"Goals haven’t changed" – Vikings ready for Panthers

The Vienna Vikings return from the league-wide bye week with a 9-1 record and a secured playoff spot. They clinched their place in the postseason with a win over the Fehérvár Enthroners in Game Week 11 – a victory that also secured their fourth consecutive East Division title. "I’m very proud to have another division championship under our belt, but that was kind of our expectation," said Vikings head coach Chris Calaycay. "Going into the season, it's always our number one goal to win our division." That game also marked the end of a three-game road stretch.

With two games remaining in the regular season, the Vikings will close out their schedule with back-to-back home appearances – starting this Saturday when they face the 5-5 Wrocław Panthers, a team under pressure to win and playing with nothing to lose. This, however, is a situation the Vikings are familiar with, as Calaycay explains: "Every time we step on the field, everybody wants to beat us – that's what being up at the top is like."

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Unpredictable Panthers challenge Vienna's defense

The Panthers enter the game with their backs against the wall in the fight for the remaining playoff spots. Their dual-threat quarterback, DJ Irons, will do everything he can to keep his team in the game. Vikings head coach Chris Calaycay is well aware of the challenge: "We just got to focus on number 0. We goanna make sure, that he’s not taking the game over with his legs."

But it's not just Irons' mobility that poses problems for the Vienna defense. "They show something different every week," Calaycay explained. "You can't find a set piece of offense that your say, 'This is the foundation of their offense.' It seems like every week they're coming out with something new, doing a ton of different formations and motions. It's hard to really get a beat in them from a tendency standpoint. I think they do that very well."

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Vikings’ offensive strength: "We'll be at our strongest toward the end of the season"

The Vikings' offense, however, is likely to present serious problems for the Panthers' defense as well. The reason is simple, as head coach Chris Calaycay explained during the weekly Vienna Vikings press talk: "We have so many weapons." Those weapons, as Calaycay calls them, are led by quarterback Ben Holmes. "Big credit to Ben for being able to distribute the ball to the guys we believe have the best matchups," the head coach added.

The Vikings' offense has steadily improved in recent weeks and is now performing at its highest level of the season. "We've timed it so that we'll be at our strongest toward the end of the season," said Calaycay. The team's strength was already noticeable in practice, according to head coach Chris Calaycay: "Having that week off was so important. The mentality and mindsets are in a really good spot right now. You could see it in Tuesday's practice, and it was exciting. You could feel it – that energy for the end of the season."

Calaycay on season goals 

The Vikings are focused and motivated to keep winning. Their goal remains clear, as head coach Chris Calaycay emphasized: "Our goals haven't changed for this year and it's to get to the Championship Game and win it."

Calaycay, who won the Coach of the Year award last season and is once again a candidate this year, reflected on the nomination: "Obviously it's an honor, but that represents the group of guys that we have working here." He highlighted, however, that the ultimate goal is winning the championship.

Kickoff for the game against the Wrocław Panthers is set for this Saturday at 18:00 CET at the ERGO Arena in Wiener Neustadt. For fans attending in person, the pregame festivities will begin at 15:00 CET. The Vikings remain committed to their mission and are set to bring their best effort every game as they chase the championship.

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