Key Matchups of Week 2

It’s gameday! Here are my key matchups for Week 2 game:

Jéan Constant vs. Lucas Masero

Jéan Constant will be taking on the team with which he had his breakout on the European stage this weekend. The European League of Football all-time receiving yards leader has been a threat over the past two seasons and will be the Dragons’ number one priority today. He is set to match up with Lucas Masero, who played an amazing game last weekend, intercepting one pass and almost picking off another one. If Masero can hold his ground in this matchup, he can establish himself as one of the best homegrown cornerbacks in this league.

Shazzon Mumphrey vs Darren Okoeguale

With standout running back Adam Žouželka banged up, the Prague Lions will rely even more on Shazzon Mumphrey this week. The only problem? The Cologne Centurions defense played rock solid last week and especially young defensive back Darren Okoeguale will try his best to make the QB’s life hell again, after an amazing performance last week. Can Okoeguale sack and tackle Mumphrey this week, like he did against Zach Edwards, or can the Lions’ quarterback escape the pressure?

Galaxy pass rush vs Enthroners’ offensive line

The Fehérvár Enthroners offensive did not look very good last Saturday, to say the least. The team gave up 7 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and numerous quarterback hits against the Berlin Thunder and two-time DPOY Kyle Kitchens. To make matters worse, offensive guard and Second-Team All-Star Alper Peközer left the game due to an injury. Although the Galaxy defensive line did not look great on the stat sheet, the unit put a lot of pressure on Jadrian Clark, leading to him only completing 50% of his passes behind one of the best units in the league. The Enthroners’ OL will surely be better compared to last week, but will that be enough to stop the Galaxy?

Digaan Gomis vs Asnnel Robo

Since we have not seen anything from the Stuttgart Surge so far, it was not easy to pick out a key-matchup. But since Jordan Neuman ran a pretty balanced offense over his past few years with the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, I decided to go with Asnnel Robo. The French running back will face off against a team that only allowed 68 rushing yards last week. A big part of that was linebacker Digaan Gomis, who was a menace in the run game, recording two TFL and four total tackles. Can Robo get the Surge offense going, or can Gomis and his team shut down the opposing run game once again?

Tony Tate vs Leipzig’s depleted backfield

Tony Tate played a great game last weekend, catching four passes for three touchdowns and 175 yards against the Hamburg Sea Devils last week. “Turbo Tate” will have a chance to repeat his performance this week against the Leipzig Kings, who are missing their European standout cornerback. Roedion Henrique injured himself last week during the process of picking off Shazzon Mumphrey and will miss the remainder of the season. While Devan Burrell and William James are a great safety duo it remains to be seen, whether the Kings’ cornerbacks can keep up with Tate.

Jarvis McClam vs Helvetic Guards Special Teams

Jarvis McClam played an amazing game in Week 1, but it was on special teams, where the MVP of the Week stood out the most. With a total of 230 return yards, of which most came in the first quarter, McClam proved to be a true game changer for the Raiders. The Helvetic Guards will have a busy day trying to contain him on offense alone, but they’ll need to limit his production on special teams if they want to win this week. 

Kyle Kitchens vs Aleksandar Milanovic

Kyle Kitchens is trying to win the Defensive Player of the Year for a third time in a row and started his campaign with four sacks, five TFL, a forced fumble and rumble recovery touchdown. But this week, the American will face one of the best left tackles in the league. Second-Team All-Star Aleksandar Milanovic will be a tough matchup for the two-time DPOY. Kitchens will probably move around the line a lot, like he already did last week, to try to find a better matchup against a very good unit. Can Kitchens wreck the game again, or can Milanovic limit his production?

Rhein Fire WRs vs Sea Devils DBs

The European League of Football attendance record will get crushed on Sunday when the Sea Devils will play against the Rhein Fire at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg. But in order to make it a close and interesting game, the Sea Devils’ defensive backfield has to take a massive step compared to their weak performance last week. Getting their starting safeties Victor Omorodion and First-Team All-Star Kevin Fortes back will certainly help. But the Rhein Fire wide receiver group might be the best in the league. With First-Team All-Star Nathaniel Robitaille, 2021 All-Star Anthony Mahoungou, Féli Manoka and many more, former Sea Devils’ QB Jadrian Clark has a lot of weapons that can the decide the game for Tomsula’s team. Can Hamburg leave their struggles in coverage behind, or will the Rhein Fire pass catchers dominate in front of 30000 fans at the Volksparkstadion?

 

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