They have done it, the Lions finally have that first victory of the season, defeating the War Elephants 9-7, with the Lions finally able to get ahead of the game, and despite some missteps (another 4 sacks for quarterback Joe Chacon, and three interceptions), the Lions were able to force Wausau into six punts and a missed field goal before managing to secure the victory with a third quarter safety on Dr. Quincy, and then allowing only 2 drives with positive yardage to finish out the game. The Lions, despite the victory still remain at the bottom of the division but do improve their home record to 19-12, which is much better reading, and with another three straight at home, they have a chance to make it even better over the coming weeks.

Speaking after the game, Head Coach Roy Rodriguez was smiling for once and was confident that the victory won’t be the only one, and that the Lions have some momentum, but were not getting carried away with themselves after the victory:-

“Of course the guys are going to celebrate this one, it’s been a little wait between victories and drinks, so they can enjoy this one but the hard work begins tomorrow with recovery, and it starts all over again, we know that one victory doesn’t mean we are back, it means very little and we honestly still have some tough and complex discussions that need to be had before we can really say that we are on the right path again, and those conversations begin tomorrow. We can’t rest on this victory, and we can’t rest on our laurels, because we do that, and we fall right back down to where we were in Week 4, and before. We can’t do that. So, let them celebrate, but the tough work for Heliopolis begins tomorrow morning”

Speaking after the game as well, Team Owner Leam Mark Farrar was surprised by the victory, but happy to finally have that monkey off the back and is more looking towards what the review will say and look like and how things may be slowly changing over the course of the remainder of the season:-

“We can’t take lightly that a victory is just that, a victory. The boys should all be proud of their efforts and honestly, so am I. It’s nice to finally get the first win of the season but we need to be serious about where this team sits right now, and we are constantly looking at the performances and I know the coaching staff are going to be hard at work tomorrow to analyse our strengths and our weaknesses and come up with an effective gameplan for next week, and with strong momentum from everyone on the team this week, we can deliver a strong performance against the Phoenix and come out of this next game even stronger”.

The Lions head into Week 6 against the Phoenix with the victory, but with Heliopolis also seeing their third straight victory very convincingly, 22-3 over the Nottingham Arrows, the concern will be seeing the Lions with a blowout loss. Heliopolis have breezed past their last three opponents and have only suffered a defeat to the Baguettes in Week 2, with a possession focussed offense, on average holding their opponents to around 20 minutes of offense (over the last three) and with the likes of Francis Fahey (averaging 120.6 yards per game in the last three) and running back Terri Partisan with 264 yards in the last three, the Penrith defence may have to work a whole lot harder than it did this week to see a victory.

Heliopolis are also a tough defence to manage, limiting opponents to 2 points on average in the last three, and 9.6 points on average this season so far, even with the large defeat in Week 2, and an average of 37.3 tackles per game over the last three, they are going to be a tough opponent for the Lions to manage. If they can somehow get a victory over a team that, like the Lions, is in this season off the back of their first divisional title, and in a division that has three solid contenders facing off against one another, it may be a sign that the times aren’t as tough, and that the Lions really have just suffered from a tough opening to the season, they can really get their season back on track with another victory.

Game Prediction: Sadly, thinking this is going to be another loss.

If the Lions were ever to get back into the season, it was this game and it was a nail-biter right through the whole game, and after weeks of complaining about the lack of points, it was all on the foot of kicker Jeffery Paz who neatly slotted away a 52-yard field goal. However, the fans were perplexed when Offensive Coordinator Bryan Lynch called a last-second timeout, which some fans called “the most stupid moment of the season, forget the losses, that timeout was stupid”.

Head Coach Roy Rodriguez was asked about the decision and whether he gave the authority to Lynch and also how the game played out for the Lions, and able to nab a second straight victory:-

“It’s something we will be discussing this week, the coaches have their autonomy within their own areas, and we all work together. Taking the timeout off the table ensured that we really could take our time in setting up the right kick blocking team on the field, to allow Jeffery to have the right area and space to get the kick over the crossbar. I have confidence in all of my coaches, and they worked very hard with the players this week, and we really made it stick that we focussed on our weaknesses this week and ensured that we really took the game to the Phoenix”.

