After Week 2 is in the books, all teams in the European League of Football have played at least one game. Let’s see where I rank the teams before Week 3 kicks off!

1.     Rhein Fire | 2-0

Rhein Fire stays at number one in my power ranking after a win against the Sea Devils in front of 32.500 fans at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg. I know that the score was not too far apart (27 – 22), but Rhein Fire was never in real danger to lose this game. In fact, they kept the Sea Devils running game to almost no production and were able to dominate the Hanseatic franchise in all three phases with another pick six by American defensive back Omari Williams! However, Week 3 against the Musketeers will be their most difficult task yet.

2.     Vienna Vikings | 1-0  

The Vikings started their first game of the season like they never stopped playing in the 2022 Championship Game. But after a halftime score of 24 – 3, the Thunder were able to climb back into the game. I know that the Vikings had to deal with several injuries and were not a full strength in the second half, but that’s football. But despite giving up 21 points in the fourth quarter, they were able to close out the game with a field goal at the end to start the season 1-0.  

3.     Raiders Tirol | 2-0

The Raiders have won against the Helvetic Guards with a final score of 22 – 7. This does not seem like a huge margin, but the Raiders were far more productive in all three phases. However, the Austrian franchise struggled to score in the redzone with 6 total trips to the redzone but only two touchdowns, two field goals and two turnovers. If they can work on their redzone productivity, the Raiders are as dominant as any other team in the league on offense.

In Week 3, they will host the 2-0 Dragons. Against a fiery team from Spain, it is detrimental to capitalize on your red zone opportunities and to set quarterback Conor Miller under pressure.

4.     Stuttgart Surge | 1-0

The Surge stay right where I put them in pre-season and kept them ever since: in my Top 5! The game against the Musketeers in Paris was hard-fought, but the Surge were too productive on offense with a huge game by German wide receiver Louis Geyer. If you compare the Surge defense to their performance from 2021 and 2022, it looks like night and day as well. The franchise turnaround has started!

5.     Berlin Thunder | 1-1  

The Berlin Thunder are now 1-1 after losing to the Vienna Vikings 27 – 24. After a great comeback in the fourth quarter, the Vikings pulled away with the win. Early mistakes in the first half cost them the game, but they showed resilience. When a team is down by 21 points at halftime, it says a lot about the character and culture of a franchise if it comes back into the game. And the Thunder did! It was not enough at the end, but the Thunder stay at five in this ranking because of their great second half. 

6.     Paris Musketeers | 1-1

The Musketeers lost their home opener against the Surge with a final score of 29 – 20. It was a better game by the Musketeers when you compare it to their Week 1 win against the Centurions.

Their next matchup against Rhein Fire will also be tough to win on the road, but I still believe the Musketeers will get better over time and capitalize more and more from the great players on their roster. 

7.     Wroclaw Panthers | 2-0  

The Panthers did it again. Tony “Turbo” Tate went wild and scored two touchdowns on the ground and two through the air. He now stands at seven total touchdowns after the first two weeks of the season. However, I do not believe that they are better than any team from one to six in this ranking because they lean so heavily on one playmaker. I know that the Panthers design it that way, but what if a team is able to shut down Tate? I am curious to see them matchup against the Thunder in Week 3, after beating the Sea Devils and the Kings in the first two weeks!

8.     Barcelona Dragons | 2-0

Where are you at Dragons fans? I know my pre-season power ranking highly underestimated the Dragons. I moved up the Spanish franchise again. This time from ten to eight after their win against the Seamen in Week 2. But how good are the Dragons really?

We will find out in Week 3 when they visit the 2-0 Raiders! Will the Dragons still be able to keep their quarterback Conor Miller off the ground? Will Swedish wide receiver Theodor Landström still catch every pass that is thrown his way? If so, we have a major shakeup of this power ranking next week. Let’s find out when the Dragons play against their first experienced European League of Football franchise on Saturday.

