First defeat for the Parisian franchise in ELF. The Paris Mousquetaires collapsed 14-19 on a final interception.
The Paris Musketeers failed very close to a third consecutive victory. The Parisian franchise was so close, just a small interception, but yet so far in the content offered.
The two teams put on a committed but poorly applied show. The Rhein Fire relied on its ground game and solid defense, while Paris had a roller coaster ride in its passing game.
Chain imperfections
The first half, however, got off to a good start with the attack of the Musketeers. The vertical, aggressive play calls contrasted with last week's plan. They allowed them to lead 14-3 in the second quarter. The defense also continued its momentum with the first interception by the master in this field, Macéo Béard.
Then the Rhein franchise took control of the game by running, finishing with 194 yards on the ground and a time of possession of the ball of 34 minutes and 19 seconds. Unusually, the defending champions' runner, Glen Toonga, ran for more yards than his team's total. He finished with 206 yards on 31 carries and added a touchdown. Of the two teams, this individual performance was the most striking.
This Parisian defeat is extremely frustrating. For the first time, Zach Edwards failed to raise his level of play in the moments that matter. He finished with 187 passing yards, 60% of his attempts completed for 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. The handling of the game was not optimal either. The calls remained too aggressive when the clock should have been controlled, also due to a consistently poor ground game. It remains for Parisians to learn the lessons of this rout.
The MVP: Stanley Zeregbe (DE)
Defense against the pass was the only sector of play for the Paris Mousquetaires to hold its ground for 60 minutes. Once again it was lineman Stanley Zeregbe who stood out.
The French international, who played for Flash de la Courneuve and the Black Panthers de Thonon, is the most consistent Paris player since the start of the season. Against the Fire, he imposed his speed and technical quality to win his duels. But unlike the other matches, he was able to finish the actions to blacken the statistical sheet.
Stanley Zeregbe racked up 4 tackles for 2 sacks. His constant pressure prevented the Rhein Fire from developing a passing game. Jadrian Clark (QB, Rhein Fire), the MVP of the 2023 ELF season, even came across as “everyman”.
The next match (06/30/2024): Paris Mousquetaires (2-1) vs Cologne Centurions (1-2)
The rest of the league
Cologne Centurions – Madrid Bravos: 24-35
It is impossible to stop the Iberians. Madrid crushes the start of the 2024 season, the first in its history. However, the Bravos had to play with a new quarterback. Which didn't stop them from throwing for 300 yards. On the German side, the running game performed well. Be careful, the future opponents of the Musketeers know what to rely on to find their way to victory.
Vienna Vikings – Berlin Thunder: 25-20
The flawless performance also continues for the Vienna Vikings. The Austrian franchise is probably the most impressive (with the Stuttgart Surge) over the first four weeks of competition. She showed all the abilities needed to make her a true contender. This weekend she was resilient as the score was 3-13 at the break.
Other meetings
Barcelona Dragons – Helvetics Mercenaries: 14-12
Frankfurt Galaxy – Wroclaw Panthers: 20-10
Stuttgart Surge – Milano Seamen: 55-9
Tirol Raiders – Munich Ravens: 29-26
Hamburg Sea Devils – Prague Lions: 27-17
Photo: Paris Musketeers, Flickr
