I’m not saying to start drinking the red Kool-Aid because the Arizona Cardinals stunned the Chargers in LA in week 1. The Cardinals are projected by many experts to be the doormat of the loaded NFC West. You can probably say the door mat for the entire NFC conference as well. The Cardinals hired Mike LaFleur as their new head coach. He is the brother of Matt LaFleur, who is the head coach in Green Bay with his own set of problems in cheese ball land. He comes to Arizona off the Sean McVay coaching tree as he was the offensive coordinator last year for the Rams. He is only 39 years of age as the NFL suddenly filled with young football masterminds instead of the old guys always barking at the referees on the side lines. A dysfunctional franchise, the Cardinals’ last time a head coach won in his debut you have to go back to 1973, a guy named Don Coryell. In the 1970’s the Cardinals played in St.Louis. Don coached 9 seasons in Arch Town and came away with a 69-56 record in 125 games. LaFleur’s debut is pretty impressive as the Cardinals were like 9 point underdogs to the Jim Harbaugh-led Chargers team some experts think can go to the Superbowl.
The Arizona Cardinals have never won a Superbowl. The last time the Cardinals were interesting was back when Kurt Warner was their quarterback. You have to go back to the years of 2005 through 2009. He had weapons of mass destruction in wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. They made the Superbowl in 2009 which was the only time the red birds made it to the big dance. It resulted in a loss obviously. It was a heart breaking loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers during which Santonio Holmes made a spectacular catch for a touchdown with 35 ticks left in regulation. It was Big Ben Roethlisberger who delivered the gut wrenching blow to all the Cardinals fans who dared to watched this dysfunctional franchise get over the hump. The Steelers won that game 27-23 in one of the best Superbowls in my opinion I ever watched. You have to go back to 1947 when the Cardinals won a championship. This was before the Superbowl era. They actually won two championships. Both when they were the Chicago Cardinals. It’s a franchise that has moved multiple times. Like the Chargers. Another dysfunctional franchise. The Chargers originated in LA, then went to San Diego, & then back to LA. Maybe yesterday was the Dysfunctional Bowl played between the Chargers and Cardinals.
Kyler Murray had some solid years playing in Arizona. The franchise only made the post-season once with Murray in charge. The Cardinals decided to move on from Murray. Everything went Arizona’s way yesterday as Kyler starting for his new team was knocked out of the game early for the Vikings. Injuries have followed Murray the last few seasons. Right now the Cardinals have another veteran QB, Jacoby Brissett, as their starter. Brissett started 12 games last season for Arizona filling in for Murray and only won 1 game. Brissett did have the offense humming last year. He threw 23 touchdown passes to only 8 interceptions. The Cardinals defense was a problem. They had the idiot running back that made a beautiful 72 yard run & then dropped the ball on purpose before he crossed the goal line. Emari Demercado wanted to be Joe Cool instead of being like the great Walter Payton and handing the ball to the referee after you are sure you got the touchdown. Emari cared more about the celebration than the team. With the new coaching, the Cardinals got rid of Demercado, went into the draft, and got a solid running back in Jeremiyah Love from Notre Dame who scored his first NFL touchdown against the Chargers yesterday. This Cardinals offense has some electric play makers. Like Marvin Harrison Jr, son of Marvin Sr, who had plenty of great years as a Colt in Indianapolis. They have one of the best tight ends in the league in Trey McBride.
I’m not sure if the Cardinals have their solution at the QB position. However Jacoby Brissett was very solid yesterday completing 27-37 passes for 277 passing yards, 1 touchdown pass. and no interceptions. The Cardinals have insurance with a veteran back up to Jacoby in Gardner Minshew III who has done well in his career being thrown into action at times of need. The Cardinals also drafted a quarterback in the 3rd round of the NFL draft in Carson Beck, who played his college ball at Miami and before that Georgia.They could slowly develop him. If the Cardinals are supposed to be bad this season, they could get a solid QB in the 2027 NFL draft which will be loaded with plenty of talent. The Cardinals won 26-14 versus the Chargers. Is the Cardinals defense fixed from last year? Or is Mike McDaniels smoking the pipe calling the plays in his new gig as the Chargers offensive coordinator? The Cardinals defense held the Chargers to 14 points and 268 total offensive yards which is very solid. The Chargers offense is suppose be deadlier with McDaniels adding a new aerial attack to the mix.
Perhaps we can spike the red Kool-Aid and see what else occurred in the NFC West in week 1. The Seahawks are up next and they lost their starting quarterback in Sam Darnold. The 49ers healthy will also be a tough match up. The Rams as well, but they lost their defensive player of the year Myles Garrett to a knee injury, who they landed in a trade with Cleveland. His return is not known at this time. After only 1 week in the NFL the Cardinals could still perch themselves to their usual spot in last place in the NFC West. I remember all the years they were the doormat of the NFC East. Many football fans’ probably favorite Cardinal of all-time is Pat Tillman.
Pat Tillman played safety for the Cardinals in the late 90’s into the 2000’s. He played in 60 NFL games which was 4 seasons and gave up a huge contract to fight for our country after the 9/11 incident that changed this country forever in 2001. Tillman was an Army Ranger who was killed in action. A true American hero. Every franchise has their moments and some solid characters playing for them at some point. The Cardinals just have so few of those moments. After week 1 stunning the Chargers, if you are a fan of the red birds, you wish time stood still for a little while longer to savor the moment. You may have hope yet. This could be like a mirage in the dessert where you see water, go running towards it, and it’s not quite there. That’s the franchise you have. I always wonder if Cardinals actually hang out in the state of Arizona. I figure the bird feeders there are getting flying scorpions or something to that length. The Cardinals did Rock the Chargers like a Hurricane.
NFL opening week is like being a kid on Christmas morning. Every team has a chance. Your fantasy team is looking well. The team you root for is looking well as you have high hopes it will be your season. Then the first whistle of week one, all your thoughts and dreams go into the crapper as reality sets in. It’s going to be a very long season. Once again I have high hopes going into the season with my first set of weekly picks. Just wait a few games and all these picks will end up in the crapper. We will then say there is always next week which is true. Because we have 18 weeks of saying that. Cross your fingers. Even cross your toes as week 1 top picks are out and about.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
The NFL some day will want to have full control of the entire week to display one of their games. The first game of the year features the rematch of last year’s Superbowl in which Seattle gave New England an ole fashion beat-down. This game will be played on Wednesday night while the NFL will have its regular Thursday night game in operation as well. I have never seen an NFL game on hump day. A future Wednesday night game could be played on the night before Thanksgiving. Patriots Head Coach Mike Vrabel made news in the off-season with his affair with ESPN reporter Dianna Russini. Bad things will happen to bad people as in Vrabel, who is carrying on the torch of this Evil Empire franchise who just were a dynasty it seemed not too long ago. The Patriots were lucky last year playing the easy schedule. Then playing a back up QB in a snow storm in Denver in a championship game to get to the Superbowl. Seattle exploited their weaknesses as a team that should have never been there. Look for another beat down by Seattle over a Patriots team who will implode this season.
OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS
THURSDAY NIGHT GAME IN KANGAROO COUNTRY
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT LA RAMS (AUSTRALIA)
Right off the bat the NFL will have it’s first international game. It will be the first NFL game played in Australia. I expect Crocodile Dundee to be on hand to sing the Aussie National Anthem. This is a great game between two NFC power houses that play in the same division. The Rams added the defensive player of the year in Myles Garrett this off-season in a trade with the Browns. Then Aaron Donald came out of retirement to play this season with the Rams. He’s another guy that collected defensive player of the year awards. San Francisco is very good when they are healthy. For week 1 they are healthy. The Rams are the sexy pick to win it all. On a neutral field, this contest could go either way. This should be a close game. Sean McVay, the head coach of the Rams, has a different approach to overseas games that have worked as he gets his team there the night before the game. While the 49ers will be on hand in Australia for a week. McVay dots his I’s and crosses his T’s so I’m not going to question something that has great results for this Rams franchise.
OUR PICK: RAMS
THE SUNDAY SLATE
ATLANTA FALCONS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS
The Falcons will not have their off-season splash free agent signing, Tua Tagovailoa the former Dolphins QB, starting in week 1. He’s injured. The former number one pick of the Falcons Michael Penix Jr. is still not healthy. The Falcons have to rely on Cooper Rush as their week 1 starter. Rush was a Raven last year when he went 0-2 as the starter for Baltimore with 4 interceptions. His best season came in Dallas in 2022 filling in for Dak Prescott as he went 4-1 as the starter. In 2024 he went 4-4 filling in for Dak once again. The Falcons are 0-7-1 all-time in Pittsburgh. I can’t see the Falcons even inking out another tie here either. Aaron Rodgers is 12-6 in week 1 starts in his career. Rodgers has thrown 32 touchdown passes to only 10 interceptions in week 1 action in his entire career. The Steelers would be a good survivor pick to roll out week 1. I just don’t see the Falcons leaving Steel Town with a W.
OUR PICK: STEELERS
BALTIMORE RAVENS AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
These are two teams that collapsed like a ton of bricks last season. The Ravens are always a power house threat in the AFC. A lock for the post-season. However they crumbled with a bad defense and their stud questionable QB, Lamar Jackson, does not like to play a full game. For the Colts last year they were really not expected to make the post-season.
The Colts found their quarterback by signing former Giants starter Daniel Jones. He won the starting job. They nicknamed him Indianapolis Jones for his play as he had the Colts 8-2 until he got hurt. He was Danny Dimes throwing perfect dimes to his receivers. The Colts folded up like a cheap card table the rest of the season and missed the playoffs without their starter. John Harbaugh is out as Ravens head coach. They brought in the Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to be the new head coach. I expect the Ravens defense to return to their old ways. Not so fast. The Colts offense can keep up with many teams like the Ravens because of Jones and their star running back Jonathan Taylor, who had a great season last year. The Ravens are favorites in this one by slim margin. The Colts being at home and a team that is well prepared. Minter will have his defense fixed. Has he fixed the mind set of the Jackson? That is a tall task. My first upset is a gut feeling.
