It was a difficult game for Team Fluff.
The winners of the 2021 Puppy Bowl have their coveted Lombarky Trophy: Team Ruff, the underdogs after consecutive victories of opponent Team Fluff, won the 17th annual showdown of adoptable dogs and dogs.
Seventy dogs competed in this year’s “cutest game ever”, portrayed by former “rufferee” Dan Schachner.
Here is a fascinating bang-by-paw recap.
The Team Ruff Archer, an American Staffordshire Terrier, started the game wildly with a penalty for “illegal use of goalposts” – tearing the opposing team’s crossbar.
The Ruff Muffin, a terrier mix, marked the team’s first touchdown after a violent attack by the hearing impaired terrier Marshall – who is training to be a support puppy for nurses on the frontline of the COVID pandemic and was one of the first candidates to the Most Valuable Puppy.
Meanwhile, Chow Chow mix Chunky Monkey was penalized for “excessive sleep” after his nap on the sides. Cute, but no cigar. Still, Twitter has gone crazy with the Most Valuable Mood offered by Chunk himself.
Later, in the first quarter, a brutal tug of war followed between Muffin and Marshall while nervous Fluff team Nelly Gus demanded a bit of a “puppy” conversation to get her head in the game. Unfortunately, Marshall crossed the goal line for Team Fluff’s first touchdown. Very Good Boy Milky Way also contributed to Fluff’s touchdown count in the first quarter. Paulie, a little rascal from the mix, barked back, winning a touchdown for Team Ruff. Teammate Mix Hashbrown tied the game 21-21 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Great Pyrenees mix Duke was fooled by the fluff team’s unflappable offense, giving the golden retriever Beliveau the opening for a touchdown, raising his team by 35-21 after another TD from the terrier-bulldog mix Sonic.
Ruff’s Fletcher, a mix of hearing impaired beagle, scored another joyful touchdown, with Ruff’s first field goal scored by Tank, a lovely Rottweiler / boxer, at the end of the first half. Team Fluff remained the best, not thanks to Erica de Fluff, a border collie mix who chose to relax in a quiet corner of the stadium.
The puppies rested during the halftime show, hosted by a lively kitten band, led by DJ Grand Master Scratch on the turntable.
At the beginning of the third quarter, Team Fluff’s energy hair ball, Fozzie, was hit with a penalty for “making pancake on the dog”. But the Norwegian Elkhound mix still looked fantastic – thanks to a special treatment at the Doggie Day Spa in Harlem before the big event. Later, Apollo de Ruff gave Dwight a clear path to the final zone, giving Ruff a three-point lead. The victory did not last long, when Beliveau de Fluff scored again after a rather aggressive entry into the water bowl at Tank’s expense.
In the final quarter, the crowd favorite, Jett – a two-legged lab with his own wheeled cart – made his canine debut and scored a touchdown for Team Fluff, thanks to the help of Jay mix lab / terrier.
American Staffordshire Terrier / Dutch Shepherd Paulie joined the Ruff team’s two touchdown club, but the team failed to keep up with the good boys. Beliveau – who frankly looked a little big for a puppy – scored his fourth touchdown for Fluff.
Making the game a true paw biter, Muffin scored another TD for Ruff, bringing the score to 66-69 with less than a minute of play.
But Team Ruff achieved a victory for Team Ruff thanks to Big Boss Paulie from New York. After consecutive wins by Team Fluff in previous years, Team Ruff paved the way for the legend with a final score of 73-69.
Let’s not forget that the game’s MVP – Marshall, our hearing-impaired Boston terrier – stole the treasured title. Extra goodies for Marshall!
The big confrontation was accompanied by a line of animal-loving celebrities: it was introduced by best friends Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg, who set up the snack and drink table – DO-double-G, of course, brought the gin and the juice.
First Lady Jill Biden was accompanied by her German shepherds Champ and Major Biden, delivered a PSA on dog adoption – and also wearing masks. Actress Kristen Bell joined the action, promoting the Java rescue puppy for a day.
But the real winners of the game were the 70 families that brought the champions home after the Puppy Bowl – according to Animal Planet, each of the dogs in each Puppy Bowl is adopted when the show airs.