Week 3 UFL Review

The 2026 season continued with a thrilling Week 3. The showcase included the highest margin of victory in UFL history, a controversial ending, a DWI-inspired coaching change, and a back-and-forth wild one in St. Louis where a new star might have come out of hibernation. The weekend certainly did not lack for action or strangeness. Frontrunners emerged and several teams found themselves sitting at 0-3. 

Ratings jumped. With the games back on ABC, ESPN, and FOX, audiences responded accordingly. 1.01 million tuned for Sunday's Stallions-Battlehawks showdown for AJ McCarron's return to St. Louis. They saw a wooly affair with plenty of big play and turnovers. 

FNF (Friday Night Football) on FOX saw a slow but steady growth pattern. Hopefully, the game's abrupt ending did not turn off potential fans. But more on that outrage later. 

Orlando 29, Louisville 27

The Storm, once again as typical of Becht's style, won a close game and remained unbeaten at 3-0, as the two teams battled for the second straight week. But Orlando's perfection was overshadowed by a controversial rule. Both quarterbacks tossed three touchdowns. Plummer, Orlando's thrower, proved more consistent while Bean, Louisville's gunslinger, alternated between amazing throws and inaccuracy short passes. 

Louisville struck first on a 51-yard field goal. Orlando struck back with a touchdown pass. The teams traded field goals in the second quarter for a 10-6 Storm halftime lead. 

The game went haywire in the second half. Bean found his stride for a touchdown pass. Plummer answered the call with a TD toss. Louisville's field general struck for his second TD pass of the third quarter and the Kings led 20-17 entering the final quarter. 

Orlando tied the game at 20-20 on the first play of the fourth stanza. The Storm seized the lead on a beautiful 40-yard TD catch by KJ Hamler, who dove out like an acrobat for the sensational snag. Bean tied the game on a two-minute drive, as he found Davidson for a second time. 

The game headed into overtime and the UFL's system, a series of three two-point conversions, kicked into gear. Neither team could convert a single attempt as misfires after misfires piled up and the sequence dissolved into sudden death. Eventually, Louisville's defensive backs committed consecutive penalties, and by the rules, Orlando received the winning two points. 

Social media exploded with outrage as an exciting contest ended in the football equivalent of a balk. I expect a rule change will occur in the offseason. 

Houston 7, DC 45

The Defenders unlocked the largest win in UFL history in a complete dismantling of the hapless Gamblers. DC, after an anemic Week 1 showing in the BattleDome, appears to be one of the league's finest teams. 

Deon Jackson raced 60 yards for DC's opening touchdown on the opening drive and the rout was on. Matt McCrane kicked his second four-point field goal and then added a traditional one. Gareon Conley, former first round pick for the Raiders, picked off Taulia Tagovailoa, Tua's brother, for a touchdown. DC notched another rushing touchdown and led 28-0 at halftime. 

After another McCrane boot, Houston scored its only points on a Tagovailoa touchdown pass. DC answered with two more scores and negated a beautiful Houston touchdown with a Super Challenge. The DC fans and Beer Snake were hollering for 50 points but the Defenders showed mercy. 

Columbus 23, Dallas 28

In a game where the score wasn't indicative of Dallas' relative dominance, the biggest storyline resided in how Todd Haley, acting head coach for Columbus, after Ted Ginn Jr.'s DUI had the Aviators looking competent at times. Austin Reed only threw for 147 yards but tossed two touchdowns. 

Columbus struck first for a touchdown before Dallas answered with seven points. The Aviators flew ahead on a field goal but disaster grounded them before halftime. A pick six lateral gave Dallas the 14-10 lead before halftime. 

Dallas tacked on two touchdowns in the third quarter for a seemingly indestructible 28-10 lead. Columbis found the end zone before the quarter ended. The Aviators wouldn't score again until the two minute warning. The two-point conversion failed but Columbus had hope. The 4th and 12 onside try was not convert and Dallas improved to 3-0. 

Birmingham 30, St. Louis 34

The game emphasized everything wacky and mindboggling about the UFL, as the two most-known spring football teams staged a third straight classic. Both teams turned the ball over at a prodigious rate. St. Louis benched its starting quarterback and despite the backup, Harrison Frost, tossing two interceptions, saw its newest entry turn into the hero. Matt Corral continued his uneven play for the spring powerhouse, as the Stallions fell to 1-2. 

St. Louis jumped out to a 10-0 lead on a Corral pick six and a 54-yard field goal. Corral struck back with a long touchdown pass and the Battlehawks added a field goal for a 13-7 halftime lead. 

Like Orlando-Louisville, the second half featured explosive plays and offensive fireworks. Birmingham cut the deficit in half with a field goal before returning a Frost pass for a touchdown and a 16-13 lead. The Stallions then went up 23-13 on an Anthony McFarland TD run. 

Frost found his bearings and led a touchdown drive. The Deon Cain Train responded with a majestic 67-yard bomb. Hakeem Butler, not to be outdone by his horse rival, caught a 64-yard TD pass. The Dome, home to a few Big 12 Championship Games, saw the conference's spirit renewed. The Battlehawks seized the lead on a late touchdown pass. Corral attempted to lead a comeback but he missed a wide open deep threat and the Battlehawks batted away his fourth down pass and won a potential playoff elimination game. 

Power Rankings

1. Dallas - The Renegades dodged the trap game with aplomb. Now, they head to Columbus for a rematch with the Aviators. Now Dallas avoid the pitfall? If Austin Reed continues his MVP play, the law is helpless. 

2. Orlando - Is Orlando really the #2 team? Likely not, but 3-0 is 3-0. The Defenders-Battlehawks winner will likely jump the Storm next week. Orlando heads to Birmingham. Becht and McCarron had the bitterest divorce since the Millhouses. Orlando wins ugly and Birmingham loses by narrow margins. Can the Storm rain dance on the Stallions' home opener? 

3. DC - The Defenders lost to St. Louis in Week 1 but rebounded with amazing offense and tenacious defense. The Battlehawks travel to Audi Field for the UFL's best rivalry. Unless you count head coaches versus clock management. The Defenders' O-Line will need to actually, well, defend against St. Louis' pass rush. 

4. St. Louis - The Battlehawks edged the Stallions in an all-time classic. The kind of game that would be repeatedly replayed on the UFL Network, if such a channel existed. If Harrison Frost is the real deal, expect barren harvests for opposing defenses. The only question for St. Louis: does a rookie head coach limit its ceiling to the Dome's roof? 

5. Birmingham - Skip Holtz is greatly missed. The Stallions have been plagued by discipline issues. McCarron hasn't broken in his colts. Corral varies between top quarterback in the UFL and how the hell was his a third round pick in the NFL Draft. Four INTs is a ghastly number. 

6. Houston - The Gamblers' win over Birmingham loses more and more like the kind of fluke that happens when a drunk sorority girl joins a blackjack game, says hit me on 18, and the dealer draws a three. Injuries and Kevin Sumlin are snake eyes. A cool logo can only carry a team so far. 

7. Louisville - The Kings are better than what their 0-3 record indicates. They can prove it tomorrow at Houston. The league needs the Louisville market to work. Bean has talent galore but his 50% completion percentage is too erratic. Big plays and big misses are fun to watch for neutral fans, though. 

8. Columbus - Ted Ginn Jr. will stay on as head pilot despite his DUI. However, the Aviators looked their best without the Ohio State legend at the wheel. The Columbus market has excitement but a lackluster team can cool off a fevered market. A Friday night upset over Dallas would be huge. Someone call Lindy. However, I bet he is a Battlehawk fan.