They did it again, a second straight victory and the Lions did more than just manage a win, they nabbed their third divisional victory of the season, squared the ledger between them and the Wildcats this season and took the edge in the divisional race, with a remarkable and strong 22-3 victory, headlined by a 40-yard interception for a touchdown from Carlos Broman, with the Lions able to nab 19 unanswered points before the Wildcats managed to get anywhere close to good enough field position, off the back of a defense that answered the critics, 10 tackles from safety Dwayne Tabor, 2 sacks each from both Robert Campbell and Paul George, led the path for Penrith to get a well-earned victory.

Speaking after the game, Head Coach Roy Rodriguez spoke about how the team kept the momentum from last week going and how it affected the game for the Lions:-

“We took a look at what we did last week, and every other week, and used that as motivation for this game. We wanted to make sure that we were honest about what we were doing, and the plan we have been working towards, and we wanted to make it clear that we are on the right track. We found a lot of positives from last week, and we have learned from those, as well as the negatives and focused on playing the football that we want to play, and I think we really showed that today against the Wildcats, they played a strong game and pushed us to be better today. They will go places in the years to come and I know, we are all ready for that”

The Lions now get a little respite from the divisional games, but will face a strong opponent in the 9-2 Montevideo Screamers, a team that once again is up at the pointy end of the league standings and are coming into the game on the back of a third straight victory, shutting out the Florence Fools 13-0, and have seen off all three of the divisional opponents, and will look to make the Lions the fourth victim of the Screamers victories this season, giving them a sweep of the FB West division, something that Cape Town was unable to do (losing to the Corpses back in Week 4), and that Stockholm will have a chance to do next week and in Week 14 against the Lions.

The Screamers are sitting pretty with a look already towards the postseason, while the Lions are looking towards next season, but with the victory last week, may have the smallest hope of making the postseason, an offence scoring on average 28.8 points per game over the last five, while defending at an average of 12.4 points per game in the same five games, while the Lions sit at 12.6 points per game offensively, and 18.4 points per game defensively. With the likes of linebacker John Matthews returning (82 tackles), safety Dwayne Tabor (71 tackles) and defensive end Paul George breaking the team record for sacks in one season, now sitting on 25 tackles (an average of 2.2 sacks per game), the Screamers could see that defensive average creep up a little bit, but the Lions seemingly have a hard time matching up against stronger opponents such as the Screamers.

The Lions are an offense that has struggled this season, scoring 125 points so far this season, the same as this time last season, but an offense that has seen quarterback Joe Chacon throw only 5 touchdowns up until now, compared to 10 touchdowns a season ago, a rushing attack that is well down on last season, a receivers corps that has barely reached 500 yards (last season, Robert Stroupe was at 427 yards, Wayne Snyder was at 407 yards), it is an offense that has gone down and been stale now for two seasons, so the Lions do have a long-term plan, and without adequate investment in the offseason, a third straight down season could be well and truly on the cards, and games like this, the media will be almost giving an automatic victory to the opposition.

The Lions will look to keep the momentum going and with only a couple of minor injuries, the only real concern is with defensive tackle Michael Frank, who will look to return in the next two to three weeks from his leg injury, with reports also that running back Leonel Burke will likely return from his hand injury. The only other concern is with defensive end Paul George, but he has passed a fitness test and will be on the active roster for the game this weekend.

Game Prediction:Nah, not a hope here. Screamers to take this one easily.

It wasn’t much of an expectation, but the reality was one that was bound to happen, but the margin of victory was well beyond what could have been, with the Lions facing their shutout loss of the season, going down 21-0 to the Montevideo Screamers. In a season that seemed to have had highs and very low lows, a third shutout loss is more than the Lions have had in the previous five seasons. Penrith were just not in the match at all, managing nothing besides four punts and a missed field goal in the opening half of football, whilst the Screamers seemed to have all the answers, quarterback Shaun Dial going 20-for-27 with a 101.77 QBR, whilst Joe Chacon again struggled, another lacklustre performance, 16-for-28, 143 yards to go with another 4 sacks and 2 interceptions.