9.     Frankfurt Galaxy | 1-1

I know the Galaxy have won their first game of the season with their backup quarterback Lars Heidrich with a brutal score of 48 – 13. But it was against the Enthroners which I rank last in my updated power ranking. The Galaxy had to move down two slots because of the great performances by the Dragons and Panthers in Week 2. They keep surprising and the Galaxy keep staying on their level of play. I am curious to see them match up against the Musketeers in Week 4 after their bye week.

10.  Milano Seamen | 0-1

The Seamen had they “Welcome to the European League of Football” moment in Week 2. They did what they could against the Dragons but at the end fell short and lost their home opener against the Spanish franchise. It was a game that could have gone either way, but that’s so great about his league! Most matchups are so close that every single play counts. Let’s see if quarterback Luke Zahradka will keep slinging it deep down the field in Week 3 against the 1-0 Stuttgart Surge.

11.  Hamburg Sea Devils | 0-2  

The Hamburg Sea Devils move up one spot despite the loss against Rhein Fire. As mentioned for Rhein Fire, the Sea Devils were clearly defeated despite the close score of 27 – 22. However, the Sea Devils managed to keep the score close which is also an accomplishment that has to be highlighted and rewarded. They were even able to set quarterback Jadrian Clark under pressure which resulted in an interception. But in general, the Hanseatic franchise needs players to step up and steer their boat in the right direction.

12.  Munich Ravens | 0-1  

The Munich Ravens are coming off a bye week. After their week one loss against the Raiders, they will for sure be poised to play the Guards in Week 3. I just had to move them down one spot because of the Sea Devils and their close loss to Rhein Fire in Week 2.  However, I believe the Ravens will win against the Guards this Sunday and come up to .500!

13.  Cologne Centurions | 1-1

The Centurions win against the Lions but stay at 13. It was a game that proved once again that their defense and special teams hustle is far better than their offense. If it weren’t for the two blocked punts that turned into the touchdowns, the Centurions would have lost against the Lions on the road.

The Centurions have to do something about their offensive line that holds back their running game and their passing game because of too much pressure that gets into Dylan Jacob’s face just seconds after snapping the ball. Their Week 3 matchup will be a tough one because the Sea Devils come off a close loss in front of 32.500 at home which is going to give them extra energy to fight for their first win of the season.

14.  Helvetic Guards | 0-2

If the Guards continue to just lean on Silas Nacita as the all-purpose weapon, they will not have a shot at the playoffs in 2023. Their offensive line is also no help for quarterback Collin Hill as he was sacked three times in each of the first two games so far. Defensively, the Guards got some stops against the Raiders in the redzone which was promising. But their offense has to pick up some pace if they want to make their first season a successful one.

15.  Leipzig Kings | 1-1

The Leipzig have two bright spots: linebacker A.J. Wentland and running back Steve McShane. After the season ending injury of Dutch defensive back Henrique Roedion and placing defensive tackle Lance Leota on injured reserve, the German franchise does not like a competitor for a playoff spot. However, they will definitely have a shot against the Enthroners in Week 3!

16.  Prague Lions | 0-2  

The Lions are 0-2. They have lost against the Kings in Week 1 and the Centurions in Week 2 which, in my opinion, both rank in the bottom five teams of the league. Prague has to be more effective in the passing game with quarterback Shazz Mumphrey and not only completing just over 25% of your passing attempts. Their Week 3 matchup against the Vikings will be a tough one and the Lions are more than likely to start the season 0-3.

17.  Fehérvár Enthroners | 0-2

The Enthrones suffer from another blowout loss after Week 2. The Frankfurt Galaxy were too much to handle for the Hungarian franchise although starting quarterback Jakeb Sullivan had to sit out the game because of an injury. But after losing against the Thunder and the Galaxy in the first two weeks, their first manageable matchup comes up in Week 3 which features the 1-1 Kings.