The Alpine Rams showed promise in 2026 but never delivered on it
The Alpine Rams arrived at the inaugural AFLE season as one of European football’s most intriguing teams. A physical roster, an experienced coaching staff and genuine expectations of making a mark. What followed was a season that never quite found its footing, even if it ended with glimpses of what this team could become.
Undisciplined from the start
The Rams‘ physicality was visible from the first game of the season. The problem was that it too often came with a flag attached. With 113 penalties over the course of the season, only Berlin Thunder committed more across the entire league. Those penalties repeatedly killed promising drives, stalled momentum and prevented an offense that had the talent to move the ball from ever building genuine rhythm. Discipline was the issue that followed the Rams from week one to week fourteen and never went away.
An offense that could not find its balance
Beyond the penalties, two structural problems undermined the Rams throughout the season. The rushing game was the weakest in the league, averaging just 91.08 rushing yards per game. For a team that had been expected to impose itself physically, that number told a damaging story. Without a reliable ground game, the offense became predictable and far easier for opposing defenses to read and prepare for.
The quarterback situation did not help. After opening the season with Gabriel Cunningham, the Rams moved to Seth Morgan from game two onward before eventually handing the position to Hank Bachmeier for the final three games. Bachmeier was a revelation. He won two of his three starts, generated over 1,000 total yards in his first two games alone and brought an entirely different energy to the offense, distributing the ball effectively and giving his playmakers the opportunities they had been waiting for all season.
The bright spots
Bachmeier’s arrival was the highlight of the Rams‘ season, and his partnership with Kevin Kaya was its most exciting chapter. Kaya finished as one of only three receivers in the entire league to surpass 1,000 receiving yards and took home the Homegrown of the Year award at the AFLE Honors, a fully deserved recognition of a season in which he delivered consistently regardless of who was throwing him the ball.
A defense without enough support
The Rams‘ defense was not without its qualities. Twenty-one sacks placed them joint third in the league alongside Panthers Wroclaw. But the unit spent much of the season working without the support of an offense that could control the ball and keep opponents off the field. Against the run they ranked fourth worst, against the pass third worst, and they conceded the second most points in the league behind only Firenze Red Lions. In different circumstances, some of those numbers might have looked different.
A difficult off-season ahead
The Alpine Rams did not meet the expectations that had been placed on them before the season began, and those within the organization will know it. The talent is there. Bachmeier showed that in three games. Kaya showed it across fourteen. But the penalties, the inconsistency at quarterback and the absence of a functioning rushing game cost the Rams too many games that were within their reach. What the future holds for this franchise remains to be seen. For now, the focus turns to reflection and the questions that this season has left unanswered.
