UFL WEEK 7 RECAP:

- Mike Mueller, Senior Editor

St Louis (5-2) def Columbus (2-5) 31-20

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St Louis:

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-Luis Perez is clearly still learning the rhythms and tendencies of his receivers. He made several poor throws that felt more like a lack of familiarity rather than inability to make the accurate throw. Despite the miscues, Perez is clearly the best option the Battlehawks have at Quarterback. He has three more weeks to get on the same page as his receivers before the playoffs start. 

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-Despite winning the game, the Battlehawks defense seemed off. Columbus was able to run for 120 yards, 50 more yards than what St Louis is used to giving up on the ground. Additionally, the Aviators were able to complete more than 70% of their throws. If the St Louis defense is breaking down into the playoffs, that could spell disaster. Just ask any Michigan Panthers fan. 

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Columbus: 

-On paper, this team should not be 2-5. They have clear weaknesses, mainly in run defense and not having a QB who can stretch the field, but even with those glaring weaknesses, they have the best rushing game in the league, and Cam Smith is a top 3 cornerback. Typically this is good enough to at least be a .500 team. They just haven’t figured out how to put it all together. 

-The biggest flaw that can be pointed to is coaching. There was a moment late in the game where the Aviators went for a one point attempt when they were down 11. In the UFL, it is possible to score 9 points on a touchdown. There was absolutely no reason for Columbus to not go for a two or three point conversion to try to make it a one score game. As soon as that decision was made, the Aviators had no chance at the comeback. This is what happens when you have an inexperienced head coach. 

Louisville (3-4) def DC (5-2) 30-13

Louisville: 

-Momentum is perhaps the most important thing in football, and that was showcased perfectly here. The Kings were heading toward halftime just hoping to stay within a score when suddenly a vicious hit on Chandler Rogers resulted in a penalty and gave them new life. This was by far the best their offense has looked. Both rushing and passing games seemed unstoppable in the second half. It would be an impressive performance against anybody, but to do it to the reigning champs and best team in the league makes it all the more impressive. 

-While it was great to see the offense finally show up, the defense has remained the cornerstone of this team. Four takeaways and constant pressure on the QB forced DC to make phenomenal plays all game long just to stay ahead of the sticks. This team is ready for a late push, but they’re going to likely need to win out to get into the playoffs. 

DC:

-The only thing that can stop this team is themselves. Dumb penalties, bad turnovers, and dropped touchdowns took them out of a game that looked like it was going to be another runaway victory. This has been DC’s problem for the past three seasons. If they could learn to get out of their own way, they could be 3x champs of this league. Last year was the first time they didn’t have a bonehead game in the postseason, and the results reflected that. 

-This doesn’t change the fact that DC is still the front runner for the league. This was an uncharacteristic game that DC is unlikely to repeat. The only aspect of this game that is truly concerning for future weeks is the missed tackles. This defense is usually excellent at wrapping up and not allowing broken tackles, but Louisville RB’s James Robinson and Ian Wheeler were shedding defenders all game. Expect a lot of tackling drills in practice this week for the Defenders. 

Birmingham (3-4) def Dallas (3-4) 21-17/OT

Birmingham: 

-Dorian Thompson-Robinson has sparked new life into this Stallions team, who now sits tied for that all-important fourth playoff spot. Playmaking ability both in the air and with his legs has been pivotal for a Birmingham team who was at the bottom of the league in offense before he took over. That being said, Jaydon Mickens was the only receiver with more than one reception, and outside of one explosive play before the half, the offense was completely shut down. Moving forward, Birmingham is going to need to get off to better starts if they want to keep their winning streak going. 

-Birmingham had a tough time getting much pressure on the quarterback, and allowed a few large runs, but the linebackers and secondary were mostly solid all game, not allowing huge plays and forcing Dallas to maintain long drives. 

Dallas: 

-A four game slide surely has Renegades fans panicking, but there is a silver lining here. This is the most balanced the Dallas offense has looked, and now with the added wrinkle of bringing Luke Lehnen in for read-option plays, the Renegades can continue a balanced attack. 

-The Dallas offensive line is criminally underrated. With how much time they are allowing Austin Reed in the pocket, his numbers should be bigger. Reed was a bit banged up heading into this week and hopefully that was the reason for some of his miscues. 

-Rick Neuheisel is a class act of a coach. The mic access that the UFL provides has really shone a light on the different ways coaches communicate with their players. Neuheisel’s ability to talk his players up and keep them in a good mindset is going to be pivotal as Dallas faces a tough stretch of games to end the season. 

Orlando (5-2) def Houston (2-5) 24-23 

Orlando:

-The Storm feel like a team that should be 3-4 at best, yet they keep finding ways to win. They were outperformed in every major statistic this week, except for one: Turnovers. In fact, they have the fewest turnovers in the league. They also have the second fewest penalties against. This team wins games by not screwing up. Is that going to be enough for them to win come playoff time? It seems unlikely, but it’s worked well enough for them thus far. 

Houston: 

-Houston seems like a team that is slowly getting better week by week, and maybe if this were a 16 week season, they could find themselves back to .500 ball. The good news is Houston seems to have their QB of the future in John Rhys Plumlee. He made a huge difference in the game and his scrambling and ability to throw on the run  helps negate a subpar offensive line. 

-The coaching staff needs to be replaced. Play calling is stale and the messaging from Kevin Sumlin is largely uninspired. For a team with some good raw potential (they actually have the most all-purpose yards in the league) they still seem directionless. 

LOOKING AHEAD 

Birmingham by far has the easiest road ahead, playing Columbus twice and Houston once. Orlando has to play DC twice, and Dallas once. Dallas also plays Louisville and St Louis. 

There’s a world where Orlando, Dallas, and Louisville are all sitting at 5-5 at the end of the year, and Birmingham is at 6-4, meaning one of the teams that started 3-0 will definitely miss the playoffs, and potentially two teams that started 1-3 do make the playoffs. It’s great that we are headed into week 8 and realistically there’s five teams competing for two playoff spots.