2017 was a very top-heavy season, as there were two unbeaten teams and a 12-win team, and nine of the teams were .500 or worse. But, you never know what you're going to get until the playoffs. In the German Football League, the top four teams from each division qualify for the playoffs. In the North, it was the New Yorker Lions leading the way with a perfect 14-0 season, followed by the Dresden Monarchs and the Kiel Hurricanes at 10-4, with the four spot going to the Berlin Rebels (8-6). In the South, it was the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns also with a perfect 14-0 season, followed by the Frankfurt Universe at 12-2, with third place going to the Marburg Mercenaries (8-6), and the final spot going to the Ingolstadt Dukes at 7-7. In the first round of the playoffs, it was the New Yorker Lions crushing the Ingolstadt Dukes 47-6, the Frankfurt Universe getting by the Dresden Monarchs 26-16, the Schwabisch Hall Unicorns needing overtime to defeat the underdog Berlin Rebels 31-24, and the Kiel Hurricanes taking care of the Marburg Mercenaries 28-14. In the Semifinals, it was the Lions squeeking by the Universe 23-21, while the Unicorns would have no trouble with the Hurricanes 33-11, setting up the match-up for German Bowl XXXIX. German Bowl XXXIX took place on October 7, 2017 in Berlin's Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark. For the fourth time in a row, the champions of the GFL North, the New Yorker Lions from Braunschweig, and the GFL South, the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns , faced each other. After three victories in a row for the eleven-time record champions, and five-time Eurobowl winners, this time the Unicorns prevailed with a 14-13 victory in the pouring rain and after a few ball losses on both sides, thus winning their third championship in seven years. After a 7-13 deficit at halftime, the Unicorns' quarterback Marco Ehrenfried, one of the few non-Americans in the playmaker position in the GFL, threw a pass from his own 25-yard line about 50 yards to Tyler Rutenbeck, which he caught in full swing and carried the remaining 25 yards into the end zone. The extra point kick was successful and should be the winner at the end, because seconds before the end of the game, a field goal attempt by the Haller defense was thwarted. Before that, the Braunschweig kicker had already given a field goal attempt. Although Ehrenfried, 10 of 19, two touchdowns and 3 interceptions, and 198 passing yards, contributed the majority of the Unicorn's offense, which only had 39 yards on the ground. The Lions running back David McCants, who ran for 151 yards and scored both touchdowns, was named MVP in the German Bowl for the second time in his career. His quarterback Casey Therriault, already a three-time German Bowl MVP, was able to contribute 153 yards passing, and no touchdowns.