OUR PICK: COLTS
CHICAGO BEARS AT CAROLINA PANTHERS
Can both the Panthers’ and Bears’ young QB’s make the next step in their careers? For the Panthers it looked like their number one draft pick Bryce Young was going to be a bust. Last year he turned his career around and got the Panthers in the post-season. Young went 8-8 as the starter. His first season of his career without posting a losing campaign. Then Caleb Williams earned the nickname Ice-Man for his splashy last minute and second half big time come backs.
Only knock on Williams last year was the Bears got off to too many slow starts in the first half. The Bears offense could be one of the best in the league this season with their head coach Ben Johnson, who is a genius on that side of the ball. Williams has weapons. The Bears have a double headed monster in the back field. However the Panthers could exploit the Bears weakness on defense with their running game. Bears run defense was horrible last year. They really did not address it in the off-season. The Bears defense can get the takeaways. Young should be good for a few mistakes that should help the Bears leave Carolina with a victory. I think the Ice Dude will start off hot and stay hot most of this game durin which Young will not be able to match the Bears with scores.
OUR PICK: DA BEARS
BUFFALO BILLS AT HOUSTON TEXANS
Can Josh Allen beat the Houston Texans? Allen is 0-4 vs the Texans and last year was sacked 8 times in that game. Houston is one of the top defenses in the NFL. The Bills have been held under 20 points in all 4 of those games. Is anything different this go around for this match up? Allen is still one of the top QB’s in the league. The Texans defense may be better than they were last year. This year the Bills have a new head coach. This year the Bills have changed their style of defense and added new talent. The Bills defense is going to attack opposing teams and that may not be good for Houston’s QB, CJ Stroud. Remember his last game in the post-season with multiple interceptions in New England. This new defense now takes pressure off Allen as he does not have to carry this entire team on his shoulders on every offensive series looking to do something big. He can just flow with the game and take whatever the Houston defense is giving him. The Texans get out of the gates very slowly. I like the Bills chances to break the curse and give Houston the problem.
OUR PICK: BILLS
CLEVELAND BROWNS AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
The great citizen of Cleveland pleads not guilty to a speeding ticket this week. Mr. Innocent, the sexual predator Deshaun Watson, is probably better off starting on the road in his latest comeback than at home. The Jaguars were a playoff team last year. Liam Coen enters his second season as the head coach with the Jaguars. Coen had that Jaguars offense humming last year. The Jaguars defense needs to be mentioned here. Down the stretch they were a lights out unit. The Browns defense is still intact from last year even after losing their Myles Garrett, their number one defender. The Browns defense will have to keep this team close in almost every game to get Cleveland a victory. Browns usually don’t start the season off very hot. I don’t trust Watson to take this team on his shoulders to earn this victory like how every QB in the league should do so. The Jaguars defense will force the sexual predator into mistakes.
Then eventually exterminate the beast. I think Trevor Lawrence will get off to a solid start for Jacksonville and wear down the Browns defense with long drives.
OUR PICK: JAGUARS
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT DETROIT LIONS
I think the Saints and Lions could both make it to the post-season. The Lions had a winning season of 9-8 last year. In a season they lost both their top coordinators to head coaching jobs. Both teams will benefit from playing weaker schedules. Let’s face it the Saints should thrive in their own division. The Lions offense with Jared Goff as their starting QB and all his weapons means they should be right in the thick of things in a tough NFC North. I loved how last year’s rookie starter, Tyler Shough, did when he took over as the team’s starter behind center. He went 5-4 in 9 starts. The Saints won 4 straight of his starts down the stretch. Saints made some nice additions to their offense in the draft and free agency. The Lions defense will be the big test for them right out of the gates. I don’t see Shough matching every score from Goff and that Lions offense. I think the Saints will start the season off slowly & then gain momentum as weeks go by. I feel the Lions will come out swinging like they always do. They are tough to beat in Detroit as well.
OUR PICK:LIONS
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS
This will be the first time Baker Mayfield faces the Bengals wearing a Buccaneers uniform. Mayfield has stated 8 games versus the Bengals in his career. He is 6-2 in those games. He was 6-1 wearing the Browns uniform against the Bengals. He went 0-1 when he played for the Panthers. He had 4 of those match ups vs Joe Burrow and he went 3-1 against him. The Bengals have struggled the last few years getting out of the gates very poorly. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor in his tenure in Cincinnati has gone 10-17-1 in weeks 1 through 4. Mayfield has racked up 16 touchdown passes to only 4 interceptions vs the Bengals. The Bengals are favored in this one. The Buccaneers finally completed a contract extension with Baker keeping him in Tampa for a few more years. Watch him make the front office look like geniuses in the first week by knocking off the Bengals in another one of my upsets in week 1.
OUR PICK: BUCCANEERS
NEW YORK JETS AT TENNESSEE TITANS
The Titans may already have their franchise quarterback in Cam Ward while the Jets will be looking to bank on their future starter in a loaded 2027 draft. Let’s face the facts: The Jets and Titans will be two bottom feeder teams this season. The Jets have their former QB they drafted listed as their starter for this season. Geno Smith was terrible with the Raiders as he may have led or was in fact one of top leaders in interceptions thrown. The Titans have a new coaching staff inserted and Brian Daboll, former Giants HC, who helped develop Josh Allen in Buffalo before he took the head coaching job in New York. I expect better things from Ward in his second NFL season. Look for Ward to click with the Titans’ top draft pick from this year in Carnell Tate. The Titans defense will be able to keep Smith in check. Maybe get an interception or two. The Jets defense did not get one interception last year as this team should be tanking games for the future QB next year. This game may be the ugliest on the docket.
OUR PICK: TITANS
ARIZONA CARDINALS AT LA CHARGERS
The Chargers are a 10.5 favorite in this match up. This game will rack up plenty of passing yards. The Chargers unleash a entire new offensive scheme for Justin Herbert. In the off-season, the Chargers hired former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniels. Look for a solid running game by the Chargers and Herbert going deep for big plays. It was TUA time when McDaniels racked up all kinds of passing yards and plenty of scores in Miami. Now just being a offensive coordinator, he can help the Chargers offense be explosive-like instead of conservative. The Cardinals are going with veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett as their starter. He started 12 games last year, threw 23 touchdowns, and only 8 interceptions. The Cardinals offense was good and will score points this year as Brissett has some solid weapons in Arizona. However Brissett was 1-11 in those 12 starts. The Chargers have a defense which the Cards do not. It could be a high scoring affair for most of the game until the Chargers defense tightens up and wins their home opener by about 10 points. Both teams will score some points. In the end the Chargers will light up the scoreboard just a bit more. I thinking the final will be something like 34 to 24.
OUR PICK: CHARGERS
MIAMI DOLPHINS AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
The Dolphins roster may have more holes than a brick of Swiss cheese. Their salary cap has plenty of dead money from cleaning out their pool last year and during the off-season.
The water is murky and the season is grim if you’re a Dolphins fan. They have to rely on their swamp thing, Malik Willis, who is 3-3 all-time as a starter in the NFL. He was a bust with the Titans. Willis won some games with a talented Packers team in the last two seasons. He is a guy that can run. Who does he have to throw to? Meanwhile Kirk Cousins will get the starting nod to start the season for the Raiders while their number 1 QB in last year’s draft holds the clip board and learns the game. Fernando Mendoza is the Raiders future. Coming off being the Heisman winner and winning the National Championship with the Hoosiers, it will not take long until the Raiders plug him in. Look for the Raiders new head coach, Klint Kubiak, who was the O-Coordinator on last year’s Superbowl winning Seattle Seahawks, to have a big impact on both QB’s. I think Cousins who comes off the scrap heap will be a productive bridge QB for Mendoza. Against the Dolphins, he should have a big game. Cousins, like Mad Maxx Crosby who was traded to the Ravens in the off season & then had to come back, because of the physical. They have chips on their shoulders. Look for Crosby to make a statement right away as he mangles the Dolphins new starter. Making him wish he never signed with Miami.
OUR PICK: RAIDERS
GREEN BAY PACKERS AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Sour cheese in Green Bay and they have not even played one game yet. First, the Packers lost one of their top wide receivers last year in free agency. Romeo Doubs signed with New England. Then their top defender Micah Parsons is on the NFL PUP list. Guys unable to perform due to an injury. Parsons will definitely miss the first 4 games of the season. Now their top running back Josh Jacobs had some trouble with the law. Facing charges of battery as he beat up his girlfriend months ago. He is on the Commissioner’s exempt list and will likely face a suspension. Meanwhile the Packers visit a Vikings team that got hot at the end of the season. The Vikings did finish with a 9-8 record. They have a new QB looking for Kyler Murray, the former Cardinal, to do what Sam Darnold did a few seasons ago for Minnesota. Murray has the weapons of mass destruction. The Vikings also have a solid defense. They are at home. All these NFC North games are tight. Murray will answer the prayers of the Vikings fans and win his first game as a Viking. Beating a hated rival at the same time will give him some love in Minnesota. It will be a well fought close affair, but the home team survives.
OUR PICK:VIKINGS
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS AT PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Can Jayden Daniels stay on the field this year for the Commanders? The Eagles will still have that solid defense and an offense with a balanced attack, even though they traded away one of their top play makers AJ Brown. Daniels in his rookie season had the Commanders going deep into post-season. Last year he only managed to play in seven games due to injuries.
Daniels may be the ghost of RGIII who was a duel threat quarterback that took on the big hits. Robert Griffin was basically a 1 year wonder in Washington. After that great season, he turned into a fragile QB. Right now with the Commanders you just have too many questions. Will Daniels stay healthy? What’s the state of the offensive line due to the injury of Laremy Tunsil, their top guy in the trenches? What can we expect from that defense that was not really that good last year? I have to go Eagles because of their defense. Because they can run the ball. Which will open up the passing game for them.
