The 2024 UFL season continued this weekend with four more captivating football games for fans to enjoy. Here’s a breakdown of how each team stands after three weeks.
1. Birmingham Stallions (3-0)
The Stallions continued to be the standard for UFL teams on both sides of the ball in their 33-14 victory over the Showboats.
In the win, Adrian Martinez all but solidified his position as Birmingham’s starting quarterback for the rest of the season, going 18-for-28 passing with a UFL-high 334 passing yards and three total touchdowns. Meanwhile, the defense sacked opposing quarterback Case Cookus eight times in the win, while the Showboats scored just one touchdown and tallied 212 total yards.
The Stallions have improved each week and, frankly, looked unstoppable in Saturday’s win. They will pose quite a challenge in their next matchup against the Defenders, who have found recent success.
2. St. Louis Battlehawks (2-1)
After a heartbreaking loss in week one, the Battlehawks have seemingly found their groove.
St. Louis’ A.J. McCarron-led offense has averaged 298.5 yards per game and a league-high 29.0 points per game over its last two games, with both the passing and rushing attacks coming to life. Marcell Ateman and Hakeem Butler have been the Battlehawks’ top receiving threats, with 177 yards and 136 yards on the season, respectively. Meanwhile, the Battlehawks have had different rushing leaders each week, with Wayne Gallman Jr., Mataeo Durant, and Jacob Saylors displaying the depth of St. Louis’ running back corps.
Anthony Becht’s squad returns home next weekend to face the Memphis Showboats, who have been trending opposite St. Louis over the past two weeks.
3. San Antonio Brahmas (2-1)
The Brahmas suffered their first loss of the season against the Battlehawks on Sunday.
To make matters worse, starting quarterback Chase Garbers, an early MVP candidate, was placed on the Injured Reserve with a potentially season-ending injury after the game. With Garbers out, former Orlando Guardians quarterback Quinten Dormady is the favorite to take over as signal-caller for San Antonio. We will see how much this change affects the Brahmas’ offensive output, which has been strong thus far.
Defensively, there are definitely things to be cleaned up after letting up 31 points in one game. But I believe this Brahmas’ defensive unit is too talented to not bounce back. San Antonio will have this opportunity against the Panthers next week.
4. D.C. Defenders (2-1)
After holding on versus the Roughnecks in their week-two victory, the Defenders were once again victorious, this time in comeback fashion against the Renegades. I’m sure this victory felt better than most, considering Arlington was the team that upset D.C. in the 2023 XFL Championship.
It was an up-and-down ride for the Defenders on offense against the Renegades, but they were able to come through when it mattered most with consecutive scoring drives at the end of the fourth quarter that put D.C. over the top.
Meanwhile, the defense certainly had its struggles, allowing the Renegades to go seven-for-eight on third-down attempts and surrendering 419 total yards. We will see if Gregg Williams’ unit can get away with that type of effort against the undefeated Stallions.
5. Michigan Panthers (2-1)
The Panthers finally clicked offensively, while Mike Nolan’s defensive unit continued doing its thing in Michigan’s 34-20 win over the Roughnecks.
E.J. Perry went 16-for-19 passing with 268 total yards and three touchdowns in the winning effort. On defense, Kai Nacua (eight tackles, two passes defended), Bryce Torneden (eight tackles), and Noah Dawkins (seven tackles) were the biggest contributors.
While the Panthers were able to put all phases together in Sunday’s win, consistency will be key. Next week’s matchup against the Brahmas will be a big test.
6. Memphis Showboats (1-2)
In their last five quarters of play, the Showboats have been outscored 53-17 by the Brahmas and Stallions collectively. Saturday night’s contest was not a promising showing at all for John DeFillipo’s squad, which allowed eight sacks and 424 total yards against Birmingham.
The Showboats have averaged just 55.3 rushing yards through three games—towards the bottom of the UFL—while the passing game has averaged 212.3 yards per game—more middle-of-the-line in the league. For Memphis’ rushing attack to get going and for the passing game to become consistent, the team’s offensive line woes must be resolved as soon as possible.
The Renegades remain winless after another tough one-possession loss on Saturday that again came down to a game-winning field goal.
Even though Arlington’s season has been rough in terms of results so far, quarterback Luis Perez remains the UFL passing leader, with a league-high 737 yards thrown. There really wasn’t much he and the Renegades’ offense did wrong in Saturday’s loss, committing zero turnovers and dominating possession against the Defenders.
However, it has been a different story on the defensive side. The Renegades’ last two defensive drives on Saturday were plagued with penalties and coverage lapses that allowed the Defenders to get what they needed to pull off a 10-point comeback within the last three minutes of the game. Arlington has allowed a league-high 337.3 total yards on average through three games. That certainly needs to change if the team wants to get into the playoff hunt.
8. Houston Roughnecks
It has been a rough three weeks to start the season for the Roughnecks. Without 2023 USFL Offensive Player of the Year Mark Thompson, Houston has averaged just 48.6 rushing yards per game – last in the UFL. In Sunday’s loss, Reid Sinnett showed flashes but couldn’t get going in his first start, as the Roughnecks’ offensive line struggled in protection throughout the game.
It had at least looked like the Roughnecks were holding their own defensively coming into their week-three matchup, but that notion changed against the Panthers. Overall, Michigan posted 332 total yards and a league-high 34 points in its win. To make matters worse, starting defensive lineman Carlo Kemp has reportedly retired from football, while Olive Sagapolu was placed on the Injured Reserve – ruling him out for at least five weeks.
This upcoming matchup between winless Houston and Arlington is a must-win for both teams.