The Lions this week get the chance to avenge a tough loss a few weeks ago when they face off against the Corpses at home, a game that now with the two straight victories means a whole lot more to both sides. Both are fighting for a third win, but also to keep in touching distance with the Florence Fools, who have to play Heliopolis this week. Penrith will want to keep the momentum going and get another win, while the Corpses will want to also keep their momentum moving forward following a close 10-9 victory over the War Elephants last week. Neither side will want to see the return of losing ways, but one has to lose this one... unless it’s a tie.

Corpses quarterback Justin Crabtree has impressed since taking over starting duties, with over 1100 yards so far on the season and despite a low 58.7% pass completion rate, it is slightly better than Lions quarterback Joe Chacon who is down at 56.5% this season, a good 6 percentage points lower than where he was last season. With only three touchdowns this season compared to the Corpses 5, there is a wonder of where the Lions are going to get the points needed to beat a Corpses side that is allowing 22.2 points per game this season (Penrith is allowing 10.1 ppg). If the Lions can find a way to not only keep Chacon off the ground and get the ball to their own receivers (Penrith with 12 interceptions, second most in the league), then they might just have a chance to manage a victory and keep their season alive once more.

Two of the Corpses’ rookies, that being safety John Devore and linebacker Jimmy Gunn are both leading the tackle count, with 88 tackles, and both will be a strong contender to play havoc with the Lions’ offense , both managed 7 and 5 tackles respectively in the Week 3 matchup, while the Lions really have not seen much improvement in their defence, with again safety Miguel Logan and linebacker William Williams leading the tackle count, but with very few rookies and changes in the defence this season for Penrith, there is a wonder if most teams have worked the Lions out and are able to manage both sides of the ball against them.

The Lions have also made some personnel changes, with the offensive line getting some updates, the Lions making changes by bringing in Brian Comer and Jim Gunter and cutting Thomas Wright and Paul Hazye from the roster. In making the changes, the Lions spoke about the lack of offensive progress and ensuring that the weaknesses that they have seen in the opening few weeks of the season and bringing in new personnel and new options to bring about changes. The Lions also will be without both running back William Cole and Steven Alvarado this week, with Cole looking at missing the next month of football with a nasty foot injury, while Alvarado is out for at least this week with a hand injury. The only other serious injury concern is with defensive end Christopher Frase, but he has been cleared to play this week and will look to play a vital part in the Lions trying to get another victory.

Game Prediction: The Lions are in a good spot, not perfect, but good. I think another victory is coming.

Penrith couldn’t get it done this week, going down 10-3 against the Corpses, and now have faced three straight defeats to the Corpses, by an average of 4.6 points, the Lions just had no answer to the Corpses who despite a low passing yards from quarterback Justin Crabtree, the run game was all but helpful to them, with running back Joseph Schlueter hitting 102 yards, his first 100+ rushing game since Week 11 last season. While the Lions managed a 19-yard field goal from Jeffery Paz, his 14th field goal of the season, getting up to 63.6% on his field goals for the season, it just wasn’t enough for the Lions to wrestle the momentum back into their own favour and get the game closer.

There wasn’t much else for the Lions to look at as a positive from this game, and while they could have had the chances, they just squandered them away, 5.1 yards per drive, and giving up any hope that they could bounce back. After the game, Head Coach Roy Rodriguez spoke about how the team are feeling after the loss and how they plan on bouncing back from it:-

“We just really couldn’t manage much this week, they outplayed us and managed to nullify any chance that we had. They are a strong side, coming up from the depths of the lowlights they had a season ago, and honestly, they are going to be on the up and up for many years to come and to be honest, if we can not defeat a team like this, we really are going to be struggling more in our division. The guys are hurting from this one, to be 0-3 in the division, it is not a good feeling. We made it clear at the start of the season that we wanted to make sure that we compete in the division first, make sure we can do that, and then focus on the league. If we can’t win a divisional game, then what are we doing?”

