The league's two hottest teams face off this weekend. The Amsterdam Admirals (3-1-0) will host the Rhein Fire (4-0-0) in what is probably the most anticipated match up of the season thus far. Packers wide receiver Chad Lucas set a NFL Europe record with four touchdown catches last week for the Admirals and now leads the league with six scores. His efforts earned him Offensive Player of the Week.
Lining up across from him for the Fire will be Green Bay teammate, cornerback Therrian Fontenot, who has two picks this year for the NFL-E's top defense.
Amsterdam's top-ranked offense is on pace to post 312 points this season, which would eclipse the record of 310 set by the 1991 London Monarchs. Among several other offensive categories, the Admirals also are the leaders in plays covering 20-plus yards with 17 (eight rushing, nine passing). The Fire have surrendered a league-low 37 points in four games; they are on pace to allow 92 points, which would best the current record of 104 set by the 1992 Barcelona Dragons. The Rhein offense certainly deserves credit as well, leading the league with an average time of possession of 35:08 per game.
The Frankfurt Galaxy (2-2-0) travels to take on the only winless team in NFL Europe, the Hamburg Sea Devils (0-3-1). The good news for Hamburg is that Frankfurt has lost seven of its last eight games. The bad news is that the Sea Devils are last in the league with an average of 253.5 yards per game while Frankfurt is second with 326.8 and leads NFL-E with 155.3 rushing yards per game. When the teams met in Week 2, Frankfurt won easily, 31-14.
The Berlin Thunder (1-2-1) play the Cologne Centurions (1-3-0) in the first Monday night game in NFLE history. Both teams have collected just one win, and Berlin has lost three straight games for the first time since a mid-season spell in 2003. Despite being sacked a league-high six times, Centurions QBs lead NFL Europe with a 57.9 completion percentage. Berlin's offense is at the bottom in that category at 49.7 percent but is second in the league with 10 touchdowns. Cologne has been penalized a league-high 37 times for 351 yards while Berlin has been flagged a league-low 19 times.
Week 5 NFL Europe League Television Schedule
(All games broadcast on NFL Network)
Saturday, April 15
Rhein Fire at Amsterdam Admirals - 3:00 PM (CT) Tape Delay
Frankfurt Galaxy at Hamburg Sea Devils - 11:00 AM (CT) Live
Monday, April 17
Cologne Centurions at Berlin Thunder - 9:00 AM (CT) Live
Green Bay Packers In NFL-E
S Atari Bigby, Amsterdam Admirals
Tied for team lead with 7 tackles against Berlin.
WR Vince Butler, Amsterdam Admirals
Saw action against Berlin.
CB Therrian Fontenot, Rhein Fire
Had 1 tackle and 1 pass defensed against Hamburg.
TE Tory Humphrey, Amsterdam Admirals
Caught 2 passes for 22 yards against Berlin.
WR Chad Lucas, Amsterdam Admirals
Set NFL Europe League record with 4 touchdown receptions (10, 5, 19, 50) against Berlin. Totaled 6 receptions for 120 yards.
DE Jerome Nichols, Frankfurt Galaxy
Registered 3 tackles against Cologne.
G Pete Traynor, Rhein Fire
Started against Hamburg.
QB Brian Wrobel, Berlin Thunder
Completed 5 of 12 passes for 47 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown pass against Amsterdam. Added 24 yards rushing and a 4-yard touchdown run.
NFL Europe League Standings
Rhein Fire (4-0-0)
Amsterdam Admirals (3-1-0)
Frankfurt Galaxy (2-2-0)
Berlin Thunder (1-2-1)
Cologne Centurions (1-3-0)
Hamburg Sea Devils (0-3-1)
Week 4 Results
Amsterdam 38, BERLIN 31
RHEIN 31, Hamburg 21
FRANKFURT 21, Cologne 14