OUR PICK: EAGLES
THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME
DALLAS COWBOYS AT NEW YORK GIANTS
Every year the football world has to throw the Cowboys down our throats. I’m not buying that they are America’s team either. The Cowboys had one of the top offenses in the league last year. Which I expect the same this season with the talent they have. Can the Cowboys play defense? Last year was not good for the Boys on defense. Meanwhile the Giants have a new head coach in John Harbaugh, the former Ravens HC. Which is a move that should get this team better than what they were last year. It could be a slow process or things will happen quickly. Harbaugh is relying on the growth of his QB Jaxson Dart, who started 12 games last year in his rookie season. Dart played in 14 games total. He beat the Cowboys in the one start he had against them. His record was 4-8 as a starter. He’s a duel threat QB who dealt with his own injuries and some of his top play makers were sidelined multiple weeks. The Cowboys added some pieces to their defense that surrendered about 30 points per game last year. The Cowboys are 11-1 in the last 12 meetings in New York. Dallas has a perfect 8-0 record vs the Cowboys on prime time games. Dak Prescott is 14-3 life time vs the Giants in his career. Give me the Cowboys in this game. They will win but it will not be easy this go around.
OUR PICK: COWBOYS
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
DENVER BRONCOS AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
The Chiefs are coming off a season last year where they missed the post-season. The Broncos reclaimed the AFC West as they were the number 1 seed in the post-season. Each team has their starting quarterback coming back from a season ending injury. Patrick Mahomes went down in week 15 of regular season. Bo Nix did finish the game in the Divisional round of the AFC post-season but did not play in the championship game. Are the Chiefs dynasty done? It will not be easy for the Chiefs because of the improvement in the AFC West. The Broncos and Chargers you can say are better than KC. The Raiders will show improvement this season as well. The Broncos had one of the top defenses in the league last year. The Broncos swept the Chiefs in the two game series. Shiny new objects for both teams. The Chiefs added the MVP of last year’s Superbowl in Kenneth Walker III, who helped the Seahawks beat down of the Patriots. Then Broncos added Jaylen Waddle who was a big part of the Dolphins aerial attack the last few years. Is Patrick Mahomes still Patrick Mahomes? That will be the biggest question this season? Will he be able to mobile coming off the knee injury? I think the Broncos are the better team here. Mahomes will need to shake out some rust which could come in a few weeks. That Broncos defense is the key.
Here at Wild Shamrock Headquarters, we are a garage with a bar inside it and bucket for the bathroom. This season we are going scientific with our predictions. No injury reports. No bar graphs. No data. Straight out picking how each team does from a hat. Obviously we need the most luck we can get, beside the luck of the Irish. Who knows what the real NFL script has in store for us simpletons this season. Nothing is stuck in glue and permanent with our records and selections. We have not done very well in the past with our selections. For funzies we throw our hat into the ring and pick each NFL team’s record in regular season along with a division record. Then we select 7 playoff teams from each conference. We then have a set of conference championships. Then finally a Superbowl match up with a prediction. Hope you enjoy it!! P.S. If we have your team doing poorly, no worries they might do the total opposite.
DIVISION RECORDS
THE NFC CONFERENCE
NFC EAST
#1. Philadelphia Eagles (10-7)
#2.Dallas Cowboys (8-9)
#3.New York Giants (8-9)
#4.Washington Commanders (6-11)
I like the Giants improving with the hire of John Harbaugh. The Cowboys continue to be just hype. The Commanders will find out they need a new franchise quarterback. Which leaves the Eagles by default winning the division.
NFC NORTH
#1.Detroit Lions (10-7)
#2.Green Bay Packers (9-8)
#3.Minnesota Vikings (9-8)
#4.Chicago Bears (8-9)
The Lions will benefit from playing a weaker schedule like the Bears did last year. The Bears will be shell shocked from the schedule they have to play this season. While the Vikings and Packers eke out winning records barely in a tough division.
NFC SOUTH
#1.New Orleans Saints (9-8)
#2.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8)
#3.Atlanta Falcons (7-10)
#4.Carolina Panthers (7-10)
The Saints finish from last year has me hopeful they can win one of the worst divisions in football. The Buccaneers ironed out Baker Mayfield’s contract. The Buccaneers lost a few guys from last year. The Falcons QB situation is horrific. The Panthers shocked some teams the way they played in the second half of last season to make it to the post-season. No sneaking up on teams this year for Carolina.
NFC WEST
#1. LA Rams (14-3)
#2.Seattle Seahawks (12-5)
#3.San Francisco 49ers (11-6)
#4.Arizona Cardinals (5-12)
Everyone in this division could win the Superbowl or make it that far except the Cardinals.
AFC CONFERENCE
AFC EAST
#1.Buffalo Bills (12-5)
#2.New England Patriots (8-9)
#3.New York Jets (5-12)
#4.Miami Dolphins (3-14)
The Bills will reclaim this division. The Patriots will take a step backwards this year. No easy road for New England like they had last year. Same ole Jets and Dolphins. Jets will show some improvement.
AFC NORTH
#1.Baltimore Ravens (11-6)
#2. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
#3.Pittsburgh Steelers (8-9)
#4.Cleveland Browns (5-12)
The Ravens defense gets back on track. I’m not buying the Steelers reunion with Aaron Rodgers and his former head coach, Mike McCarthy, in Pittsburgh. The Browns have QB issues. The Bengals’ questionable defense and hot and cold streaks will linger once again.
AFC SOUTH
#1.Houston Texans (10-7)
#2.Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8)
#3.Indianapolis Colts (7-10)
#4.Tennessee Titans (6-11)
This division: You never know what you will get at the QB position. Daniel Jones had the Colts at 8-2 before he went down last year. Do you trust Jones having another great season and doing it in back-to-back years? CJ Stroud seems to get worse every season since his rookie year. Trevor Lawrence I think will lead the NFL in interceptions. The Titans will show improvement as they go into their second season with their rookie QB from last year.
AFC WEST
#1.Denver Broncos (12-5)
#2. LA Chargers (11-6)
#3.Kansas City Chiefs (9-8)
#4. Las Vegas Raiders (7-10)
Can the Broncos keep winning close games like they did last year? I truly think Patrick Mahomes’ injury from last year will prevent his Houdini acts in the pocket of his escape abilities. This will haunt the Chiefs. The Raiders will be better. The Chargers still have not won a post-season game with Justin Herbert.
POST SEASON
NFC SEEDING
Number 1 seed: LA Rams
Number 2: Detroit Lions
Number 3: Philadelphia Eagles
Number 4: New Orleans Saints
AFC
Number 1 seed: Denver Broncos
Number 2: Buffalo Bills
Number 3: Baltimore Ravens
Number 4: Houston Texans
WILD CARDS
NFC
#5. Seattle Seahawks, #6. San Francisco 49ers, #7. Green Bay Packers
AFC
#5.LA Chargers, #6. Cincinnati Bengals, #7. Kansas City Chiefs
When the LA Rams made that huge trade landing one of the best defensive ends in the game in Myles Garrett, you felt like their was a disturbance in the force. My gut feeling In the pit of my stomach told me just watch Aaron Donald come out of retirement and suit up once again for the Rams. Donald, who played ten seasons in the NFL and helped the Rams win their first Superbowl, being a resident in L.A., is coming back. Donald hung up the spikes in 2023 at the age of 32. From 2014 until he retired in ’23, he was the most feared defensive tackle in the league. Now he will return to the NFL at the age of 35 and team up with Garrett, who has all kinds of defensive awards like Donald had during his career. Could these two defensive studs be one of the best dynamic duos in the NFL of all-time? I’m not talking Batman and Robin. This is like Batman and Superman teaming up to disrupt every offensive game plan in the league.
If you tallied the numbers combined for both Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald, you’d have over 200 sacks by two players on the same team career-wise. Donald has 111 sacks in his career playing his entire career with the Rams. Which started in St.Louis when the Rams drafted him and eventually moved back to LA from Arch-Town. In 9 seasons Myles Garrett has only played with one franchise before heading to LA in a trade with the Browns, that happened several weeks ago. Our apologies playing in Cleveland that long. Garrett has tallied up 125.5 sacks in his career so far and he is only 30 years of age. Now you have two guys playing on the defensive unit that have racked up multiple Pro-Bowl honors. Along with both of them winning multiple defensive player of the year awards. You know that both guys will be enshrined in Canton some day on the first ballot when they are eligible. Don’t be fooled by their ages as well. Garrett is coming off one of the best seasons in his career as he tied the NFL record with the most sacks in one season. Now Donald is 35 years of age and watching his clips him working out, he does not look like he will miss a beat. In ten seasons Donald never had any lower body injuries. I think the few years off have rested the wear and tear on his body, so it’s like if time stood still for him. He’s 35 but coming back as a 32 year old in a 35 year old body. These are two guys that opposing teams plan their game plan around. Now these offensive coordinators have to deal with two of the best defenders of all-time. With these guys getting attention, it will open up plenty of doors for other Rams defenders to have some big games on the field on Sundays. Last year the Rams defense was solid. They were not the best unit in the league but could hold their own.
Could Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald go down in history as one of the best duos on the defensive line and put up numbers as some of the best of all-time ever in the NFL?
In 198,1 the New York Jets defense was called the New York Sack Exchange. Between Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko, they racked up 40.5 sacks that year.
The other New York team, the Giants, had their own duo. Carl Banks and the great L.T. Yep, Lawrence Taylor who put the fear of god into the quarterbacks’ eyes. The Giants went on multiple championship runs with these guys causing havoc in the 80’s.
The Eagle has landed. I’m surprised those great Eagles defenses, when they had Reggie White in his prime and Jerome Brown, never won a Superbowl in Philadelphia. White would win a Superbowl after his Eagles days with the Packers. In the late 80’s & early 90’s, Brown and White were monsters on that Philadelphia defense.
The Denver Broncos had two of these guys that were the main reason why they won Superbowl 50. It was Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, who created mayhem on the Broncos defense. It was Miller who earned MVP honors in that Superbowl in which he turned Cam Newton into a soft cookie after his humiliation on the grand stage.
Last year Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. on that Houston Texans defense tallied up 27 sacks between the two of them.
