Pre-game beer not on the agenda for NFL fans in Munich
Tailgating isn’t a tradition in Germany
MUNICH • For Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan Martin Stelzer, football and beer go hand in hand.
On Sunday, the Austrian — and anyone else looking for a cold one at the NFL’S pre-game fan festival outside Allianz Arena — struck out.
The NFL sold plenty of merchandise at its festival and vendors offered coffee, soft drinks and water, but thirsty fans had to wait to get inside the stadium to buy beer.
“Here in Munich in the home country of beer? That’s a little bit weird,” said the 32-year-old Stelzer, who travelled with friends to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold off the Seattle Seahawks 21-16 in the first regular-season game played in Germany.
“We will never give up,” Stelzer said. “We will now look for it. Behind this parking garage there is a little shop where we can buy beer.”
Tailgating isn’t done in Germany. Soccer fans who drink beer do so in bars in city centres, then travel together to the stadium by train.
As for the game, Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes as Tampa held off a late rally by Seattle.
The NFC South-leading Bucs, who entered last in the league with 61 yards rushing per game, exceeded that by 100. Rachaad White rushed for a career-high 105 yards on 22 carries and Leonard Fournette added 57 yards and a TD on 14 attempts.
Brady was 22 of 29 passing for 258 yards, hitting Julio Jones with a 31-yard scoring strike in the second quarter and Chris Godwin from four yards early in the fourth.
The NFC West-leading Seahawks (6-4) had a fourgame winning streak come to an end. They failed to reach the end zone until Geno Smith’s 21-yard TD pass to Tyler Lockett with 8:20 left.
Brady was picked off by linebacker Cody Barton midway through the fourth quarter, Brady’s first interception in 399 attempts since the season opener. That was three passes shy of the NFL record of 402 held by Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers.
The interception led to Smith’s 19-yard TD pass to Marquise Goodwin with 3:58 left, pulling the Seahawks within 21-16.
But Brady and the Bucs were able to run out the clock.