THIS GIVEN SUNDAY – UFL WK7: LOUISVILLE TAKE DOWN CHAMPS
After seven weeks of the 2026 United Football League season, there is a three-way tie at the top of the table, with St Louis, Orlando and DC all boasting 5-2 records, but the form team right now may just be the Louisville Kings, who sit in the next group bunched at 3-4.
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Louisville Kings 30 @ 13 DC Defenders
The Louisville Kings kept their playoff hopes alive in emphatic fashion by handing the defending champion DC Defenders a 30-13 defeat at Audi Field, closing the game on a stunning 27-0 run after Chandler Rogers absorbed a huge second-quarter hit that completely shifted the momentum.
DC had looked in control after Jordan Ta’amu connected with Javon Antonio on an 81-yard touchdown — the longest offensive play in the UFL this season — before later finding Ty Scott for another score and a 13-3 lead. But Rogers answered immediately after Derrick Roberson was flagged for unnecessary roughness on a helmet hit, guiding Louisville downfield before hitting Tarik Black for a touchdown just before half-time.
The Kings then took over after the break. Tanner Brown tied the game with a 49-yard field goal before Jalen Wydermyer forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff to hand Louisville a short field. Rogers capitalised quickly, finding Black for his second touchdown of the afternoon and a 20-13 lead as DC’s offence began to unravel.
Ta’amu, who still threw for a season-high 353 yards, was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter by Keaton Ellis and Cam Dantzler, while Corey Mayfield later forced and recovered a Cornell Powell fumble as Louisville created turnovers on each of DC’s final three possessions. James Robinson added a one-yard rushing score during the fourth-quarter surge as the Kings finished with 145 rushing yards and their most complete performance of the season.
Rogers finished 17-of-26 for 201 yards and two touchdowns without committing a turnover, while Black caught five passes for 49 yards and both scores. The result lifts Louisville to 3-4 ahead of an immediate rematch with the Defenders next weekend — a game now with genuine playoff implications attached.
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Columbus Aviators 20 @ 31 St Louis Battlehawks
St. Louis kept rolling on Ricky Proehl Night, beating Columbus 31-20 at the Dome to move to 5-2. Luis Perez marked his first Battlehawks start with a one-yard rushing score and a 14-yard touchdown toss to Steven McBride, while Kylin James added two rushing touchdowns. Columbus cut into a 24-7 half-time deficit through Jalan McClendon touchdown passes to Tay Martin and Keke Chism, but St. Louis’ defense closed it out with three sacks, seven tackles for loss and a 4-of-12 mark allowed on third down.
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Dallas Renegades 17 @ 21 Birmingham Stallions
Birmingham, after an uncharacteristically slow start to the campaign, kept themselves alive in the playoff race by beating Dallas side down on its luck 21-17 in overtime, despite never leading in regulation. Dorian Thompson-Robinson shook off an early interception, hit Daewood Davis for a 46-yard touchdown, then found Jaydon Mickens on fourth down for the tying score with two minutes left. Jayden Peevy blocked Dallas’ 53-yard field-goal attempt at the end of regulation, before Thompson-Robinson and Mickens finished the job in the shootout. Dallas, which got two Ellis Merriweather rushing touchdowns, has now lost four straight and is in danger of sinking without trace, especially with Orlando next on the docket.
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Orlando Storm 24 @ 23 Houston Gamblers
Speaking of the Storm, Orlando edged Houston 24-23 in Sunday’s finale, surviving a missed 63-yard John Hoyland field goal attempt in the final minute. Jack Plummer threw two touchdowns to Elijhah Badger, while D.J. James — signed only three days earlier — returned a Hunter Dekkers interception for a touchdown. Houston piled up 415 yards but went 1-for-5 in the red zone, wasting strong stretches from Dekkers, Jalen Cropper and John Rhys Plumlee, whose 49-yard touchdown to Jalen White briefly put the Gamblers ahead.