You wonder: How do these teams still have available cap space to fit in a guy like Aaron Donald? He will be paid 20 million in his return. The 35 year old that was drafted out of the University of Pittsburgh where Donald played his college ball, can turn the one year deal into a 30 million value with incentives. Playoff incentives. Obviously for the Rams it is Superbowl or bust here. I wrote when the Rams traded for Myles Garrett, it was a check mate style of move. The Rams last year without Garrett and without Donald made it all the way to the NFC championship. They lost a close one in a thriller. The Seahawks would go on to beat up the Patriots who really did not belong in the big game. Last year you could easily say that Seattle had the better defense. Their defense was nicknamed the Dark Side. With the additions of Donald and Garrett, the Rams may get a nickname and right now are clear favorites to win it all this upcoming season. The Rams have one of the best offenses in the league. Matthew Stafford is one of the better quarterbacks in the league and has won a ring already. The Rams are loaded in playmakers. They have a balanced attack, as their running game is lethal like their aerial attack. The Rams head coach, Sean McVay, is a genius at his position. Many reasons you can pick the Rams to win it all. Donald seeing that, got the itch again to play football. Can the Rams defense be up their with the 1985 Bears dominant D after this season? Right now the Rams have Godzilla and King Kong on their defensive line. That’s scary shit.
Last year the Houston Texans defense was ranked number 1 in the entire NFL. The Texans defense allowed 277.2 yards per game which was number 1 overall. Their defense were only 2nd in points allowed as they only allowed 17.4 points per game. They had the number 1 overall pass defense because of their book ends they have as defensive ends. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter are two guys that can kill your quarterback on any given Sunday. They can wreck havoc on your offensive game plan in the very first series of the game. The Texans defense unfortunately could not overcome all the interceptions CJ Stroud threw on the road in New England in the AFC divisional round, which was 4. The Texans would lose that game 28-16. The Patriots would go on the road and beat the Broncos in the AFC Championship at their place to move on to the Superbowl. The Patriots played the Broncos without their starting quarterback and the snow came down very heavy in the second half of that game. The Texans would be home to watch the best defense in the NFC give Drake Maye and the Patriots a beat down with their defense. In the latest move, the Texans added more teeth to their defense in bringing home their former number 1 pick in Jadeveon Clowney.
Jadeveon Clowney returns home to Houston to where it all started. In 2014 he was selected number 1 overall by the Texans from South Carolina University. Clowney played 5 seasons out of his 12 year career with the Texans. His second stint will be a one year deal as his thought process is he has a chance to chase that Superbowl dream with the team he started his career with. In 2019 the Texans placed a franchise tag on their star defensive end. Both sides could not come up with a fair number in a contract extension, so Houston had a problem with Clowney and traded him to Seattle. After Houston, Clowney has not found a permanent home as he has gone team to team. He has been with six teams since he left Houston. Obviously Seattle, he has also played in Baltimore, Carolina, Cleveland, Tennessee, and Dallas last year. Only in Cleveland he stayed longer there and played for the Browns for two seasons instead of the 1 he played with every other franchise. Last year he played in only 13 games for the Cowboys. He signed late and played his first game with the Boys in week 4. In those 13 games he did create havoc chasing down the other team’s quarterback. He tallied up 8.5 sacks and had three of them against the Giants in the season finale. He had 24 solo tackles and forced a fumble in his lone year in Dallas. In 12 seasons he has tallied up 66.5 sacks and has 296 solo tackles. He has racked up 16 forced fumbles. He is a 3x Pro-Bowler. He has never had a double digit sack season, but his career high was close at 9.5 in 2017 when he wore the Texans uniform. In 2023 he matched that number of 9.5 with the Ravens.
You would have to say that Will Anderson Jr., who had 12 sacks, or Danielle Hunter, who had 15 sacks, would be the Pennywise of the Texans defense. That is 27 sacks your starting book ends had last year. You can always add another clown to the defense. Jadeveon Clowney is 33 years old but could still be an asset to this current Texans defense that could unleash the Killer Klowns from outer space at the edges. Clowney will most likely be used as a rotational piece. He could also fill in if Hunter or Anderson Jr. had an injury. Can the Texans come up with a scheme to have all three of these guys on the same line coming after your quarterback? With Clowney you could keep your other two beasts at the book ends refreshed especially when you want them to be ferocious at the end of the games and in the post-season. The Texans may have the best corner back in the NFL with Derek Stingley. They have a very solid middle linebacker in Al-Shaair Azeez when his head is in the game. If CJ Stroud can get his act together and play like he did his rookie year, this team will be in the post-season and could go beyond the divisional round. They added a number 1 running back this off-season in X-Lion David Montgomery. If they run more. Make less mistakes on offense. The improved running game should give the Texans defense more rest in between series. Guys like Clowney along with Anderson and Hunter will be teeing off on quarterbacks this upcoming season. This Clowney move is an under the radar kind of move. But it is savvy. All the greatest defenses of all-time have a slew of stars that coexist and all help take their game to the next level but in a unit style of play. Right now quarterbacks in the NFL are stuck in the middle with Texans clowns to the right of them and Texans Jokers to the left of them.
Number 1 on the DC Defenders, Bryce Thompson, is not getting any Christmas cards from the fans in Louisville any time soon. The Chants of “Number 1 sucks,” after Thompson expressed his ill feelings to a Kings fan during the game about how his team, or that number 1 talking in the 3rd person, is better than sliced bread. Number 1 and the Defenders have fallen on their shields in the power rankings. A storm is brewing at the number 1 spot. One team is officially in the post-season. The King of the Spring Fling has a hiccup. Dallas is still at the bottom. Houston has no problems last week. Plenty of movement in week 9 power rankings. We will discuss each team from the best to the worst in our latest addition.
WEEK 9 UFL POWER RANKINGS
#1. ORLANDO STORM (6-2) Moved up 4 spots from last week
With the Defenders and the BattleHawks losing in week 8, the UFL has a new sheriff in the league at number 1 in the power rankings.
Every team will be gunning for a new sheriff and especially the Storm as they are the first team to clinch a post-season spot. They also have the best record in the UFL after 8 weeks of action. Jack Plummer is the best quarterback in the league right now. Plummer did not throw any passing touchdowns in week 8. He did tally 238 passing yards and used his legs to score two rushing touchdowns.
He leads the UFL in passing yardage. He is in the top few in most categories. The Storm beat the Renegades on the road which is not much to brag about as Dallas has been on the electric slide in the wrong direction. The Storm have a well-balanced offense. They have multiple play makers that Plummer can throw to. The Storm’s defense is not lights out but can definitely rain on your parade.
#2. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (5-3) Fall from top of the mountain one spot to second in the power rankings.
Al Bundy said once on Married with Children, “If you lose to the Rams, your team should get kicked out of the league.” It should apply to the BattleHawks who had a let down last week and took a loss to the Houston Gamblers at home in the Thunderdome. Luis Perez threw for 300 passing yards. Steven McBride had 8 catches for 116 receiving yards. With numbers like that, how the hell did the BattleHawks lay an egg versus the Gamblers?
The King of the Spring Fling, Luis Perez, threw two interceptions of which one was a pick six. The BattleHawks were down 20-9 at halftime. The BattleHawks defense only allowed a field goal in the second half. The BattleHawks only managed a touchdown in the second half which was not enough to be stunned by the visiting Houston team. It was the first loss at home for the BattleHawks.With the loss, the Storm perched themselves in front of the BattleHawks for the number 1 playoff seed. However, help is on the way for St.Louis.
The BattleHawks signed one of the best tightends to have played spring football over the last few seasons. Former Renegades tight end Sal Cannella will come to Arch-City and join his former teammate Perez suiting up for St.Louis. Cannella played in two NFL games for the Browns in 2025 and caught two balls for 11 yards. He became available when the Browns recently cut him from their roster making him a free agent. Cannella has played 4 seasons starting with the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers back in 2022. He has played for the Renegades for the last three seasons which included helping them win an XFL championship. He has caught 175 balls in spring football for 1,765 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns. St.Louis’ offense now has become even more potent.
#3. LOUISVILLE KINGS (4-4) Moved up 1 spot from last week
The Kings have the hex over the Defenders, beating them twice in the last two weeks and Louisville has evened their record at 4-4. The Kings are in the mix right now for post-season with 2 weeks left to play. It may have been one of the best games of the year as the Kings win a thriller at home. This game had it all including a kickoff return by Tyler Hudson to tie the game at 7’s.
If you were at the concession stands or in the bathroom, this game had 14 points on the scoreboard in less than a minute. Also on the Kings special teams, Tanner Brown had a big day kicking multiple field goals including nailing a 60 yarder for 4 points.The Kings knocked out the Defenders starting quarterback, Jordan Ta’amu, in this one. Some thought the Kings fans were going to see Jason Bean who was Louisville’s quarterback the first few weeks until he was traded to the Defenders. Instead they dealt with run first/ask questions later Spencer Sanders who is not really much of a passer. Chandler Rogers threw a touchdown pass and had an interception for the Kings behind center. The Kings tallied up 134 rushing yards in this one. Wide receiver Isiah Winstead had 5 catches for 92 yards while hauling in a touchdown pass.
Louisville had over 10,000 screaming fans on hand rooting the Kings on. Out of the gates the Kings looked like a team that would take awhile to get their shit together. In the last few weeks, they are one of the hotter teams in the league and could certainly make some noise in the post-season if they end up getting one of the spots. They play well in all phases of their game.
#4. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (4-4) Dropped 1 spot from last week
The Stallions right now are one of the hottest teams in the league winning three games in a row and are at the .500 mark. Birmingham started off the season 1-3 in their first 4 games. Now they have turned things around going 3-1 in their last 4 games. Since the Stallions landed Dorian Thompson-Robinson, they are 3-1 with him as the starting quarterback. Last weekend the Stallions were shut out in the first half by the Aviators, 3-0. It was the Stallions defense and special teams that won their 4th game of the season for head coach AJ McCarron. The Stallions only scored 14 points which was enough to beat the worst team in the league, the Aviators. The win was not very impressive which is why they dropped a spot in the power rankings.
