LIVESTREAM Germany PPV: Braunschweig Lions @ Berlin Rebels, Aug. 29, 16:00 CEt (4 pm, 10 am ET)
The Berlin Rebels (2-8) host the Braunschweig Lions (3-8) Saturday at Mommsenstadion in a German Football League regular-season finale with a brutally simple equation: the winner stays out of the playdowns, while the loser will have to fight to remain in Germany’s top division.
Rebels need offense to finish drives
The Rebels already know they can beat Braunschweig. They took the first meeting 24-22 on the road, one of only two victories in a season that has repeatedly seen the offense move the football without turning enough drives into points.
Tyquell Fields remains the key. The mobile quarterback can hurt defenses from the pocket or pull the ball down and take off, and his ability to work the run-pass option gives Berlin another dimension when the offense finds its rhythm.
Running back Naz Bombata provides the power on the ground, while Nate Stewart and Filip Uderhardt give Fields targets through the air. However, the season-ending injury to receiver Jermaine Enyiagu in the first meeting with the Lions removed another weapon from the offense.
The Rebels will need those yards to turn into touchdowns Saturday.
Watch live PPV. Braunschweig Lions @ Berlin Rebels, Aug. 29, 16:00 CETt (4 pm, 10 am ET)
Lions arrive with same urgency
There is no safety net for Braunschweig, either.
The Lions have beaten the Düsseldorf Panther, Straubing Spiders and Saarland Hurricanes, but losses to the top teams in the North pushed them out of playoff contention.
Quarterback Ryon Thomas leads a Braunschweig offense that now faces a Berlin defense capable of making life uncomfortable. Paul Seifert anchors the defense, while Exavier Edwards can create problems in the secondary and Jonas Gacek gives the front seven another threat around the quarterback.
That defense held Hildesheim to six points through three quarters last week before the Invaders pulled away for a 26-2 win.
Winner walks away safe
This is essentially a playoff game arriving before the postseason.
The Rebels have home field and the confidence of already beating the Lions, but Braunschweig comes to Berlin knowing exactly what is waiting if it loses.
There is no help coming from another result and no complicated tiebreaker to follow. Whoever wins at Mommsenstadion secures its GFL status. Whoever loses heads into the playdowns against the seventh-place team from the GFL South.
For two teams whose seasons haven’t gone as planned, everything now comes down to one afternoon in Berlin.
Watch live PPV. Braunschweig Lions @ Berlin Rebels, Aug. 29, 16:00 CETt (4 pm, 10 am ET)