Speaking after the match, Head Coach Roy Rodriguez spoke about the feeling in the dressing room after such a defeat and how the Lions will face the final three matches of the season:-

“To be honest, the guys are feeling deflated. They knew that this season would be a tough one and that there would be some tough losses and some really big ones, we aren’t kidding ourselves on that one. We know the mountain we are climbing, and we are doing what we set out to achieve and accomplish this season, and we know the gap that there is between us and other teams and even a bigger gap between that and the teams that are constantly fighting for the league title, and we will hopefully get there one day, and we will be there. We will just take the final three games with the same mentality and fighting spirit that we are doing every week so this season”

Penrith now take on the final four games of the season, another season that could be without postseason football, and it begins with another divisional match, against the Florence Fools, who are in the battle for the divisional title themselves and will also be looking to bounce back from a loss to a BC South opponent, a loss to Stockholm 27-6. Florence and Penrith are two teams looking at different paths, and despite two field goals from Bench Warmer, and a classy display from the North Stars, who are clearly pushing themselves towards a fight for another league championship, the Fools have been pushing towards a second divisional title. Averaging 10.6 points a game over the last five games, they have been showing a much consistent output across the season, compared to the Lions who averaged 11.75 points per game in the opening four games, and now are down to an average of 9.75 points per game since then (8 games), whilst giving up 122 points (average of 15.25 points per game).

With an offense that seemingly has struggled all season, compared to last season, and a defense that is standing still, but giving up the points that matter to the opposition, the Lions could be in for a struggle of the remaining four weeks, starting off with two games in the next three against Florence, as well as a strong Cheesy Philly squad, and an even stronger Stockholm North Stars all coming up, the Lions could already be looking towards next season, as there hasn’t been much of an appetite for postseason football, but there seems to be an appetite for a team that is ready to maybe take the next step.

The Lions head into the final four games without defensive end Robert Campbell who was placed on the injured reserve list this week following the nasty neck injury he suffered in the loss to the Screamers, with medical staff rather not risking him returning this season and to give him the best possible chance to return next season, with a defense that could be quite different. Penrith locked up a replacement, bringing in Mack Truck to the active roster, and with offensive guard Eddie Estimate and defensive tackle John Jones also missing this week, the Lions are looking to be fighting maybe for the divisional title, but may also be looking towards next season.

Game Prediction: Could be a tough one, but maybe the Lions will get the victory

Another loss, another potential for a lost season, with the Lions going down 27-14 to Florence, their third straight defeat to the Fools, and bringing the Lions one step closer to a third losing season and unless the Lions can win out this season, they will finish worse off then they did last season. Unlike last week, the game against Florence produced a better display by the Lions, and actually could have had the game in their hands, only down 17-14 at halftime, off the back of an amazing 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Robert Stroupe, the second half of the game was completely the opposite of what the first half was for the Lions, being forced into five punts, and another two interceptions, taking quarterback Joe Chacon to 15 interceptions on the season, now the equal fifth most across the league.

Speaking after the game, Team Owner Leam Mark Farrar looked a bit deflated but was looking towards the positives of what next season could be for the Lions:-

“Yeah, it’s deflating to lose to a divisional rival, and it hurts all of us seeing these losses on our record, and it’s tough to see the gap between us and the other teams, even in our own division, and we are in the position we are in because of whatever decisions happened before, but we are taking on our plan, our long-term plan, and we know that there are still hard times ahead of us, and we are not afraid to admit that, and that is how we will face off against the next three weeks, knowing that even if we do see another defeat... or three, we won’t give up on what our plan is for the future. Because that plan, it’s on the right track”.