The Lions have the chance to bounce right back, with a matchup against the Bwindi Silverbacks, who are looking at trying to also bounce back from a second straight defeat, having lost 24-15 to the Porth Emmett Auctioneers, with Bwindi also looking for that second victory of the season. Nothing seemed to be going their way, for a team that has fallen slightly off the cliff, from a 7-9 division champion only three seasons ago, and now just seems to be treading water. Quarterback Clifton Suarez with only a 104-yard game, with an average of 94.7 yards per game so far, and with an offense that so far this season has struggled, managing on average only 7.2 points per game compared to 12.1 ppg this time last season (Bwindi were 3-4 at that point). Penrith will look towards a better way to get their offense off the ground, managing only 7.2 points per game themselves, and with the likes of quarterback Joe Chacon (averaging only 190.7 yards per game) and even the run game being all but non-existent, with William Cole averaging only 47.3 yards per game, Steven Alvarado only having featured in one game, Brett Snow at 14.5 yards and Caleb Frank with only 15.5 yards per game. Something really needs to change with the run game, the offense can not always rely on the receivers to carry the offense.

With the position the Silverbacks find themselves in at the moment, the Lions may just have enough in the tank to get across the line, a blowout loss followed by a tough encounter could be what the Silverbacks also need to manage a victory, and with both sides looking to get their seasons back on track this week, and kickstart the second half of their seasons on the right foot, time will be a factor. The Lions are facing an uphill battle, with the Fools sitting at 4-3, the Corpses now at 3-4 and North York at 3-4 as well, a 2-5 season record so far could be a bridge too far for the Lions to claw their way back from. On the flipside, Bwindi, at 1-6 and facing three sides all at 4-3, there is still time for them to get themselves back into the picture for a postseason berth, or even a return as divisional champions.

The Lions will head into the game with most of their roster back to full health, the only concern is with linebacker Paul George who has been given until just before game time to prove his fitness, returning from a concussion. He passed his H.I.A test on the sidelines in the game against the Corpses and has not exhibited any signs of concussion this week, but doctors are still taking all precautions with him this week and have been going through ongoing tests and the full league concussion protocols.

Game Prediction: Yeah, a bounce back victory this week, but likely by the skin of their teeth. Bwindi can be strong on the right day, and we think this game will be one of those days.

The Lions managed a third victory of the season, this time defeating the Bwindi Silverbacks 28-11 to keep in some small touch with the pack in the division and head into the second half of the season with some small glimmer of momentum as the Lions faithful are rewarded with a solid all round victory, with quarterback Joe Chacon throwing for 298 yards, a season-high for a quarterback who has overall, dropped off from his solid performances last season. Chacon also managed not to be sacked once this game, the first time all season for him, and also three touchdowns, another season-high and first multi-touchdown game since Week 14 last season.

The Lions were just too strong for the Silverbacks, forcing quarterback Clifton Suarez into so many missed throws, managing only 26 yards in the yard, the most yards collected from receiver Benjamin Salazar with 11 yards, it was just a game to forget for the Silverbacks, but one to remember for Penrith, holding Bwindi out for the entire first half, the first time this season the Lions have been able to head into halftime with a scoreless opposition. Speaking after the game, Head Coach Roy Rodriguez was pleased with the overall effort and the manner in which the Lions won the game but conceded that there is still a large amount of work to be done for the team heading into the second half of the season:-

“The boys are in good spirits, they have taken the win as a good lift in the feeling that they have, and they are looking forward to this week of training. We know that they are a good side, Bwindi, but we just had a lot more to give and we pushed ourselves a bit more. Credit to them, they gave a scare late on with that kick off return for a touchdown. We know that even after a win like that, we still have weaknesses that we need to address and we will sit down and review the game tape, and get on top of those weaknesses, but we are confident that we can put the first eight weeks behind us and get onto having a positive second half”.

Penrith now head off on a two-game road trip, with a match up against the Maastricht Violent Vermin as their first task, with the chance to finally manage a road victory, something they have not done since Week 14 last season. The Violent Vermin head into the matchup off the back of their seventh-straight loss, a 27-3 loss to Florence. Third-year quarterback Clayton Kleiber had an alright game, another 187 yards, but suffered five more sacks in his career (now at 108 sacks in his career), and the Lions may be able to use that to an advantage. With the likes of new offensive line tackles in Jim Gunter (59 play blocks) and Nathan Peterson (217 play blocks), the Lions could take that as a new direction for the team and could be a direction that is positive.

