THIS GIVEN SUNDAY – UFL WK2: BACK WITH A BANG
Week 2 of the 2026 UFL season delivered a little bit of everything: a statement win from the defending champions, a gritty unbeaten Orlando side, late-game drama in Houston and a convincing Dallas performance to close the slate.
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DC Defenders 44 @ 26 Columbus Aviators
DC bounced back emphatically from its opening week loss, overpowering Columbus on the road behind a dominant rushing display and a defense that rediscovered its bite.
Deon Jackson was the headline act, rushing for 97 yards and three touchdowns, while the Defenders forced four turnovers and recorded four sacks in a performance much closer to their 2025 title-winning form. FOX’s Week 2 takeaways noted that DC ‘got back to their identity’, with the front seven repeatedly collapsing the pocket and dictating the line of scrimmage.
After the two teams traded early scores, DC seized control in the second quarter with consecutive rushing touchdowns and never looked back, stretching the lead to 24-7 before half-time. Jackson’s score count now leaves him among the league leaders through two weeks.
For Columbus, Jalan McClendon continued to flash as both passer and runner, but the turnovers proved too costly.
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Louisville Kings 9 @ 19 Orlando Storm 19
Orlando moved to 2-0, continuing one of the strongest starts in the league with a controlled home win over Louisville.
The game turned late in the first half when former University of Louisville standout Jack Plummer, after briefly leaving the game, returned on third-and-long and hit K.J. Hamler for a 41-yard touchdown with under a minute remaining in the half. That momentum swing carried into the fourth quarter, when Plummer found Elijhah Badger from 39 yards to put the game out of reach after the Kings had hung around and trailed by only three going into the final stanza.
Backup quarterback Chandler Rogers came in for the Kings for the third series of the game and played most of the second half in relief of starter Jason Bean.
“For his first game in professional football, I thought Chandler played great,” Kings HC Chris Redman said. “I have a lot of confidence in him, as I do with both of our quarterbacks. I also thought our defense was amazing. They played with a lot of heart, but were on the field too much in the second half.
“I thought it was a really good and competitive game and our guys played hard with a lot of effort. We have some things to work on offensively and clean some things up, run the ball better, but I still have a lot of confidence.”
The Storm defense deserves equal billing as Louisville was held to just 27 rushing yards and managed only 216 total yards, while the Kings were shut out in the second half. At 2-0, Orlando already looks one of the early pace-setters in the spring landscape, although the two sides meet again, in Louisville, this Friday (10th April).
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Birmingham Stallions 20 @ 22 Houston Gamblers
In arguably the game of the week, Houston claimed its first win of the season in dramatic fashion, edging Birmingham on a 50-yard field goal at the death from John Hoyland.
The Gamblers leaned heavily into the ground game after struggling in Week 1, piling up 174 rushing yards. Jalen White led the way with 82 yards and the go-ahead touchdown run in the fourth quarter, before Birmingham briefly retook the lead on an Anthony McFarland Jr. score.
Then came the decisive drive. Relief quarterback Nolan Henderson — pressed into action after Hunter Dekkers exited with a shoulder injury — drove Houston into range, allowing Hoyland to split the uprights from 50 yards.
For Birmingham, Matt Corral threw for 226 yards and two scores, but two interceptions loomed large in a game decided by the finest of margins.
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St Louis Battlehawks 15 @ 31 Dallas Renegades
Dallas closed out the week in style, improving to 2-0 with a convincing home win over St. Louis.
Austin Reed and Tyler Vaughns were in sync all night for the Renegades, as Vaughns delivered a career performance, breaking a UFL single-game regular season record with 11 receptions for 146 yards. Against Week 1’s top defense, nothing fazed first-year quarterback Reed either, as he opened by leading the Renegades down the field in just six plays, covering 68 yards with Vaughns hauling in three receptions for 36 yards on the drive, including the score.
Although Dallas didn’t run the ball particularly well overall, a 50-yard burst from Dae Dae Hunter helped set up Reed’s second touchdown of the game. On second-and-goal from the 12, Reed swung it out to Greg Ward, who broke a tackle and fought his way into the end zone for touchdowns in back-to-back weeks.
Dallas’ defense was also a major storyline, holding St. Louis to just three points in the first half, before the fourth quarter turned into the highest-scoring frame of the game. Reed capped a 15-play, 76-yard drive by finding Vaughns in the end zone for the second time, extending Dallas’ lead to 24-6, only for St Louis to respond with a late push, QB Brandon Silvers engineering a 12-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a Tyler Neville touchdown. The Battlehawks then converted the first three-point conversion of the season, as Silvers found his big-bodied receiver Hakeem Butler to cut the deficit to a one-possession nine points.
After the defense forced a quick three-and-out, Silvers had a chance to keep the momentum going but was unable to capitalise, turning the ball over on downs — and Reed then put the game away, taking a shot downfield and connecting with Vaughns for a third touchdown.
The Renegades now look one of the league’s most balanced sides through the opening fortnight, backing up their opening-week success over Houston with another polished performance. St. Louis, meanwhile, slips to 1-1 after opening the season with an eye-catching win over DC.