Cipher Lynx 36, Nova Raptors 23
Week 5 · Regular season · round 6 · Tuesday 27 October 2026
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVA Nova Raptors | 6 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 23 |
| CPH Cipher Lynx | 0 | 6 | 6 | 24 | 36 |
Game recap
The Cipher Lynx came back to beat the Nova Raptors 36-23 in round 6 of Week 5. They trailed by as many as 13 points, and their chance of winning dropped as low as 10%.
The Raptors opened the scoring with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Bram Thorne with 1:51 left in the first quarter. The Raptors led 16-6 at halftime. The fourth quarter brought a 1-yard touchdown run by Ezekiel Hart for the Lynx (3:54 left, 23-20); a 14-yard touchdown pass from Kai Navarro to Luca Benedetti for the Lynx (3:14 left, 27-23); a 2-yard touchdown run by Ezekiel Hart for the Lynx (1:44 left, 33-23); a 30-yard field goal by Orson Thorne for the Lynx (0:21 left, 36-23).
The play that tilted the game came with 3:14 left in the fourth quarter: a 14-yard touchdown pass from Kai Navarro to Luca Benedetti. It moved the Lynx' chance of winning from 56% to 84%.
Top performer: Ezekiel Hart (RB, Lynx), with 14 carries for 82 yards and 2 TD; 1 catch for 11 yards. Elsewhere, Kai Navarro (Lynx) had 22 of 35 passing for 225 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 1 carry for 1 yard; Orson Achebe (Lynx) had 8 carries for 51 yards; 2 catches for 20 yards; Luca Benedetti (Lynx) had 8 catches for 74 yards and 1 TD; Axel Stroud (Raptors) had 20 of 33 passing for 252 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT; 3 carries for 18 yards.
Before kickoff, the Lynx' game plan was on offense: attack the zones, stay underneath, target Bram Pellegrini; on defense: bracket Zion Whitaker (Bram Pellegrini finished with 6 catches for 58 yards). Meanwhile, the Raptors' game plan was on offense: quick game vs the blitz, attack the zones, target Bram Thorne; on defense: bracket Luca Benedetti (Bram Thorne finished with 4 catches for 52 yards and 2 TD).
The Lynx move to 2-4 and the Raptors to 2-4 this week. The coaches went for it on fourth down twice, converting 1. Injuries: Hector Yardley (WR, Lynx) shoulder injury; Emeric Jovanovic (EDGE, Lynx) ankle injury.
Scoring summary
| Time | Team | Play | NVA-CPH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 1:51 | Raptors | A 23-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Bram Thorne (extra point missed) | 6-0 |
| Q2 3:14 | Raptors | A 50-yard field goal by Adrien Norcross | 9-0 |
| Q2 1:51 | Lynx | A 37-yard field goal by Orson Thorne | 9-3 |
| Q2 0:29 | Raptors | A 14-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Ivo Norcross (extra point) | 16-3 |
| Q2 0:05 | Lynx | A 49-yard field goal by Orson Thorne | 16-6 |
| Q3 2:55 | Lynx | A 1-yard touchdown run by Zane Lachance (extra point missed) | 16-12 |
| Q3 1:38 | Raptors | A 5-yard touchdown pass from Axel Stroud to Bram Thorne (extra point) | 23-12 |
| Q4 3:54 | Lynx | A 1-yard touchdown run by Ezekiel Hart (2-pt conversion) | 23-20 |
| Q4 3:14 | Lynx | A 14-yard touchdown pass from Kai Navarro to Luca Benedetti (extra point) | 23-27 |
| Q4 1:44 | Lynx | A 2-yard touchdown run by Ezekiel Hart (extra point missed) | 23-33 |
| Q4 0:21 | Lynx | A 30-yard field goal by Orson Thorne | 23-36 |
Team stats
| NVA | CPH | |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 367 | 382 |
| Passing yards | 252 | 225 |
| Rushing yards | 115 | 157 |
| Completions | 20 of 33 | 22 of 35 |
| Offensive plays | 54 | 66 |
| Third downs | 7 of 10 | 5 of 10 |
| Fourth downs | — | 1 of 2 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Sacks allowed | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 6:11 | 9:49 |
Nova Raptors box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axel Stroud | 20/33 | 252 | 3 | 2 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omari Fenn | 10 | 53 | 0 | 12 |
| Nils Coventry | 3 | 25 | 0 | 12 |
| Axel Stroud | 3 | 18 | 0 | 17 |
| Tariq Achebe | 1 | 15 | 0 | 25 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tariq Achebe | 6 | 88 | 0 | 7 |
| Ivo Norcross | 5 | 65 | 1 | 6 |
| Bram Thorne | 4 | 52 | 2 | 10 |
| Zion Whitaker | 3 | 37 | 0 | 6 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anders Delacroix | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kasimir Oyelaran | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Quentin Norcross | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Quentin Brennan | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bastien Montague | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Eriksen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrien Norcross | 1/1 | 50 | 2/3 |
Cipher Lynx box score
Passing
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kai Navarro | 22/35 | 225 | 1 | 1 |
Rushing
| Player | CAR | YDS | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel Hart | 14 | 82 | 2 | 11 |
| Orson Achebe | 8 | 51 | 0 | 14 |
| Pavel Thorne | 4 | 14 | 0 | 20 |
| Pavel Draven | 2 | 8 | 0 | 9 |
Receiving
| Player | REC | YDS | TD | TGT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luca Benedetti | 8 | 74 | 1 | 11 |
| Bram Pellegrini | 6 | 58 | 0 | 9 |
| Pavel Thorne | 4 | 50 | 0 | 7 |
| Orson Achebe | 2 | 20 | 0 | 2 |
Defense
| Player | TK | SK | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonas Sandoval | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Gideon Jovanovic | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonas Ingram | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Hector Coventry | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Orson Hargrove | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Elio Varga | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | FG | LNG | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orson Thorne | 3/3 | 49 | 1/3 |
Watch the replay
Every play of this game can be replayed on the big screen, with the play calls, the win probability and the commentary: replay Cipher Lynx 36, Nova Raptors 23 on Snapline. More about the teams: Cipher Lynx · Nova Raptors.