Tapping the keg, choreography, and saxophone madness: Top Moments from the NFL Munich Game

Can the magic of the 2022 NFL debut in Munich be replicated? Is an NFL trip to Munich worth it, even if it’s for a matchup some might dub the "Toilet Bowl"? Without the star power of Brady, Mahomes, or Kelce? The NFL answered these questions with a resounding “Yes, we can.” And when the game ended in an overtime thriller capped by Eddy Pineiro’s game-winning field goal, even the biggest skeptics – including Pat McAfee – were won over.

There's a Hofbräuhaus in Munich - and someone out of Mannheim?! Armed with a hefty wooden mallet, former Giants defensive tackle Markus Kuhn delivered the first of many memorable moments at the NFL Munich Game, delighting fans packed into the Hofbräuhaus and thousands following along on social media.

American spectacle at the iconic beer hall: The Giants community celebrates at Munich's Hofbräuhaus.

O'zapft is’: Markus Kuhn stings on - and Panthers-Owner struggled

If you’ve ever booked an Octoberfest trip through our portal, you know how it goes: Mayor Dr. Dieter Reiter can tap a keg in two swift blows. Kuhn, despite his strength, couldn’t quite match that precision. But he and his crew nailed the official "O’zapft is" with more finesse than a few blocks away.

There, at the Augustiner Stammhaus decked out in Panthers’ black and blue, team owner David Tepper struggled to get the beer flowing, taking several swings before finally succeeding – all while fans hummed “Das Fässchen aus.” Given Tepper’s history of stadium fines (a casual $300,000 for a cup-throwing incident), I kept a respectful distance…

The NFL Munich Game pre-game choreography spanned three grandstands.

NFL Munich Game Highlights: Saxophonist leads Giants fan club through the city 

Luckily, Sir Purr was on hand to help smooth things over – dressed in a traditional (fabric) Lederhosen, of course. Selfies with the Carolina Panthers’ fluffy mascot and limited-edition team-branded beer mugs became the evening’s top mementos. “When Sir Purr shows up, we’re all out of the spotlight,” joked cheerleader Abby.

The excitement of the first evening didn’t wane as NFL legends made their way through eight different team pubs. The visiting New England Patriots even had a German cheerleader, Lana Vogler, on their squad. But the “Pre-Game Party Champs” title, in my book, goes to Big Blue Germany.

To the beat of the Dutch soccer song “Links rechts,” the New York Giants fan club jumped along Maximilianstrasse, led by André Schnura, better known locally as the “guy with the black saxophone.” It was a spectacle that put even New York’s open-air jazz sessions to shame – one that Manuel Neuer tried to match in a Panthers jersey, beating out the “Keep Pounding” drum.

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First Neuer, then Pineiro: Panthers steal the spotlight

On game day, Giants fans’ hopes were dashed early as their team fell into a 10-0 hole. The perfect 3-0 International Series record in London seemed to be slipping away. Until a touchdown by running back Tyrone Tracy, only a paper plane (crafted from one of the 50,000 NFL Munich choreo cards) made it into the Panthers’ end zone.

Lonely Road: The halftime show featuring Machine Gun Kelly paid tribute to John Denver’s classic.

Could this game and two red-zone interceptions the end of Daniel Jones’ era in New York? Parallels to the Patriots’ dismal 6-10 showing in Frankfurt against the Colts, led by then-quarterback Mac Jones (now with the Jaguars), were hard to ignore. Despite a late rally that tied the game 17-17, nobody talked much about the Giants’ comeback afterward.

Just before 6:30 p.m., the 70,000 fans in Allianz Arena and hundreds of thousands in Munich’s beer halls raised their beer mugs to toast the second overtime game in NFL International Series history (the first being Redskins vs. Bengals in 2016). What “Country Roads” was to 2022, Eddy Pineiro’s field goal for a 20-17 Panthers win became for 2024: the defining Magic Munich Moment to savor until the next NFL Munich Game in 2026.

After the victory, the Allianz Arena lit up in Panthers’ colors.