Defensive back Steven Gilmore blocked a 55 yard field goal attempt by the Aviators and then scooped up the ball and took it to the house for a touchdown. Steven’s brother is Stephon Gilmore who has played multiple years in the NFL.
The Stallions defense held the best rushing team to 61 yards on the ground, which averages out to 2.4 yards a carry. The Stallions defense only gave a field goal in a big win for them as they are pushing for a post-season spot.
#5. DC DEFENDERS (5-3) Fallen 3 spots from last week.
The defending champs are in big trouble. They have lost back to back games to the Louisville Kings. Now they have lost three straight games. The biggest problem they have is last week they lost their starting quarterback, Jordan Ta’amu, to a knee injury early in the contest versus the Kings. He is out for the rest of the season.
It looks like the beer snake is dead as the back up options at QB do not look promising. Last week the Defenders second string quarterback, Spencer Sanders, completed 7-15 passes for 83 passing yards and 1 interception. He used his legs for 5 carries & 27 rushing yards. Not sure why the Defenders did not insert Jason Bean, the X Kings quarterback who started multiple games for Louisville earlier this season. At least he can pass the ball. They landed Bean in a trade with the Kings for Mike Diliello who was the back up to Ta’amu the last two seasons. I bet they wish they did not make that trade because Diliello in my opinion is better than any of the guys that DC has. Look for the Defenders to rely heavily on the running game. The Defenders defense will need to practically shut out teams. The UFL championship will be played in DC. The Defenders will not be there as the X champs are drowning in their big gulp beers right now.
#6. HOUSTON GAMBLERS (3-5) Moved up 1 spot with their big upset last week
Somehow the Gamblers are still alive for the post-season as they found a way to upset St.Louis in the dome.
To upset a team like St.Louis in the Thunderdome you have to play like Mad Max. The Gamblers defense did as they intercepted the King of the Spring Fling, Luis Perez, twice and gave the BattleHawks their first loss at home this season.
It was defensive back Kary Vincent Jr. who took one Perez’s passes all the way to the promised land for a pick six. The Gamblers defense held St.Louis to 16 points for their 3rd win. The new quarterback for the Gamblers, John Rys Plumlee, threw three passes and completed 2 for a negative 3 yards. Luckily the other guy they have behind center here and there, Hunter Dekkers, played well completing 15-22 passes for 155 passing yards which included two touchdown passes and he did throw 1 interception. But it did not matter because Gamblers won the game and are still alive in the playoff hunt. I would not gamble on the Gamblers getting to the post-season.
#7. COLUMBUS AVIATORS (2-6) Drop 1 spot from last week
In week seven, the Aviators defense gave up the most points. In week 8 the Aviators defense gave up really only 7 points to the Stallions. The other 7 points came from a blocked field goal touchdown on special teams. Yes, Aviators gave up 14 points to the Stallions in a loss because Columbus only scored three points in the game. The Aviators bread and butter has been their running game as they are the number 1 rushing team in the UFL. The three-headed monster at the running back position that features Toa Taua, Zaquandre White, and John Lovett along with their quarterback have combined for 11 rushing touchdowns. However versus the Stallions the running game was held in check. The Aviators offense in general was horrific. Jalan McClendon threw two interceptions. Once again he threw a whole heck of lot of passes for not many passing yards.
The Aviators defense played well. Much of the season the Aviators defense was MIA. Versus one of the hotter teams in the league, guys like Smoke Monday who may have the best name in the league, had 5 tackles and help Columbus swallow up the Stallions offense. Even at 2-6 the Aviators are not mathematically out of it for the post-season. Spoiler alert!! I think by next week their time will run out.
#8. DALLAS RENEGADES (3-5) Still holding down the fort under the stairs in the power rankings.
The Renegades may have played their best game in a very long time. However it’s the same results for the Renegades, another loss which makes the current skid 5 in a row. Austin Reed had three touchdown passes versus one of the top teams in the league, the Orlando Storm.
Former Houston Roughnecks wide receiver now in a Renegades uniform, Emmanuel Butler, hauled in two touchdown catches. Reed only tallied up 131 passing yards in a game the Renegades lost by one score and had the early lead. Reed leads the league in touchdown passes. The Renegades started out of the gates 3-0 and looked like their destiny was the post-season. Now their post-season chances have dwindled taking on another loss.
Reed will have to orchestrate two wins in the final two weeks in an asteroid field with no headlights working. Then hope some teams suddenly fall off the map. Perhaps then the Renegades find the post-season. I think someone pulled the plug on the Renegades season weeks ago.
Do you recall the movie called “The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh” which is about a basketball team?
The great fish that saved St.Louis will be Luis Perez who looked pretty good in his first start wearing the BattleHawks uniform. The Renegades traded him, a team that has lost 4 straight games and are in my bottom of the power rankings in the UFL. Now I have St.Louis at the top of my mountain in the power rankings. St.Louis needs to send Dallas a fruit basket or something for the King of the Spring Fling. This week we do not have much movement in the power rankings. The Stallions are hot. The Defenders have fallen. As always we will sort out all the muck of the UFL as we bring you week 8. Starting with the best and ending with the worst.
UFL WEEK 8 POWER RANKINGS
#1. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (5-2) Moved up 1 spot from last week.
The King of the Spring Fling, Luis Perez, gets his first start in a BattleHawks uniform and it pays off for St.Louis. The BattleHawks acquired Perez through a trade with the Renegades weeks ago, finally put him on the field, and it paid off. The BattleHawks offense looked crisp with Perez behind center. Perez had to knock off some rust in his first start of the season. He tallied over 200 passing yards with a touchdown pass. He lost the starting job for the Renegades because the team liked what they saw in rookie Austin Reed. It looked like the Renegades were correct with Reed after the first three weeks of the season. Since then Dallas looks like they made a colossal mistake trading perhaps the best spring football QB of all-time to Arch-town. Last time Perez was traded away during the season, he landed with the Renegades and guided them to a XFL championship win in 2023. With Perez behind center, the BattleHawks scored the most points in their win versus the Aviators in week 7. In week 3 St.Louis scored 34 points versus the Stallions, which was a comeback win with Harrison Frost starting the second half and pulled off the miracle after a sloppy third quarter in his his debut. With Perez behind center, the BattleHawks should average 30 points per game. Now St.Louis has a complete team with the QB change. The BattleHawks defense is legit as well. My bold prediction is St.Louis wins it all this season.
#2. DC DEFENDERS (5-2) Dropped 1 spot from last week
The Defenders’ 5 game winning streak ends as the Kings upset DC at Snake Mountain. The Defenders beer snake goes limp at home as the Kings rally in the second half to overcome a 13-10 DC lead at halftime. Despite Jordan Ta’amu throwing for over 300 passing yards in this game. He threw two interceptions. He only completed about 50% of his passes in this loss.
The Defenders don’t bend/break defense that loves to blitz did not have a good game and could not overcome their quarterback’s blemishes. Defensive back Gareon Conley was one of the Defenders’ lead tacklers of the week. That’s a bad sign when a corner back on the football field is your lead tackler. The beer snake will travel to Louisville in the rematch versus the Kings in week 8. Let’s see if the Defenders get revenge and start a new winning streak.
#3. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (3-4) Same spot from last week.
Look out the Stallions suddenly have won two straight games as they needed overtime to knock off the Renegades 21-17. It was not a pretty game for the Stallions’ new starting quarterback. Dorian Thompson-Robinson had his worst game as a starter in the UFL only completing 46.2% of his passes. He only threw for 159 passing yards, but had two touchdown passes. He also had 1 interception.
Former Memphis Showboats star Daewood Davis hauled in a 46 yard touchdown pass by DTR. The other Stallions play maker, Jaydon Mickens, had a big day catching six passes for 82 yards with a touchdown. The Stallions defense did a nice job holding the Renegades to only 17 points. Austin Reed did not even have a touchdown pass, a guy who took the league by storm in the first three games of the year. Tae Crowder on that Stallions defense stood up tall versus the Renegades offense making 12 tackles. The Stallions are winning ugly games right now. That’s a good sign, finding ways to win close games they have lost in the first half of the season. The Stallions are in a prime position right now of taking the 4th playoff spot.
#4. LOUISVILLE KINGS (3-4) Moved up 1 spot from last week.
The Kings get a trophy win versus one of the best teams in the league, the DC Defenders, on the road. Louisville, known for their defense, held the Defenders high powered offense to only 13 points. The Kings defense snuffed out the Defenders offense in the second half as DC scored their 13 points in the first half. The Kings D sacked Jordan Ta’amu 4 times and picked him off twice.
Actor Charles Bronson’s son, Josiah, had a big game for the Kings. It would have been a cool story if Josiah was actually the son of Charles. No relation. Josiah Bronson had 4 solo tackles and a sack for the Kings to help them upset the Defenders.
Josiah is a former Memphis Showboats defensive lineman and played in the NFL two seasons. The Kings quarterback, Chandler Rogers, played his best game behind center as he threw two touchdown passes and tallied over 200 yards of passing. The Kings position themselves with the win for that 4th playoff spot with 3 games remaining.
#5. ORLANDO STORM (5-2) Dropped 1 spot from last week
The Orlando Storm snapped a two game losing streak in a much needed victory to stay afloat at the top of the UFL standings. Beating Houston is a must do. Only winning by 1 point against the a bad Gamblers team may make you question how good the Storm are. I like that other play makers on the Storm have emerged over the last few weeks other than just Chris Rowland who has been a staple on the Storms offense the entire season.
Last week it was KJ Hamler who had a big game for the Storm. This week it was Eliijah Badger who hauled in two touchdown catches for the Storm in a must win game for them. Badger had 4 catches for 75 yards including the two touchdown performance. Jack Plummer was just OK. He had no interceptions and the two touchdown passes. The Storms running game may be a concern down the road. As a group they averaged 2.9 yards per carry. They ran the ball 19 times for only 55 rushing yards. However a win is a win and the Storm are part of only three winning teams in the UFL right now late in the season.
