Can Paris Lights still make the playoffs?
Paris Lights started the 2026 season with genuine promise. A 2-2 record after four games was a solid foundation for a first-year team finding its feet. Since then, a run of difficult results, a coaching change and a wave of roster moves have complicated the picture. But the playoffs are still in reach, and the Lights have reasons to believe.
How they got here
The recent run has been painful. A strong first half against Panthers Wroclaw slipped away after the break. Back-to-back defeats against Vienna Vikings and London Warriors pushed Paris Lights further from the playoff spots. Off the field, the departure of head coach David Shelton added uncertainty at exactly the wrong moment, while the exits of Wilfried Pene, Tristen Wallace, Exavier Edwards, Marque Collins and Zaire Ugapo left gaps in a squad that needed stability. The result was a team that lacked the energy to push back against two of the strongest sides in the league.
New faces, new energy
The response from the front office has been decisive. Seth Robertson arrives from Canada and brings something immediately valuable: a familiar connection with starting quarterback Evan Hillock, the two having played together at Canadian college level. JJ Hopp adds another American receiving option, and with Florian Larose continuing to push for attention as one of the more exciting homegrown receivers in the league, the offensive weapons are there. On defense, the additions of Damon Barnes and James Jones give the secondary a boost that should make life harder for opposing passing games, reinforcing what is already the fourth best defense in the league in terms of yards allowed and fifth in points allowed.
Finn steps in
With Hillock unavailable for the upcoming game against Rhein Fire, Paris Lights turn to Dequann Finn. The dual-threat quarterback brings a different dimension to the Lights offense, capable of hurting defenses both through the air and on the ground. Finn played his college football at the University of Toledo before moving to Baylor and finishing his college career at Miami Ohio last year. In combination with Robertson, Hopp and Larose, he has the tools around him to make an impact, and new head coach Aaron Page will be hoping Finn can provide the spark the offense has been missing.
The numbers that need to change
The honest picture on offense is not pretty. After nine weeks, Paris Lights rank as the second worst team in the league in total yards, points per game and passing yards per game. In the rushing game, they are the weakest side in the league. That has to change over the remaining five games, and it has to change quickly. The defense has carried this team through difficult moments, but it cannot be asked to do that indefinitely.
Everything still to play for
The Lights sit at 2-5, which means they need results to go their way. But their remaining schedule is filled with direct playoff rivals: Rhein Fire, Berlin Thunder, London Warriors, Alpine Rams and Firenze Red Lions. Every game is a chance to take points off a team competing for the same spots, and Paris Lights control their own destiny in those head-to-head matchups. Even if one more defeat comes, the competition all has a difficult run-in too, with several of those teams still to play each other. Nothing is over.
Aaron Page’s first weeks as head coach have come with enormous challenges. The next five games will define his first season and potentially the entire trajectory of this Paris Lights project. If Finn delivers, if the new signings settle quickly and if the offense finds a level closer to the defense’s standard, a playoff push is still very much possible. It will not be easy. But in a season full of surprises, Paris Lights are not done yet.
