing just 21.6 points per game. Their recent games definitely appear to be closer to cold than hot, but it’s impossible to overlook a win over the Monarchs.
7. Saarland Hurricanes
Record: 4-2
Last Game: 47-18 W vs Ravensburg Razorbacks
Next Game: @ Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, July 29th
If not for the weakness of competition in the South, the Hurricanes would definitely be higher on this list. The Hurricanes took a week one loss to Allgäu by a margin of just four points, and their only other loss has come at the hands of the Dresden Monarchs.
Following their week one loss, Saarland brought in ex-California Golden Bears QB Robby Rowell and haven’t looked back since. Rowell has been an incredible addition to the team, passing for 1,395 yards and 17 touchdowns in his five appearances with an almost 70% completion rate. On top of these passing stats, the ex-University of Nottingham QB also sits third in rushing yards per game (83.6) and in rushing touchdowns (6). British RB Thomas Jones has also been a key addition to the Hurricanes, recording 730 all-purpose yards so far.
8. Ingolstadt Dukes
Record: 3-3
Last Game: 45-28 W @ Straubing Spiders
Next Game: @ Marburg Mercenaries, July 23rd
Offensively, Ingolstadt have been one of the better teams in the South, averaging over 33 points scored per game. Led by QB Matthew Weimer, the Dukes have one of the most dangerous passing offenses in the league and receivers Gabriel Boccella and Sven Beyrich hold two of the top three spots for receiving yards per game, both just over 100.
Defensively is where Ingolstadt has struggled; their three losses have seen the Dukes put up great numbers offensively, only to be outscored by their opponents. If they can improve their defense, the Dukes could see a huge jump in rankings by the end of the season.
9. Paderborn Dolphins
Record: 3-3
Last Game: 37-30 W @ Ravensburg Razorbacks
Next Game: vs Dresden Monarchs, July 30th
Despite a poor start to the season and some tough games, the Dolphins’ last two games have shown huge improvement from the start of the season, even coming away with a surprising win over the Berlin Rebels. They rank first in team defensive interceptions (10), three of which coming in their defensive domination of the Rebels.
10. Berlin Adler
Record: 3-4
Last Game: 23-14 W vs Kiel Baltic Hurricanes
Next Game: @ Kiel Baltic Hurricanes, July 29th
The Berlin Adler have had a really tough start to their season in terms of level of competition, meaning we could see them shoot up the rankings as they get some more wins under their belt.
Following a rough three-game stretch which saw the Adler take three straight losses to very good teams, Berlin bounced back with a win over the Hurricanes and will look to do the same in the return contest.
11. Straubing Spiders
Record: 2-5
Last Game: 28-45 L vs Ingolstadt Dukes
Next Game: @ Ingolstadt Dukes, July 29th
The Straubing Spiders had another tough outing last week, falling to the Ingolstadt Dukes by a significant margin, a week after being dominated by the Unicorns. The Spiders have been very one dimensional offensively, relying heavily on Kamal Cass. Cass leads the team in both rushing and receiving yards, with 560 yards in each discipline, while also returning kicks and punts. This puts him over 1,200 all-purpose yards, but makes defenses jobs a lot easier when scheming against Straubing.
12. Munich Cowboys
Record: 2-4
Last Game: 24-21 W vs Marburg Mercenaries
Next Game: vs Braunschweig NY Lions July 22nd
This is where the massive dropoff from mid-tier teams to bottom teams lies. The Cowboys only two wins have come in fairly close matchups against the Mercenaries, while being beaten convincingly by every other team they have faced. Munich are on their third starting QB of the season in Justin Sottilare, with all three passers below 50% completions on the season.
13. Kiel Baltic Hurricanes
Record: 1-5
Last Game: 23-14 L @ Berlin Adler
Next Game: vs Berlin Adler, July 29th
The Kiel Baltic Hurricanes are the worst team in the North and it’s not close. Their lone win came in a cross-divisional matchup against the Ravensburg Razorbacks and, looking at their schedule, it would take a miracle for the Hurricanes to finish this season with more than that single victory.
That being said, they have somehow managed to make their two last games against the two Berlin teams competitive, but it’s unlikely that they will come that close to a win for the remainder of the 2023 season.
14. Ravensburg Razorbacks
Record: 1-6
Last Game: 18-47 L @ Saarland Hurricanes
Next Game: vs Munich Cowboys, July 29th
The Razorbacks have conceded more points than any other team in the GFL, averaging just shy of 34 points per game while only scoring 21. One positive has been LB Jeremy Conley, who leads the league in solo and total tackles (77, 50), making plays sideline-to-sideline.
Ravensburg could have the opportunity to walk away with another win this season as they travel to face the Mercenaries towards the tail end of the season – the home game of which saw the Razorbacks take their only win to date.
15. Marburg Mercenaries
Record: 0-6
Last Game: 21-24 L @ Munich Cowboys
Next Game: Ingolstadt Dukes, July 23rd
Unsurprisingly, the winless Marburg Mercenaries take the bottom spot on the GFL power rankings. Despite an embarrassing start to the season, Marburg are on a three game stretch of one-score games, coming closer and closer to that much-needed win.
Could we see the Mercenaries a win this season and shift up the rankings?
