The United Football League’s (UFL) playoffs are officially here. It all kicked off on Sunday afternoon, with the Orlando Storm (8-2) hosting the DC Defenders (5-5) – facing off for the third straight week in a row.
Heading into this affair, DC and Orlando were on different trajectories. Orlando had won four in a row, finishing with a league best 8-2 record. In fact, they beat DC twice in weeks 9 and 10, finding ways to close things out late as the Defenders were reeling after the season-ending injury to QB Jordan Ta’amu.
With the amount of experience these two staffs have against each other in the UFL, it was bound to be entertaining from start to finish.
Let’s take a look at what went down in Daytona Stadium today.
First Quarter
DC opened up with possession of the football, and Jason Bean got to work quickly. They were incredibly efficient on third downs to begin this game, and even after a stop from Orlando, they were offsides on the field goal attempt inside the 10. This came back to haunt them, as Deon Jackson punched it into the end zone, giving the Defenders a 7-0 lead.
The Storm didn’t get off to the fastest start, pushing the ball down the field. However, they stalled out after getting a little ways into DC territory, and settled for a field goal from Michael Lantz.
Abram Smith turned the clock back on the Defenders’ next series. He looked like prime 2023 XFL Smith, breaking off a couple of big runs – including a score that put DC up 14-3. Tackling was an issue early for Orlando, missing several on Abram as he waltzed into the end zone.
Heading into the second quarter, DC led by 11 – but K.J. Hamler came down with a huge reception to give the Storm some life.
Second Quarter
While Orlando got into the red zone, they couldn’t fully capitalize. They put another field goal on the board, following a couple of miscues between Jack Plummer and his receivers which resulted in incompletions.
At long last, Orlando’s defense was able to come up with a stop. The secondary stepped up, with excellent coverage that forced a punt, and not a very good one from Paxton Brooks.
The woes would continue for the Orlando Storm. After an outstanding drive deep inside the red zone of DC, they stalled out. A couple odd play calls, paired up with O-Line issues, resulted in a turnover on downs. Derick Roberson got to Plummer, sacking him on fourth down from the two yard line.
Jason Bean turned it on on their final drive of the quarter. Even with just two minutes on the clock, he pushed the ball down the field with ease, managing pressure in the pocket. Two large completions to Cornell Powell and Braylon Sanders set them up inside Orlando’s 30.
DC would not be able to take full advantage, though. A short field goal from McCrane was missed due to poor operation, and DC went into halftime with a 14-6 lead.
Third Quarter
It was about as disastrous as a start to the second half for Plummer and the Storm. He missed Chris Rowland, and Bryce Thompson stepped in for the interception.
Orlando’s defense held strong, and DC was only able to come away with three points. For the Storm, the nonsense just continued to pile up. Plummer found Jerome Kapp for an explosive 70 yard touchdown, but a super challenge from Shannon Harris resulted in the play being called back, and Orlando had to punt.
The Storm would finally catch a break on the next drive. Jason Bean was dinged up after taking a hit, which resulted in Spencer Sanders entering the game. On his first pass attempt, Sanders was intercepted – and Kana’I Mauga took it to the house.
DC would have more fireworks up their sleeve, this time in the form of the trusty veteran, Briley Moore. On third down, Bean lofted a pass for Moore, who mossed Jason Taylor II – and broke away for a touchdown to give the Defenders a 24-13 lead.
With fifteen minutes left to play, Orlando’s backs were up against a wall.
Fourth Quarter
Jack Plummer caught a break to begin the fourth. A pass that was originally ruled an interception by Derick Roberson (batted at the line of scrimmage) was overturned, as Derick didn’t control the ball going to the ground. Orlando put together a long, cohesive drive – but came up short in the red zone, settling for a 23 yard field goal.
Just when the Orlando Storm felt like hope could be creeping back in, another veteran for DC would step up. Matt McCrane banged through a monster 61 yard kick, counting for four points – which put the Defenders on top 28-16.
Speaking of veterans, Chris Rowland has stepped up all year long, and did once again. Plummer found Rowland on a 40 yard touchdown, to pull within six points.
See also
The Storm went for a three point conversion to try and pull within a field goal, but it was no good. Interestingly enough, Anthony Becht opted to kickoff with just a couple of minutes left, putting the game in the hands of his defense. DC converted a couple of first downs, and the Defenders held on for the 28-22 win, heading to the United Bowl.
Standout Playmakers
QB Jason Bean: A lot of credit needs to be given to Jason Bean, who corrected course from last week. He was put into a unique situation with the Defenders, but threw for 233 yards and a touchdown – leading the Defenders past Orlando in the biggest game of the year for DC. He also rushed for 40 yards on just five carries.
RB Abram Smith: Abram turned the clock back. He rushed for 60 yards and a score on 11 carries, providing the Defenders with elite play out of the backfield.
TE Briley Moore: Whenever Moore isn’t active, his absence is felt. DC was able to bring him back from personal leave for the playoff push, and in another big moment, he has showed up yet again. Briley had four receptions for 55 yards, and a key late touchdown to put the game out of arm’s reach.
DE Derick Roberson: Not surprisingly, Derick was a force and a major factor in the win. He had a couple of tackles, two TFL’s, and a sack – but his constant pressure made Jack Plummer’s life very difficult in the pocket.
Orlando
LB Kana’I Mauga: Even though he was signed just a few weeks ago, Mauga turned out to be one of the top defensive players for Becht’s Storm. He had six tackles, and a game changing pick six against DC this weekend.
Major Takeaways
Once again, Anthony Becht’s #1 seeded team came up short in the postseason. Orlando’s miscues were evident early on. Missed tackles, and mental errors defensively, allowed for DC to take an early 14-3 lead. Offensively, Jack Plummer was out of sorts for half of this ball game – missing open receivers that he hit all year long during the season.
On top of that, the Storm simply got in their own way in a few moments that cost them. For example, a penalty on DC’s first drive turned three points into seven. Later in the first half, an Orlando drive to DC’s two yard line resulted with putting nothing on the board, with Roberson’s sack. Some of these undisciplined moments were more head-scratching than anything – as Orlando has executed at a smoother rate throughout most of the year.
How about those DC Defenders?? Shannon Harris said heading into this game: he loves when DC is “counted out”. After losing two in a row to Orlando heading into the playoffs, one could see why the Defenders were viewed as the underdog. The Defenders put those suspicions to bed early, scoring touchdowns on their opening drives. DC put up 405 yards of offense, with 24 first downs. The ground game was alive and well, rushing for 172 yards – compared to Orlando’s 56.
DC also held possession of the ball for almost 36 minutes, having the rock in their hands for about 12 minutes longer than Orlando did. DC converted 10 of their 16 third down attempts. Even when Orlando put them in tough spots, Bean & Co. were able to move the chains more often than not.
Final Thoughts
The United Bowl is officially set. The DC Defenders will host it at their own venue, Audi Field, on Saturday. Shannon Harris and the Defenders are still in the dance, and really, why should we have questioned that at any point? DC may not have ended the regular season on a flashy note, but the Defenders will now have the opportunity to defend their title at home.
For Orlando, this was an incredibly disappointing end to what was a successful season. The Storm were a league-best 8-2, but couldn’t get out of their own way when it mattered most.
To secure your tickets for the United Bowl, click here. DC will face off against the Louisville Kings for a third time this UFL season.
What are your thoughts on this game between the DC Defenders and Orlando Storm? Was the outcome what you expected? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
