THIS GIVEN SUNDAY – UFL WK3: STORM DENY KINGS — AGAIN
Week 3 of the 2026 UFL season delivered another outstanding slate, featuring overtime chaos in Louisville, a record-setting demolition in DC, Dallas staying unbeaten and St. Louis edging one of the weekend’s heavyweight contests.
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Orlando Storm 29 @ 27 Louisville Kings OT
Orlando moved to 3-0 after surviving a wild 29-27 overtime thriller on the road against Louisville. Jack Plummer once again was central to everything good the Storm did, throwing for 250 yards and three touchdowns as Orlando continued one of the league’s strongest starts. K.J. Hamler remained the big-play catalyst, while Chris Rowland also made his mark in the passing game.
Jason Bean delivered the best game of his Kings career, throwing for 352 yards and three touchdowns as Louisville posted a season-high 438 total yards. Bean connected twice with tight end Zach Davidson, including the game-tying six-yard score with 1:06 remaining, while Isaiah Winstead led all receivers with seven catches for 114 yards. Lucky Jackson also added a touchdown, and Benny Snell paced an improved ground game with 50 rushing yards. Tanner Brown remained perfect on the season, converting both field-goal attempts, including a 51-yarder.
“This is not how we wanted the game to end, but it was good for us to finish some drives and getting touchdowns instead of field goals,” Bean said.
Having battled all the way back to force overtime in front of a boisterous home crowd, the Kings came up short, conceding a crucial penalty as the Storm kept their composure in the UFL’s alternating two-point conversion finish to remain perfect. However, the Kings, despite slipping to 0-3, has pushed Orlando harder than anyone has so far this season having faced the Storm in back-to-back weeks.
“It was definitely an interesting finish, but that is the rule,” Kings head coach Chris Redman commened. “I’m excited, however, because our running game was better and [we showed that] you can stay in contention when you play like this.”
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Houston Gamblers 7 @ 45 DC Defenders
The statement performance of the week came in the nation’s capital, where defending champions DC obliterated Houston 45-7 in a league-record 38-point victory. One week after putting 44 points on Columbus, the Defenders again looked every bit like the side that lifted the title in 2025, overwhelming the Gamblers from the outset with relentless pressure and explosive offense.
Houston’s much-anticipated introduction of Taulia Tagovailoa quickly turned sour as DC’s front seven repeatedly collapsed the pocket and dictated the game script. The margin set a new UFL benchmark and felt like a warning shot to the rest of the league that the champions are fully back in rhythm.
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Columbus Aviators 23 @ 28 Dallas Renegades
Dallas also stayed unbeaten, improving to 3-0 with a hard-fought 28-23 win over Columbus. The Renegades once again leaned on the consistency of Austin Reed and the outstanding early-season form of Tyler Vaughns, who continues to build a compelling case as the league’s leading offensive player through three weeks. While Vaughns’ numbers were quieter than his record-setting Week 2, his influence remained central as Dallas controlled key moments and saw off a spirited Aviators side still searching for its first win.
The Aviators struck first through John Lovett’s eight-yard touchdown catch from Jalan McClendon, who impressed throughout despite two costly interceptions. Dallas responded through Reed’s touchdown pass to Deontay Burnett before a defensive turning point just before half-time, when Shaun Wade’s interception and lateral to Ajene Harris produced a touchdown return. Reed then orchestrated a superb 14-play opening drive of the second half, capped by Dae Dae Hunter’s rushing score, before finding Emmanuel Butler after another turnover.
Columbus, playing without head coach Ted Ginn Jr following his pre-game arrest on DUI charges, rallied through Lovett’s second score and a late Antwane Wells touchdown, but fell just short in a competitive game.
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Birmingham Stallions 30 @ 34 St Louis Battlehawks
St. Louis wrapped up the weekend with perhaps the most consequential result outside Orlando’s overtime escape, beating Birmingham 34-30 in a high-quality clash at The Dome. The Battlehawks improved to 2-1 by holding off a late Stallions surge in front of another strong home crowd, underlining their credentials as genuine contenders in the early playoff picture.
The outcome required St. Louis stage a dramatic comeback, twice rallying from 10-point deficits to emerge on top. The Battlehawks led 10-0 early after Jordan Williams’ pick-six and Tucker McCann’s 54-yard field goal, but the Stallions responded through Matt Corral, Anthony McFarland Jr and a Mario Goodrich interception return to build a 30-20 fourth-quarter lead.
On his debut, Battlehawks QB Harrison Frost threw for 148 yards and three touchdowns, overcoming two interceptions to spark the rally. Hakeem Butler starred with four catches for 146 yards, including a 64-yard score, before Tyler Neville’s late touchdown capped a 75-yard drive and sealed a stirring St. Louis victory.
Birmingham, now finding themselves with an unfamiliar losing record at 1-2, have been on the wrong side of a couple of tight games and will feel its margin for error beginning to narrow.
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Three weeks in, the early shape of the season is becoming clearer: Orlando and Dallas remain unbeaten, DC has emphatically rediscovered its championship edge, and St. Louis is keeping itself firmly in the conversation near the top. For the newcomers in Louisville and Columbus, performances have been encouraging enough to suggest a first win is just around the corner, and you should never write off a wounded Stallions franchise…