The Prague Black Panthers (6-4) who finished third overall in the Austrian Football League, will play host to the sixth place SonicWall Mödling Rangers (4-6) at Stadion Prosek in Prague, Czech Republic as Wild Card Weekend wraps up in Austria.
The Black Panthers won their final three games of the season, including a tough 34-31 victory over the Danube Dragons, to earn home field advantage in the wild card playoff game. The Rangers were the victims in the other two late-season wins as Prague pounded them 52-21 and 35-0. They would have to be the favorites in this game as well.
The Black Panthers run game is the key and is the best in Austria and is led by running back Herbert Gamboa who was the runaway rushing leader in the AFL with 1,268 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. Prague quarterback Dylan Potts finished fifth in overall rushing with 637 yards. The Black Panthers topped the AFL averaging 217.3 yards rushing a game. They were also by far the toughest team to run against giving up a mere 48 yards a game. In the two games between these two, Prague averaged over 250 yards a game while Mödling had 80.
The Rangers enter the game on a five game losing streak. They lost twice to the Black Panthers, twice to the Swarco Raiders and once to Vienna. A rough stretch of opponents and games. Quarterback Tyler Bruggman who came in part way through the year, had a rough outing in the last game against Prague, a 35-0 loss, throwing for only 80 yards. In the final game of the year, a 31-20 loss to Swarco, the Rangers played Benjamin Bräuer at quarterback.
