Storm’s air attack vs. Vikings’ balance - Who will prevail?

For the very first time, the Nordic Storm and the Vienna Vikings will face each other in the European League of Football. With no direct history between them, the regular season stats give us a good idea of what to expect when these two heavyweights meet in the Semi Finals.

Offensive firepower

The Nordic Storm bring one of the league’s most dangerous passing games. With 310.9 passing yards per game, they rank as the second-best passing offense in the ELF. Quarterback Jadrian Clark has been outstanding, spreading the ball to his playmakers, especially wide receiver Brendan Beaulieu, who collected 1,392 receiving yards.

The Vikings, meanwhile, rely on a more balanced offense. They average 239.7 passing yards and 156.7 rushing yardsper game. Running back Karri Pajarinen led the way with 518 rushing yards, while Vienna’s overall production resulted in 38.6 points per game - the third-best scoring offense in the league.

Watch the Musketeers at Vikings highlights here!

Defensive strengths

Defense has been one of the Storm’s biggest strengths. They allowed only 16.8 points per game over 12 games, ranking as the third-best defense in the ELF. Against the pass, they gave up just 178.9 yards per game, the fourth-best mark in the league. Leaders on defense include linebacker Hugo Dyrendhal with 101 tackles and pass rusher Max Parkinson, who recorded 9.5 sacks.

The Vikings also field a strong defense, allowing just 19.3 points per game. Lucky Ogbevoen led the pass rush with 7.5 sacks, while linebacker Noel Swancar added stability with 72 total tackles.

Special teams - A question mark

The kicking game could become a very interesting storyline in this matchup. Both franchises struggled in this area throughout the season.

The Vikings had to play without kicker Dennis Tasic for a period and faced big problems on special teams. For the Storm, things also did not run smoothly. They often went for it on fourth down instead of attempting field goals and frequently chose two-point conversions after touchdowns instead of extra-point kicks.

But in the Wild Card Round against Rhein Fire, the Storm found a short-term solution: they brought in Ola Kimrin, a former NFL kicker from Sweden, just before the signing deadline in Week 10. At 53 years old, he was given time to settle in and showed that he could still be reliable in the postseason.

Watch the Fire at Storm highlights here!

Conclusion

The numbers tell the story of two complete teams. The Storm enter with a high-powered passing game and a defense that gives little away, while the Vikings combine balance on offense with a tough defense and the support of their home crowd. With the kicking game still a wild card, this Semi Final in Stuttgart promises to be unpredictable, high-level football at its best.

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