#6. COLUMBUS AVIATORS (2-5) Same spot from last week.
The Aviators scored 20 points off one of the best defenses in the league, the St.Louis BattleHawks. However they gave up the most points in week 7 which was 31 points. The Aviators’ two victories come from teams at the bottom of the league. They split the 2 game series versus the Gamblers. They actually gave the Renegades their first loss of the season after Dallas started out of the gates 3-0.
The Renegades have lost 4 straight since opening the season with 3 wins. The Aviators have a solid running game most of the time using multiple running backs. The passing game is hot and cold. Jalen McClendon was more dink and dunk with shorter passes versus the BattleHawks last week. McClendon is not your young 18 years of age and life to go quarterback.
McClendon started his spring journey as a quarterback back in 2020 with the LA Wildcats of the XFL. In 28 games played in spring football, McClendon has started 17 games. He is 7-10 all-time as a starting quarterback in spring football. Which includes going 4-2 last year for Houston and just missing the post-season.
#7. HOUSTON GAMBLERS (2-5) Still in the same spot from last week.
The Houston Gamblers gave the Orlando Storm a scare last weekend. The Gamblers would end up losing this game by 1 point. The new guy who the Gamblers just signed not even a week ago, throws a 49 yard touchdown strike in his only completion of the day. John Rhys Plumlee only threw three passes in the game. The Gamblers gave the bulk of the snaps to Hunter Dekkers, who threw 41 passes in the game. Hunter had 1 interception and did not throw any touchdown passes. However he did score a rushing touchdown for the Gamblers. I would expect to see more of Johnny Plumlee this weekend as Houston searches for Spock at the QB position.
#8. DALLAS RENEGADES (3-4) They have installed a bathroom in the basement of the power rankings as they hold the same spot from last week.
The Renegades are playing in closer games, but the outcomes have been the same. Another loss in the books for the Renegades. This is the 4th loss in a row the Renegades have suffered. This loss comes in an overtime loss versus the Stallions last week. The Renegades defense played better overall than the last few weeks. The Renegades offense only scored 17 points. Austin Reed had no touchdown passes in this game. He completed half of his passes at a high completion rate and threw no interceptions which has haunted him over this long losing streak. He only passed for 166 passing yards.
Ellis Merriweather found the end zone twice in the loss to the Stallions. On 14 carries he only averaged 2.9 yards each rush. The first three weeks the Renegades looked like the best team in the UFL. Now they look like the worst team in the league and may finish the season with a 3-7 record. They still have a chance to get a playoff spot as three teams come into week 8 with 3-4 record. It would be a great time of the season to get hot as a team, not the Texas weather.
It looks like the Mighty Stallions have suddenly turned around their season as they found a solution at the quarterback position. I always love when America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys, are bad. I know the Renegades are not America’s team, but the city of Dallas has another bad football team that has hit rock bottom in the UFL.
Remember when the Cowboys traded Herschel Walker to Minnesota in a move that pretty much built a Cowboys dynasty? The Renegades may go down with the worst trade in UFL history trading the King of the Spring fling to St.Louis because they thought they had a better QB than Luis Perez. We have some movement in the power rankings. I can see two teams that are elevated into a tier of their own while the rest of the league is fighting for two playoff spots in a scrum style. We will sort it all out as we bring you lucky week 7 of the UFL.
WEEK 7 UFL POWER RANKINGS
#1. DC DEFENDERS (5-1) Still holding down the number 1 spot.
When it comes to the Defenders and the Renegades, the rivalry goes back years ago to the XFL days. In 2023 the Renegades beat the Defenders in the XFL championship game. The Defenders are the defending champions from last year winning the second UFL championship. It looked like the Renegades were going to be one of those top teams in the UFL this season based on the way they started. Last week the Defenders prevented the Renegades replacement wheels on the bus that continues to skid out of control. The Defenders defense held the once upon a time talented Renegades offense to only six points.
Veteran Defenders defensive back Deandre Baker recorded his first interception in the UFL as he picked off Austin Reed. The Defenders tallied 24 points on offense which is one of their low scoring games of the season. It was the defense that did the heavy lifting in this one. The victory gives the Defenders a 5-2 all-time record versus the Renegades. Which includes one of those losses coming in that championship which both teams still have guys that were on that roster that played in that game. Weeks ago you could have said Renegades vs Defenders was a playoff preview. Now it does not look like that will be possible.
#2. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (4-2) Still in same spot from last week.
I’m still waiting for the BattleHawks to come to their senses. The Spiderman has a headache with his spidey senses tingling out of control, watching St.Louis continues to march Harrison Frost out there on the field behind center. Why did they trade for perhaps the best quarterback in spring football all-time acquiring Luis Perez the King of the spring fling from the Renegade?. Frost only completed 55% of his passes versus the Kings last week. He threw the ball 40 times. He had two touchdown passes and piled up 242 passing yards but had another interception. St.Louis tallied up only 16 points. Thank the lord that Arch-city has maybe the best defense in the league as they allowed only three points to the Kings. The BattleHawks defense tallied up 1 interception and this group had six sacks.
Former Michigan Panther, now BattleHawk, Taylor Stallworth racked up 1.5 sacks in this game vs the Kings. Then former defensive MVP from last year, Pita Taumoepenu, also chipped in with 1.5 sacks on the day. The Pita has three for the year. Last year he tallied up 7.5 sacks. With this defense and if they insert Perez, this team should win it all. Yes, it’s that simple like an easy button.
#3.BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (2-4) Moved up 5 spots from last week.
What a pretty girl can do for a car. What a car can do for a regular looking girl. The Stallions have found their Mustang at the quarterback position and his name is Dorian Thompson Robinson. DTR lost in his UFL debut last week. However, he haunts his former team the Orlando Storm who traded him to Birmingham only weeks ago.
After throwing 271 passing yards along with a touchdown pass in a huge victory which might save the Stallions season… DTR told his old team, “they should have kept him.”
The Stallions weakness this season was at the quarterback position. DTR fixes that and helps the Stallions escape the glue factory for now. He completed 70.4 5 of his passes. This guy started 5 games in the NFL. He had two starts for the Browns during the 2024 season. This kind of move can propel Birmingham into the post season. They beat a pretty good team in Orlando as well.
#4. ORLANDO STORM (4-2) Dropped 1 spot from last week
Sunny days for the Orlando Storm on the football field lately. Suddenly the Storm has dropped two straight games. The Storm started out of the gates with a strong start going 4-0 before they have hit a few potholes in the last few weeks. In week 5 the Storm’s head coach Anthony Becht was beaten by his former team the BattleHawks.Then last week the Storm were beaten by their former QB, Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The Storm traded DTR to the Stallions a few weeks back. Now the former Cleveland Brown haunts his old team. The Storm have one of the talented QB’s in the league. Jack Plummer tallied up over 300 passing yards and threw two touchdown passes in the loss to Birmingham.
KJ Hamler, one of Plummer’s weapons in the aerial attack, caught 8 balls for 113 receiving yards with a touchdown catch. This Storm team has plenty of playmakers on offense. They can play solid defense. They are 1 of only three teams in the UFL that actually has a winning record right now. The Storm could meet the Stallions again in the post-season.
#5. LOUISVILLE KINGS (2-4) DROPPED 1 SPOT FROM LAST WEEK
Only in the UFL can it be that a team scores 47 points in a win & then the next week manages only 3 points.
The Louisville Kings in week 5 were wearing the legit Kings crown beating up on the Renegades 47-25. Last week these Kings were asking their fan base, “Do you want fries with that?”
The Kings were wearing the paper crown last week scoring three points versus the BattleHawks. The Kings quarterback Chandler Rogers is nowhere close to Aaron Rogers’ talent in the NFL. Do Kings fans miss Jason Bean who they traded away? Last week Rogers completed 15-32 passes for 199 passing yards. That is a completion percentage of 46.9%. Yikes. No touchdown passes yet in two games. He did throw an interception. If the Kings can get better results from Rogers, they are in the mix for the 4th playoff spot. The Renegades are in free fall. The Kings obviously beat the Renegades. If they can rack up 2 or 3 wins in the last few weeks of the season, the Kings could sneak through the doggie door of post-season. Of course wearing the paper crowns, not the gold ones as they are not at that level.
#6. COLUMBUS AVIATORS (2-4) In the same spot from last week
The Aviators split the two games series with the Gamblers by salvaging the rematch last weekend.
The Aviators wide receiver Tay Martin had a big game catching six balls for 103 yards. John Lovett, master thespian, had a nice game on the ground for the Aviators.
Lovett gained 63 yards and found pay dirt with a rushing touchdown. Veteran Quarterback Jalan McClendon beats the franchise he played for last year, as they were the Roughnecks. This win keeps Columbus in the playoff chase for the 4th spot which could be Dallas who are 3-3. Then there’s the Stallions, Kings, Gamblers and the Aviators who all have a 2-4 record. Dallas has collapsed losing three straight games.
#7. HOUSTON GAMBLERS (2-4) Dropped 2 spots from last week
The Gamblers lose the rematch game versus the Aviators after beating Columbus in week 5. Seventeen points was enough to beat the Aviators once, but was not enough in week 6 as Columbus put up 24 points. Houston did score more points than their Texas arch-rival Dallas, who only scored six point in week 6. Houston we know has a problem at the quarterback position. They are trying to address the most important position on the field as they made a signing this week bringing in John Rys Plumlee.
Plumlee had stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars in their camps but never has thrown a pass in the NFL. Plumless played college foot ball UCF. He was drafted by the Renegades a few seasons ago but did not sign. Now he find himself in Texas with the Gamblers.
The Gamblers then get rid of one of the problems they had at the QB position by cutting Tua’s brother, Taulia Tagovailoa. Might be Canadian football for Taulia’s future. In three games he only completed 53.1% of his passes. He did tally up 300 passing yards. Threw two touchdown passes. Ran for 1 touchdown. Had 1 interception. He did appear in last week’s game and pretty much was not an impact. We will see if Plumlee can work some miracles for the Gamblers.
