LIVESTREAM Germany: Ingolstadt Dukes @ Marburg Mercenaries, July 23, 15:00 CET (3 pm, 9 am EDT)

| American Football | 07/23/2023

The Ingolstadt Dukes (3-3) head to Marburg to face a winless Marburg Mercenaries team (0-6) desperately needing a victory as the German Football League returns to action after a two week break.

The Mercenaries are coming off of two close losses which saw them push the division leading Allgäu Comets before succumbing 28-21 in one and then watch as the Munich Cowboys scored with two minutes left in the other to beat them 24-21.

The Mercenaries are now led by quarterback Elliot Bodman who took over the starting reins in the 26-21 loss to the Ravensburg Razorbacks on June 18. Since then, he has thrown for 647 yards and six touchdowns against only one interception and has been a steadying influence on the offense. Marburg’s passing game will be the key as they are ninth in the league averaging 191.3 yards a game as compared to their rushing game which is dead last in terms of yards per game (64.7). Bodman’s main targets are Devon Smith who has 415 yards receiving on 36 receptions (4 TDs) and Niklas Fengler who has 23 catches for 206 yards and a score. Bodman is his team’s leading rusher with 37 carries for 159 yards and 3 TDs (Marburg’s only rushing touchdowns).

Watch live PPV. Ingolstadt Dukes @ Marburg Mercenaries, July 23, 15:00 CET (3 pm, 9 am EDT)

Defensively, Marburg’s secondary has done an excellent job so far giving up 214 yards passing per game, good for seventh. It’s the Mercenaries rush defense that is soft as teams are able to rush for an average of 155 yards a game.

After dropping three straight games, Ingolstadt won two in a row beating both beating the Munich Cowboys 39-20 and the Straubing Spiders 45-28. Their offense is clicking and quarterback Matthew Weimer is the third leading passer in the GFL having thrown for 1,816 yards (72.9% completion percentage) and 21 touchdowns. His top targets, Gabriel Bocella (718 yds) and Sven Beyrich (622 yds) are the second and fifth leading receivers respectively in the GFL and will put pressure on the Marburg secondary. Running back Jean-Charles Moukouri has rushed for 344 yards in six games but found the end zone just twice. However, facing the Mercenaries’ rush defense, expect Moukouri to have a good day carrying the ball.

With Marburg now facing the prospect of relegation, they will definitely need to pick up their game and with six games remaining, today’s game at home will likely be the place for them to re-start. Ingolstadt is currently in the last playoff spot in the GFL South and a win today would further solidify their position.

Watch live PPV. Ingolstadt Dukes @ Marburg Mercenaries, July 23, 15:00 CET (3 pm, 9 am EDT)

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