A power ranking has each team ranked according to their current strength. One team showed their strength last week by dethroning Rhein Fire that. The German franchise was sitting on the top of my power ranking from the beginning of the 2023 season! But the Madrid Bravos did the impossible and won against the Rhein Fire last Saturday to stay undefeated. But how does that shake up my power ranking prior to Week 4?
 

Let’s see where I rank each team going into Week 4 of the 2024 season!
 

Previous Ranking: 2

The Stuttgart Surge (2-0) are coming off a bye week. This is their first time being ranked at number one in a while. But it is less because of the Surge and more because of Rhein Fire that the Surge and some other teams jump up one spot. However, the Surge have the highest continuation of players compared to all the other top teams with former Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers wide receiver Damon Hazleton joining head coach Jordan Neuman on their quest to the ELF Championship Game.

 

Previous Ranking: 3

The roster looked loaded all offseason. But the Musketeers were finally able to live up to their hype. I am excited to see what they can do against a banged-up Rhein Fire team. Will they be able to put the reigning Champion at .500 at home this Saturday?

Previous Ranking: 2

The Vikings only fall behind the Musketeers because of their quarterback situation. With Ben Holmes injured and former LFA MVP and Offensive Player of the Year Shelton Eppler taking over, the Vikings could be ready to dominate on defense and on offense this Saturday. But be aware of the strong Thunder defense that could make life difficult for Eppler in his first ELF game ever!

 

Previous Ranking: 10

Wow. The Madrid Bravos did what no one believed they were capable of. Beating the reigning Champion on their home turf and handing them their first loss since Week 14 of the 2022 season speaks volumes about who the Bravos are. Keep in mind that they managed to keep the Fire from scoring the first half and even managed to beat them in the second half as well without their starting quarterback. If any team is deserving of its first Top 5 appearance in their young history, it’s the Bravos! 

 

Previous Ranking: 1

Rhein Fire brutally had to learn how it feels to lose again. Being 2-1 is not what the players, staff and coaches imagined the season would look like after Week 3. But the competition in this league is higher than ever in 2024. Looking ahead, Rhein Fire has another tough matchup coming up against the Musketeers on the road. Let’s see if they can bounce back for fall to 2-2 in the Western Conference this Saturday against the unbeaten Paris Musketeers.
 

Previous Rank: 5

The Galaxy (0-2) fall one spot because of their loss the Musketeers, but even more so because of the jump up the board from the Bravos. They will play the Wroclaw Panthers at home this Sunday which could be one of the closer games Week 4 treats us with. The Galaxy have to win this game to not fall to 0-3 for the first time in franchise history. 
 

Previous Rank: 6

The Ravens also fall one spot because of the Bravos jump into the Top 5. After a dominating performance against the Prague Lions, the Ravens are in line to prove themselves against one of the better teams in this league again. Since their Week 1 loss against the Surge, the Ravens have won against the Seamen and the Lions. They now have to beat the Raiders to finally prove that they are deserving of this spot in my ranking. And possible getting a healthy Tomiwa Oyewo at running back in your lineup should provide the offense with an additional boost…

Previous Rank: 7

Where do I start? It is frustrating to see how the Panthers became even better this season to somehow play worse? The roster looks ready to compete for a spot in the playoffs but losing to the Vikings without their starting quarterback after leading with 13-7 in the fourth quarter is just not a good look. They now even released QB Steve Duncan who is taking over for the injured Chris Helbig in Madrid. But they have to figure out how to score and keep the opponent from scoring in the same game to win! So far, they have only been in shootouts or lost a defensive battle. Let’s see if they can bounce back against the Galaxy with a familiar face at quarterback: John Uribe!
 

Previous Rank: 8 

The time has come for the Thunder to prove themselves. Similar to the Ravens, the Thunder have dominated weaker opponents but struggled against tougher competition. Will they be able to set a statement and win against the Vienna Vikings on the road this weekend?
 

Previous Rank: 9

The Raiders Tirol are one of four teams with a new QB1 under center this weekend. It will be interesting to see how their team plays with their third starting quarterback in four games. It kind of feels like last season all over again. You have a great roster, you play great, you are on your way to fight for a spot in the playoffs, but you somehow pull the plug to early just because you lose to your archrival, the Vienna Vikings, for the fifth time in five ELF matchups. However, quarterback N’Kosi Perry has the potential to win against the Munich Ravens if he finds some rhythm early with his new offense. The dual-threat ability he showed at the University of Miami and in the Arena League should carry over in the ELF.
 

Previous Rank: 11

The Cologne Centurions stay where they are after a dominant win against the Enthroners. They will welcome the Madrid Bravos this weekend which should give them a lot of challenges.

 

Previous Rank: 12

The Hamburg Sea Devils after being slaughtered by the Paris Musketeers at home in Bremen in Week 2. But coming off a bye week, they now have the chance to get back on the right track against the Prague Lions. This will be the second matchup between these two teams after Hamburg won in Week 1 with a final score of 31-21.

 

Previous Rank: 13

The Prague Lions were dominated once again. Luckily for them, they have a chance to redeem themselves and possible win their first game of the season against the Hamburg Sea Devils on the road. But they have to keep up their drive and will to score no matter the situation. This is one of their best asset at the moment.

 

Previous Rank: 15

The Enthroners were man-handled by the Berlin Thunder in Week 3. But without their starting quarterback Jack Mangle, this outcome was more than likely. However, I do not want to take anything away from homegrown quarterback Mate Hegedus who did his job and even managed to put a couple of productive drives together. The Enthroners will now head into their first bye week which gives them some time to heal up maybe get their quarterback back.
 

Previous Rank: 14

The Barcelona Dragons belong amongst the least productive teams in the ELF at the moment. Losing against the Raiders is not what got them here at 15. But losing to the Raiders that played with a new quarterback and then loosing 63-7 does. It will be interesting to see what the Dragons can do against the Mercenaries this Saturday.
 

Previous Rank: 17

The Milano Seamen did just the right thing by releasing American running back Patrick Carr. This has nothing to do with his performance or effort. But spending one of your two A-spots on offense on a position that can barely be used because you trail your opponent in every game is just not a good look. I expect the Seamen to give Bronkhorst a new weapon on the outside which can provide the Seamen with a much-needed spark to revive their season.

 

Previous Rank: 16

Losing to the 17^th-ranked team gets you the 17^th-spot. It is that simple. In a hard-fought game, the Mercenaries did not manage to beat the Milano Seamen in Week 3 with a final score of 14-7. Let’s see if the Swiss franchise can win their first game of the season against the Barcelona Dragons on the road.