#8. DALLAS RENEGADES (3-3) Dropped 1 spot from last week.
The Renegades have officially hit rock bottom in the power rankings. Dallas started off the season winning their first three games out of the gates. They had a high powered offense. They had a deadly defense. They looked like they had the best quarterback in the league with Austin Reed. They even traded away the best spring quarterback in Luis Perez, the King of the Spring Fling, to the BattleHawks. Now the Renegades have fallen and can’t get up losing three straight games. Last week the Renegades offense managed only 6 points. By far the lowest scoring game they have had all season long. When the other Texas team in the UFL called the Gamblers, who don’t have a quarterback< are scoring more than you something is wrong.
Even during this Renegades skid out of control, wide receiver Tyler Vaughns continues to impress with his play style this year. Tyler scored the only touchdown of the day for the Renegades. This season he has tallied up 34 catches for 438 receiving yards while hauling in 5 touchdowns. In 4 seasons all with the Renegades, he has caught 151 balls for 1,718 receiving yards and 12 touchdown catches. Nice spring football career he has had.
The face of the UFL & CEO of the league, Mike Repole, loves horse racing. He put a team in Louisville & calls them the Kings with a horse head as the logo. Repole has a horse racing this weekend in the Kentucky Derby named Renegade. Named after the Dallas Renegades perhaps? In the picture above, he certainly is not just whispering in Renegade’s ears and saying, “Hello, Mr. Ed.” Renegade is favored to win the big horse race this weekend. Meanwhile the team Repole put in Louisville is on the climb in the standings and power rankings. However the Renegades of the UFL are falling and can’t get up. Hopefully Renegade the horse, can do better than the Dallas team. We have another week of power rankings coming right around the turn as we sort out all the uppers and downers of the league with week 6.
UFL POWER RANKINGS WEEK SIX
Starting with the best and ending with the worst in the league.
#1. DC DEFENDERS (4-1) In the same spot from last week.
The Defenders fan base looks like a college frat party at Comic Con. I want to go there. In only the last two weeks the Defenders have finally unleashed their aerial attack in full force. Should the rest of the league be nervous the Defenders were scoring high numbers with only a skeleton fraction of their passing game working? The Defenders defense and the running game were key in the early part of the season. The defending champions Defenders have won 4 straight since taking a loss to the BattleHawks in the opening week. In the last two games, the Defenders star quarterback, Jordan Ta’amu, is finally playing his best football. Versus the Stallions he completed 15-22 for 275 passing yards and 4 touchdown passes. No interceptions. GREAT SCOTT!!
Ty Scott caught three balls for 84 receiving yards and hauled in two touchdown passes. In the running game we know the Defenders have a stud in the back field named Deon Jackson. Who the hell is Xazavian Valladay? Another weapon in the backfield. Valladay had 8 carries for 50 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. The Defenders put up their 3rd game of the season where they have scored 40 or more points in one game. The Defenders defense greeted Dorian Thompson-Robinson in his first ever spring start of his career in the UFL with two picks. Thompson Robinson came over from the Storm in trade with the Stallions and played in the NFL not too long ago. The Defenders defense gave up 28 points, but the game was out of reach for Birmingham as they score some of those in garbage time.
#2. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (3-2) Moved up three spots from last week
Frosty the Frostman is still leading the BattleHawks parade even though St.Louis hammered out a trade to get the King of the Spring Fling, Luis Perez from the Dallas Renegades. Harrison Frost bounces back with a better game than he had in week 4. He’s still making mistakes as he had two interceptions vs the Orlando Storm. The BattleHawks were facing their old head coach Anthony Becht, who were undefeated 4-0 until St.Louis came to town. Frost completed 64.5% of his passes. He tallied up 185 passing yards, threw a touchdown pass, and used his legs to score a touchdown.
Steven McBride led all BattleHawks with 4 catches for 53 yards. McBride with Hakeem Butler and Jahcour Pearson have formed into a deadly trio of wide receivers for this St.Louis team. To fully use all these weapons, they need to scrape the frost off their windshields and start Perez at quarterback. The BattleHawks held a great Storm team to 17 points. They can play some solid defense. They are the only team to beat the Defenders. Perez is the last ingredient in this BattleHawks stew.
#3. ORLANDO STORM (4-1) Same spot from last week
The Storm lost their first game of the season last week. I have the Storm staying right where they are because Dallas is in a free fall right now. The Storm’s head coach Anthony Becht could not beat his former team, the BattleHawks. The Storm have played well so far winning 4-5 games in the first half of the season. The Storm have one of the best quarterbacks in the league with Jack Plummer. He threw 44 balls last week for only 143 passing yards. He completed only 24 of those. That’s a lot of dinking and dunking with short passes last week. Plummer does not make mistakes and can make big plays happen. The BattleHawks defense contained him from delivering the big play. The Storm is coming in the second half and I expect plenty of thunder and lightning from Plummer.
The Storm defense has been a major Payne for opposing offenses this season.
Pheldarius Payne racked up 2 sacks last week versus the BattleHawks offense. Becht teams have always played solid on defense. I can see that defense with Plummer at QB the Storm will be one of those 4 teams standing in the post season when the sun finally comes out.
#4.LOUISVILLE KINGS (2-3) Moved up two spots from last week
Are the Kings this good demolishing the Renegades 47-25 ? Or is Dallas just this bad right now? The Kings have won 2 straight games. In this game it was not Jason Bean’s replacement at quarterback that killed it for Louisville. Bean they traded to the Defenders after week 4. Chandler Rogers completed 72% of his passes versus the Renegades defense. His numbers were 13-18 for only 150 passing yards. No touchdown passes & no interceptions. He did not need it. The Kings had their running game firing on all cylinders.
Ian Wheeler did his Al Bundy, 4 touchdowns in one game, impersonation. Who is Ian Wheeler?
If you thought of Bobby Wheeler’s son on that old sitcom Taxi, you were wrong. Ian Wheeler was part of the Chicago Bears like the Renegades quarterback Austin Reed. Wheeler had 13 carries for 62 rushing yards and 4 scores as he was King for this game at least. The Kings piled up 4 interceptions on the Renegades. Two of them were pick sixes. That Kings defense has been feisty all year long. Louisville is on the rise.
#5. HOUSTON GAMBLERS (2-3) Moved up the ladder two spots from last week
The Gamblers get their second win of the year as they escape a defensive battle versus the Aviators to perhaps save their season. This was not Jake Plissken pulling out a wonderful mission to escape New York or LA.
This was a sloppy offensive game by both teams. Missed kicks by both sides. Definitely the missed kicks helped Houston salvage this one for the win column. What we know is Nolan Henderson is the better option at QB than Tua’s brother Taulia Tagovailoa. Henderson found the end zone with his legs for a score. I give the Gamblers defense here lots of credit. That defense played lights out and was their best performance of the season so far.
Former Defender now Gambler Malik Fisher registered one sack versus the Columbus offense. The Gamblers forced two turnovers and recorded 4 sacks in 17-13 outcome. The Gamblers offense had a total of 266 yards. A win is a win. This one was an ugly one.
#6. COLUMBUS AVIATORS (1-4) Dropped two spots from last week
The Aviators did pull out an ugly last week versus a bad Houston squad. I figured on a sober Ted Ginn as the head coach. A spicy Todd Haley as the OC and Jalan McClendon going up against his former team. Coming off a good win versus the Renegades. I thought along with many fans, that the Aviators would fly high in this one. The Aviators only mustered up 13 points against one of the worst secondaries in the league. In a defensive stand still when you lose the turnover battle, you’re going to lose the game. This was an ugly game with plenty of missed kicks on special teams. The Aviators defense held Houston to a total of 266 yards of offense. They only needed 17 points to pull off the victory. Both teams needed this victory. Both teams came in with identical records of 1-3. Being 2-3 after half the season gives your franchise hope at least. Columbus will have to win out or take 4-5 games to get in the post season. Those are not guarantees.
Up next for the Aviators is the sequel versus the Gamblers. Let’s hope it’s better than Weekend at Bernie’s two.
#7. DALLAS RENEGADES (3-2) Dropped 5 spots from last week
It feels like the Renegades season just took a plunge off a tall building. The Renegades started this season 3-0 and everyone had their quarterback Austin Reed being some NFL team’s number 2 QB in this upcoming season. The Renegades were destroying teams now that they are the team that is getting kicked around. First it was the Aviators that knocked them off their perch high in the sky. Last Sunday the wheels of the Renegades came off the bus as they were manhandled by the Louisville Kings. Reed threw 4 interceptions. Two of them were run back for pick sixes by the Kings. The Renegades were playing well on both sides of the football in the first three weeks. Besides the offense hitting skid row, their defense picture is on milk cartons as they have been missing in action the last two weeks. The Renegades traded away probably the best quarterback in the league that was holding a clipboard all season long for Dallas. Luis Perez now with the BattleHawks. If Reed does not turn it around, that may go down as one of the worst trades in history of the league. Reed’s play definitely has him staying in the UFL for years to come.
One bright side of the Renegades is wide receiver Drake Stoops, who is the son of the former Dallas head coach Bob. Drake had 4 catches last week in the blow out for 47 receiving yards. Drake is emerging as one of the top targets for Reed and the Renegades passing game. Maybe he should ask his dad to come back to work the side lines for the Renegades.
#8. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (1-4) In same spot from last week
Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s UFL debut as a starting quarterback definitely jump-started the Stallions offense. DTR threw the ball 43 times and tallied up 313 passing yards versus the Defenders defense. DTR is a duel threat quarterback who led all Stallions running backs with 43 rushing yards on the ground and found the end zone with his legs. He was better than Matt Corral, the Stallions old starting QB, who then was shipped to Orlando to get DTR. He threw 2 touchdown passes but did his best Corral impersonation with two picks. The Stallions were shut out the previous week. This was the second highest points this team has scored in one game this season. DTR brought life back to the Stallions wide receivers who went MIA. Jayden Mickens had 9 catches. Deon Cain tallied up 57 yards of receiving including a touchdown.
