The stay on top was a short one for Patriots-allocated linebacker Maugaula Tuitele and his Rhein Fire teammates following a 17-7 loss to the Scottish Claymores over the weekend.
One week after beating previously undefeated Frankfurt to move into a tie for first place in NFL Europe, the Fire offense struggled. Despite the loss, Tuitele continued his strong play, leading Rhein in tackles again with seven. He now has a team-high 36 on the season.
A pair of New England allocations were on the winning side of the game. Wide receiver Scott McCready had one catch for 33 yards, which helped set up a touchdown drive. Defensive end Radell Lockhart contributed a forced fumble and one pass defensed off the bench for the Claymores defense, which allowed a paltry 44 rushing yards.
Two other Patriots, offensive linemen Patrick Downey and Mike Clare, started at either guard spot and helped Frankfurt pull out a last-minute comeback against Amsterdam. With Downey and Clare protecting up front, running back Curtis Alexander ran for 109 yards and quarterback Joe Hamilton passed for 227 yards and two touchdowns as the Galaxy nipped the Admirals 21-19 on a 44-yard field goal by Ola Kimner with 13 seconds remaining.
With the victory, Frankfurt gained sole possession of first place at 5-1. Rhein dropped to 4-2, one game ahead of the Claymores and Berlin Thunder, who beat F.C. Barcelona on the strength of two touchdown catches by former Patriot wide receiver Dane Looker.