After the match, Head Coach Roy Rodriguez was asked about this season, and his future, and he talked about the frustration of the season, with the long shot of playing postseason football may be just out of reach for the Lions:-

"It's been a really frustrating year. We haven't really been able to get going at all, it's felt like whack-a-mole to an extent. And today was a bit the same, it was reflective of our season. We feel like we have been beaten all over the field. Even though we are struggling, I don’t think there’s ever been a situation where I thought our players have given up, it all just really caught up with us this week. There were patches throughout the year where it felt like we had got going, two or three things would go wrong again, and we'd be catching up. The reality is for us at the moment – even if we'd won tonight, we're just not going well enough."

The Lions now have to face off against the 11-2 Stockholm North Stars, who will be off to the postseason for the sixth straight season and will be looking for their seventh straight victory and also to be the next BC South team to take down all four FB West teams this season and will be looking to provide another lesson in the long-term plan of the Lions rebuilding schedule. A Stockholm side that has averaged 23.1 points per game over their six straight wins, while the Lions sit at 11.6 points per game in their last six, which shows the large gap between the two sides, and a defense that is actually stronger, a defense that has on average sitting at 52.25 tackles per game across the last month of football (Stockholm is at 40.75), which could prove to be quite a difficult task for the North Stars, especially with the likes of defensive end Paul George all but smashing the team sack record, safety Dwayne Tabor improving year upon year so far (from 11 tackles in 2025 to 51 tackles and now at 85 tackles), and linebacker John Matthews also bringing his A-game on the defense.

Penrith head into Week 14 with only two injuries on the roster, with running back William Cole out for likely the rest of the season with a neck complaint, while defensive tackle John Jones out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury, an injury that he has now been put in for surgery, which may push him close to possibly missing out on a large portion of next season’s training camp and OTA’s. Besides those, the only other injury concern is with tight end Anthony Rodriguez, who will likely share reps on the field with Jerry Moore, having passed a fitness test earlier today and will play against Stockholm despite possible neck concerns coming from him in the game against the Fools.

Game Prediction: Penrith against Stockholm, let’s just give this one a big “L”.

The Lions took another loss this week, against a team that already has made postseason football a reality this season, while the Lions fell another peg down the ladder, however, there wasn’t a sense throughout the game that there wasn’t much to be worried about, with many wondering if the Lions have all but given up on this season, even with two games left in the season and another losing season upon the team, but with the push towards next season, the Lions could be forgiven for the feelings on the sideline that were seen, especially now with the Lions all but eliminated from postseason contention.

With quarterback Joe Chacon falling again to another low in this season, nine further sacks, and only 114 yards, compared to 3 touchdowns from James Marrero, the wonder of what has happened just needs to be asked. With only six touchdowns this season, compared to sixteen last season, the questions being asked revolve around the offense and it’s struggles all season, while the defence looks to be much better off, even with the defense giving up 18.8 points per game over the last five games, compared to 9.6 points per game last season, but the with the way the schedule has played out, there could be a small understanding that the Lions have taken a few steps backwards this season, but with this so-called “long term plan”, fans may look towards next season as the improvement they will want to see.

Speaking after the game, Head Coach Roy Rodriguez talked about the mentality that the Lions have taken into the last few games of the season:-

“We know where our season has gone, and in a direction that we hoped would be better, but it hasn’t, so we are taking the chance now that we have to play some different players throughout the game. Take it as a silver lining when you're in that position, where you get to see some different players and expose some guys who wouldn't be otherwise able to force themselves into our team. We will take the final two games of the season in the same mindset that we are doing at the moment, seeing what we can achieve and how we can begin discussions for what we are going to go after next season.”

The Lions now head into a final divisional matchup against the Florence Fools, who are looking to repeat as divisional champions and also look to keep a hold on the recent matchups against the Lions, having won the last three straight games, including only two weeks ago by a score of 27-14. The Fools are on the up and up, while the Lions are falling backwards. Penrith will have to go into the game without safety Miguel Logan who was placed on the injured reserve list this week with a serious neck injury, making him the third Lions player to go onto injured reserve, so there could be an understanding that the injuries could be a reason, but there are clearly other issues at hand that have prevented the Lions from achieving better results.

