The inaugural UFL season has reached the home stretch, as it approaches Week 8 of 10. This game features a matchup between the D.C. Defenders (3-4) and the St. Louis Battlehawks (5-2). The Defenders need to win this week to stay alive in playoff contention. They’ll face a tough task on the road against a Battlehawks team that is eager to bounce back from last week’s defeat to the Stallions.
The Defenders came up well short at home against the Panthers, falling to 3-4 on the season. It was a disappointing performance following a huge win over the Brahmas in Week 6. D.C. is not completely out of it yet, but the defeat put them right on the cusp of elimination. A loss this week would almost certainly erase the Defenders already slim chances of making the playoffs.
Despite the offense only scoring 9 points, QB Jordan Ta’amu played well, completing 10 of 14 passes for 127 yards and touchdown. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where the Defenders went wrong in the loss, but a fumble on the opening kickoff certainly didn’t help. D.C. needs to be more disciplined and have a better game plan moving forward. Another loss could have head coach Reggie Barlow on the hot seat.
St. Louis came up just short on the road against the undefeated Stallions on Saturday. It was a hard-fought game in which they led 20-17 entering the 4th quarter. While the Battlehawks had another solid offensive performance, the defense left much to be desired after a strong first quarter. They’ll need to find some consistency to avoid a similar performance in the postseason.