Is it too late for the Stallions that have dug their own grave with a first half record of 1-4? What happened to their defense? They gave up 45 points. The Stallions will need to win out or take 4 out of the 5 games they have remaining and maybe sneak through the doggie door of the post-season with a 5-5 record.
The Dallas Renegades have fallen from the number 1 spot with their first loss of the year. The DC Defenders are back on top of the UFL power rankings and received good news from the league on their quest to repeat as champions. During the week we have many quarterbacks on the move. The King of the Spring Fling, Luis Perez, has a new home. Will his presence punch a ticket for his new team on their quest for a championship? The Orlando Storm are still undefeated. Are we not giving the Storm the credit they are due? The Stallions have officially hit rock bottom. Let’s sort it all out with Week 5 UFL Power Rankings starting with the best and ending with the people under the stairs.
WEEK 5 UFL POWER RANKINGS
#1. DC DEFENDERS (3-1) Moved up one spot from last week
Once again the beer snake in DC is well and growing along with being back on top of the league. The defending champs get revenge against their division rival, the BattleHawks, last weekend which were the only team that beat them so far this season. It was week 1 when the BattleHawks defense blanketed the Defenders offense and held them to 10 points in St.Louis. Since that loss, the Defenders have won 3 straight games and have been blowing out the competition despite not getting the productivity this team is used to. This is in the passing game with their star spring football quarterback, Jordan Ta’amu.
The Defenders have been winning with a solid running game and defense getting turnovers. Jordan has done okay. In week 4 Ta’amu had his best game completing 22-36 passes for 204 yards. He had two touchdown passes & no interceptions. He also averaged 5.5 yards per carry with 11 runs for 61 rushing yards. The Defenders defense racked up one interception off the BattleHawks’ new quarterback Harrison Frost who pulled out a few miracles the week before. Frost only completed 28% of his passes against that Defenders defense. The Defenders upgraded their QB room by acquiring the Louisville Kings’ starting quarterback Jason Bean in trade. The Kings will get long time Defenders back up Mike Diliello. Diliello has played in 7 games over the last two seasons and had two touchdown passes for the Defenders. The league also announced that the UFL championship game this season will be played in DC. The Defenders could have a home game if they get there and could win back to back championships.
#2. DALLAS RENEGADES (3-1) Drop 1 spot from last week
In week three the Renegades just survived an Aviators comeback that came up short. In the rematch between these two teams, the Aviators bombarded Dallas’ defense and gave the Renegades their first loss of the season. The Renegades score a season low of 14 points. The Renegades star quarterback Austin Reed did throw two more touchdown passes in the loss with an interception. He only completed 48% of his passes as it was pretty much his worst game of the year. The Renegades defense could not stop the Aviators running game. It was a poor outing overall for the entire Dallas team which results in their first loss of the year.
It may not be the smartest move, but news came that the Renegades have dealt their back up QB, the King of the Spring, Luis Perez to St.Louis. The Renegades get an offensive lineman Corey Stewart in return from the BattleHawks.
The Renegades can sure up that offensive line with Stewart. Perez helped the Renegades win a championship years ago back in the XFL. Austin Reed has been solid this year. A guy like Perez, who has always been a top passer in these spring leagues, could be an instant ticket for St.Louis to win it all.
#3. ORLANDO STORM (4-0) Moved up 1 spot from last week
The Storm have been feasting on the two other teams like themselves that relocated to another city for wins this season so far. Orlando brought dark clouds to the Stallions; home opener last week as the Storm’s defense registered the first shut out of the season in the UFL. Jack Plummer did not have his usual big day, but he did have a touchdown pass. The Storm scored 16 points of which 9 points came from the kicker.
Anthony Becht has proven he may be the best head coach right now in the UFL. In St.Louis he always had a solid defense, and now in Orlando he does even thought he’s an offensive-minded HC. The Storm held both Stallions quarterbacks to 130 passing yards. The Stallions averaged 2.4 yards on the ground versus this Storm defense. Orlando made an interesting trade this week with the Stallions, the team they just beat. They gifted them a quarterback they were not using with NFL experience in Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The Storm get the Stallions’ first QB in their recent history, who could not cut the mustard in Matt Coral who will back up Plummer in Orlando.
The headliner in this trade with the Stallions, the Storm will also get defensive end Amani Bledsoe in this deal. Bledsoe has 13 tackles and 1 sack this season. He will give the Storm another defensive piece for Anthony Becht’s squad.
#4. COLUMBUS AVIATORS (1-3) Moved up 1 spot from last week
A sober Ted Ginn as the Aviators’ head coach back on the sideline, equals Columbus’ first ever win in the UFL. It’s a biggie. The Aviators knocked off the Dallas Renegades, a team that was perfect 3-0 until this point.
The Aviators faced the Renegades in week 3 with Ginn being absent from that game due to a DUI in the wee hours of the night. The Aviators made a comeback in that one that fell short. This go-around the Aviators ran the ball down the Renegades’ throat with their three-headed monster they have in their back field. Toa Taura and Zaquandre White each had rushing touchdowns.
John Lovett led all Aviators backs with 80 rushing yards. Jalen McClendon was solid behind center completing 10-15 passes for 126 passing yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. The Aviators held one of the high scoring teams in the league to 14 points. Columbus has not really done well on defense until this point. Flying aces for the Aviators right now as they can easily win two in a row playing the Gamblers this weekend.
#5. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (2-2) Dropped two spots from last week
If you take away the 75 yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Hakeem Butler last week, Harrison Frost’s numbers would have been much worse last week. In his first start as the BattleHawks quarterback, things did not go well for Frost. In week three after a few hiccups, he had ice water in his veins as he led a epic comeback to upend the Stallions. Versus the Defenders he completed 6-21 passes for 144 passing yards with 1 touchdown and another interception.
His QB rating was 51.7 as he completed only 28% of his passes. Frost looked like the better option than the veteran spring QB Brandon Silvers. That may not be the case as St.Louis makes a trade during the week and land the King of the Spring Fling, Luis Perez from the Renegades. The BattleHawks give up one of their offensive linemen in Corey Stewart to get this deal done. This is a trade that could completely turn around the BattleHawks season right now if they bench Frost and insert Perez. The BattleHawks head coach, a former wide receiver in the NFL, Ricky Proehl, wants a high powered aerial attack which Perez can give them. Perez got beat out by Austin Reed in training camp and has been holding the clip board ever since. Last time Perez was traded in his career, it was to the Renegades in mid-season a few seasons ago. The results were he guided the Renegades to an XFL championship.
#6. LOUISVILLE KINGS (1-3) Same spot from last week
It’s the second week in a row that the Kings had to play overtime to decide their faith. In week 3 a penalty by the Kings’ defense gave the Storm the victory. During the week, the UFL decided they should make a rule change where a penalty does not decide the faith of a team. Especially in overtime. The Kings had a halftime lead. Then in the 3rd quarter, they saw that lead disappear as the Gamblers put up 16 unanswered points. This game had 8 field goals. For the Kings, it was Tanner Brown who had 5 field goals. It was Brown’s 48 yard boot that tied the game that sent this one to the OT.
It was James Robinson, the Kings’ new running back &former Jacksonville Jaguar of the NFL, who scored the only touchdown of the game for Louisville. It was Jason Bean in his last start for the Kings that hit tight end Tre McKitty for the 2 point try in over time in a hockey-style shoot out the UFL uses to decide games. It was Bean hitting McKitty with a pass that gives head coach Chris Redman his first victory as a head coach. It also gives Louisville their first ever UFL victory.
Bean went 1-3 as the Kings’ starter this season as he will head to DC and be the back up QB for the Defenders. Bean completed 58-122 passes for 819 passing yards with 4 touchdown passes and 1 interception. The Kings get the Defenders’ back up QB back in the deal, Mike Diliello. That means Chandler Rogers will become the new starting QB for the Kings in week 5.
#7. HOUSTON GAMBLERS (1-3) Moved up 1 spot from last week
I have the Gamblers moving up 1 spot because they played a solid game versus the Kings even though they come away with a loss in OT. The Gamblers’ only win this season is still from the Stallions. The Gamblers scored two touchdowns & most of their scoring comes on field goals. The Gamblers went with two quarterbacks once again. Nolan Henderson was back in action as he completed 4-7 for 43 passing yards. Taulia Tagovailoa was better as he completed 7-14 passes for 64 passing yards. Taulia had a rushing touchdown. Both QBs did not throw any interceptions.
It was the Gamblers’ running back Marcus Yarns who gave Houston some juice in that 3rd quarter versus the Kings with a 68 yard rushing touchdown. He finished the 8 carries for 111 rushing yards and that TD. The Gamblers went scoreless in the 4th and did not succeed in OT for another loss on their record.
I’m surprised the Gamblers did not get another quarterback like many teams did this week. They have two solid veteran spring wide receivers in Justin Hall and Jontre Kirlin, which both combined for 5 catches in the loss versus the Kings. Waiting on the QBs they do have, I just don’t see Houston having a good second half like they did last year.
#8. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (1-3) Dropped 1 more spot from last week
The Stallions are officially at rock bottom in the UFL. It’s either the glue factory or making horseradish out of AJ McCarron’s Stallions. The Stallions were shut out versus the Storm, 16-0. Their offense was horrific. They are also the first team to get shut out in the UFL this season. Perhaps help is on the way. McCarron may have found a fix at the quarterback position and got rid of their current problem at the position. The Stallions unload Matt Corral to the Storm for former Cleveland Browns QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who has seen NFL action the last few seasons.
The Stallions also had to trade away one of their defensive stars, Amani Bledsoe, to seal the deal on the trade. Now McCarron is not stuck with marching Corral back out there to get the same results. The Storm has done well with Jack Plummer this season, which makes Thompson-Robinson expendable. The Stallions get a duel threat QB that hopes playing time can get him back to the NFL. This move is a definite upgrade for Birmingham, who has struggled since their week 1 win over the Kings. The Stallions have lost 3 straight games which has been unheard of for them over the years.
The Wild shamrock 