The Lions head into the game again with a strong contingent, with everyone given a clean bill of health and with no major injuries to report, with again, Head Coach Rodriguez opting to go with experience and leaving drafted rookie Ernest Morley out of the game-day squad. The Lions also announced this week that they had released defensive end Pedro Lee, as part of their restricting of the roster, and that both Thomas Wright and Paul Hayze were also released.

Game Prediction: Second straight win, could it be on the cards?

The Lions managed it again, a second straight win again this season, with a fantastic 13-10 victory over the Maastricht Violent Vermin, who just looked completely outmatched by the Lions who seemingly have found their way again out of the darkness and have lit the league up, or at least their own division again. From a team that was sitting at 0-4 earlier in the season, whatever has been said, whatever this review has done, it’s already had some enlightening positives with quarterback Joe Chacon throwing for another solid game, going 36-for-48, with 269 yards and despite an interception and a single sack (his first game with only one sack this season), he managed a solid 5 yards touchdown completion to Anthony Rodriguez, marking the young tight end’s first career touchdown in only his ninth game, after previously being released by the Lions back in his draft class year of 2025.

The defense also lit it up, with cornerback Eugene Perry collecting another 8 tackles, and defensive end Len Price with three of the teams’ five total sacks. It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Violent Vermin, with an amazing 11-tackle game from linebacker Jonathan Mitchell and while they were unlucky on the scoreboard, rookie wider receiver William Reuda managed another impressive 72 yards from quarterback Clayton Kleiber to give 531 yards on the season. Unfortunately, for them, they came up against a Lions side that was hungrier for the victory and hungrier for the game, and it consigns Maastricht to an eight straight defeat, after what looked to be a solid start to the season.

Speaking after the game, Team Owner Leam Mark Farrar was impressed with the play that his team showed out there, and how the two solid wins now, fourth for the season has really spurred on the whole organisation:-

“Look, we didn’t have the best start to the season, we admitted that we failed our team, our staff, our city and our fans in those opening games, but we were committed to resolving this one way or another, and we immediately set about reviewing every aspect of the team, from me and the board, to the players and we have made it clear to everyone that we expect 100% every single day. Our board has been changed, we have welcomed in new and different views to better expand our understanding and decision making, the coaching staff have and continue to look at the players and frankly speaking, if someone isn’t at the level we think they are meant to be at, or they are falling further behind, we will release them. We have the right people looking at all areas of our organisation and we make decisions purely on what is needed at this moment for our team moving forward”.

The Lions now get the chance to make three on the bounce with a matchup against the Star City Slamhounds, who are coming into the game off the back of two straight losses, including last up against the Corpses, going down 27-21 to them. The Lions hold a 3-0 overall head-to-head advantage over the Slamhounds, with the last meeting being in the 2025 pre-season which the Lions won 29-17, and these two last played back in 2022, with the Lions winning 31-14. Star City had a brilliant opening month of the season, going 3-1, but have seemingly fallen off the pace, but have held onto their divisional lead despite this. 8 touchdowns in the last three from quarterback Joseph Christian have also helped keep the Slamhounds in most games, with their only really tough matchup being against the North Stars.

On the Lions side, a resurgence from not just Joe Chacon but the whole squad has really propelled the Lions back into a small part of the conversation. Also with a 3-1 record over the last month, it is a far cry from the opening month of the season where the Lions were all but lost and with no clear direction, a tough loss also to the Corpses again set the team back a little, but since then with wins over Bwindi and now Maastricht, the Lions can look to the future with a much clearer outlook. An average of 243 yards per game from Chacon, five touchdowns in that span, and a receiver corps that seems to have found it’s groove again, has made the last month of games much more bearable for the fans. The only downside, and something that Star City can likely look to exploit, is the run game, with the running game being the low point, averaging only 63.75 yards per game, which is one of the lowest in the league.

The Lions do however, head into the game with almost a full roster ready to go for the matchup. The only few changes and injury concerns are with running back Brett Snow, who is still likely to be missing for the next month with his leg injury, however, there is talk that they may be in discussions for an injury settlement with his management team and he will likely be released from the roster and able to complete his recovery at home, but with the support of the organisation, retaining to continue paying his medical costs while he rehabilitates and recovers from it.

Game Prediction: Come on, three in a row!!!