The Lions, with only five wins and the chance for two more, they could still manage a 7-win season, but the more likely outcome is a 5-win season, the second-lowest in team history behind a 2024, but a low season like this, could result in a high draft pick, but whether or not the Lions are looking that much forward to the off-season, but whether they are looking towards the off-season, or just next week, but we know from the ongoing discussions that they are purely focused on long-term plan that they have been going through this season, and whether or not they get there next season or a future season, there are better times ahead for the Lions, just not this season.

Game Prediction: Could happen, would be something nice to end the divisional matchups this season and give the Lions another win.

The Lions are all but eliminated from the postseason for the second straight season and fourth time in five seasons, and also resulting in a divisional title for Florence, despite a low-scoring 6-3 win for the Fools, the Lions can now begin the long process of looking towards next season and begin the planning for what the 2028 season will hold for them. Be it tough defeats or upset victories, the Lions can look towards all of that now, knowing that the season is all done, even if they have one more match to play this season.

Speaking after the match, Team Owner Leam Mark Farrar was confident that despite the losing season, the Lions are confident that next season can be better than what it has been this season:-

“Yeah, we haven’t had the best of seasons this time around, and it’s been tough for everyone here, not just the players, but all of us, and its tough for our fans and the community. We know the tough path we have been on, and we just hope that our plans are not going to be derailed by this season. We have our long-term plan in place, and we are ready to take on the next phase of our plans, and that will be going on throughout the off-season. We have the off-season to prepare for the draft and next season and we will be better prepared for next season.”

Penrith will now finish off the season with a matchup against Cheesy Philly, who are focussed on the postseason following their divisional title regular season and will be looking to keep the undefeated streak against the Lions alive. Being the first time these two teams have gone up against each other since 2022. The Lions will be looking to avoid a third double-digit losing season, but with the likelihood that quarterback Joe Chacon won’t be playing the game, but with a 6 touchdown season, his worst since his first season with the Prodigies, and with 61 sacks, he clearly has been a worse quarterback this season, and this may present the front office with some serious questions for the off-season.

In his weekly press conference, Head Coach Roy Rodriguez was asked about his job and what will happen next season, as well as how the Lions have taken the season results:-

“I have a contract, end of discussion. If the ownership wants to make a change, then that is their call, and they can make it when and if they feel that it is the path they want to take. We have been through the ringer this season, it’s been a tough season to get through, and the guys are feeling the effects of it. It can’t be easy to see us where we are, but the one thing that we talked about at the start of the season was that, even if we have a hard time, even if we lose every match, then we know the mountain we have to climb, and we will climb it together. We are confident that the long-term plan we have in place will get us to where we want to be”

The offense is a serious issue with the Lions heading into next season, with the offensive line being a major issue that needs to be addressed, but with many of the long-term solutions already locked up into long-term deals with other franchises, it could be a tough look at the off-season. The defence, despite giving up more points this season than last year, there has been a better understanding of what is needed, with both linebacker John Matthews and even safety Dwayne Tabor having breakout seasons, both over 100 tackles, making it the second straight season with double 100 tackle players on the roster, and even seeing defensive end Paul George with 27 sacks, making him the league leader, in a season that has been on the down.

Penrith will be in some problems with Joe Chacon looking worse for wear, with a possible knock to his knee, and also with cornerback Eugene Perry facing a race to be ready for next off-season, with serious concussion symptoms, and also defensive tackle Aaron James with a serious cut to his hand, so he will also be missing the final game of the season, with most other injuries being minor enough that the Lions will look more towards getting through the next 60 minutes, and then the focus can move onto the draft and next season.

Game Prediction: Final match of the season, the result doesn’t matter for either side, so let’s hope we can end of a happy note.