Defenders Fall to Renegades in Season Finale 32-31

The DC Defenders closed out the 2024 UFL Season with a 32-31 loss to the Arlington Renegades on Sunday afternoon. This was a rematch of the April 13th matchup, in which the Defenders won 29-28. The Renegades were offensively led by Quarterback Luis Perez, who went 23/37, 215 yards, 3 Touchdowns, and two interceptions. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu went  18/34, 218 yards, 2 Touchdowns and zero interceptions. 

Jonathan Garibay's 27-yard field goal put the Renegades up 3-0 with 8:53 left in the first quarter. In a swift response, Chris Rowland returned a 55-yard kick return that set up Matt McCrane for a 44-yard field goal to tie the game 3-3. Gareon Conley intercepted a Luiz Perez throw at the Defenders' 34-yard line.  

In the 2nd quarter, the game turned as Jonathan Garibay nailed a 40-yard FG attempt with 10:35 remaining to put the Renegades up 6-3. Following the FG, Chris Rowland returned an 83-yard kickoff to put the Defenders up 9-6; the 2-point conversion attempt failed. Jordan Ta’amu connected with wide receiver Vyncint Smith for a 43-yard Touchdown to cap a 7-play, 80-yard drive. The 2-point conversion attempt failed as the Defenders took a 15-6 lead with 4:38 remaining in the 2nd quarter. The Renegades struck back as Luis Perez connected with wide receiver Tyler Vaughns for a 5-yard touchdown reception. On the two-point conversion attempt, Luis Perez connected with running back Devin Darrington to cut the Defenders' lead to 1. The Defenders went to halftime with a 15-14 lead. 

The Defenders extended their lead in the 3rd quarter as running back Cam’Ron Harris scored for a 1-yard touchdown run to cap an 8-play, 33-yard play drive. The Defenders failed on the 1-point conversion attempt as the Defenders led 21-14. Jonathan Garibay nailed a 36-yard FG with 6:08 left in the 3rd quarter to cut the Defenders lead 21-17. 

Louis Perez connected with Tyler Vaughns for a 35-yard touchdown connection, and the Renegades converted on the 2-point conversion attempt to put the Renegades up 25-21 with 14:20 remaining in the 4th quarter. The Defenders struck back as Jordan Ta’amu connected with Brandon Smith for a 40-yard touchdown reception. Ta’amu connected with Alex Ellis on the 2-point conversion attempt to put the Defenders up 29-25. Following the touchdown on the kickoff, Paxton Brooks booted a 79-yard kick to the 1-yard line. Renegades kick returner Juan Manigo grabbed the ball at the Renegades 1-yard line, which resulted in a safety to extend the Defender's lead to 6 (31-25)! 

 (Sounds crazy, right? Here is the Play, Source: ESPN ) 

Montae Nicholson intercepted a Luis Perez pass at the Arlington 41-yard line with 8:56 left in the 4th quarter. In the next possession, Matt McCrane missed a 54-yard FG attempt. Luis Perez connected with Deontay Burnett on a 7-yard touchdown reception to tie the game with 2:34 left in the 4th quarter. De’Veon Smith’s 1-yard run on the 1-point conversion attempt put the Renegades up 32-31 with 2:28 left. On the following possession, Ta’amu stepped back to pass on a 4th four-down & was sacked, ending the comeback attempt for the Defenders as the Renegades won 32-31. 

The Defenders ended the season with four wins and six losses. Following the season finale, we spoke with head coach Reggie Barlow and asked what some takeaways from this season were. 

Top 5 Commanders Games to Watch this season

The Washington Commanders will look significantly different from the previous season. On February 3rd, Former Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn was hired as the Commanders' Head Coach.

 Quinn hired former Cardinals Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury as the Offensive Coordinator, while Quinn hired former Cowboys Defensive back Coach Joe Whit Jr. as the Defensive Coordinator. The Commanders drafted the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels with the 2nd overall pick in the NFL Draft. 

The Commanders released their 2024-2025 Schedule a few weeks ago, and here are my Top five Games to watch this season. 

(All times are Eastern Standard Time)  

Honorable mention : 

Bears @ Commanders (Week 8| Sunday October 27th 1 PM)

• The showdown between the #1 Overall Pick (Caleb Williams) and the #2 Overall Pick (Jayden Daniels) promises to be a battle that will set these two teams apart as we enter the middle part of the season. The Commanders also seek redemption for their 40-20 loss to the Bears on TNF last season. 

5) Eagles @Commanders (Week 16 | Sunday December 22nd 1 PM) 

• The Eagles come into town in a possible pivotal NFC EAST showdown that can have playoff implications for both teams. This matchup will be the second to the last home game for the Commanders. The last time the Eagles went to Commanders Field, A.J Brown torched the Commanders (131 Yards, 2 TDs) to set the NFL record for most consecutive games with 125 receiving yards or more. 

4) Commanders @Ravens (Week 6 | Sunday October 13th 1PM) 

• The Commanders will take the 29-mile trip to face their Beltway brethren, the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens are coming off a heartbreaking defeat in the AFC Championship vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite falling short, the Ravens are poised to be contenders. This will be a massive test for the Commanders, as they have been looking for their first win in Baltimore since October 9th, 2016. 

3) Commanders @Bengals (Week 3 | Monday September 23rd 8:15) 

•  Commanders head to Cincinnati under the lights for an MNF matchup, arguably their toughest matchup of the season thus far. This matchup will see the last two Heisman Trophy winners who hailed from LSU (Joe Burrow vs Jayden Daniels). Cincinnati will be poised as contenders as Joe Burrow returns from an injury-plagued 2023. The Commanders will seek their 1st win in Cincinnati since September 22, 1991. 

2)  Commanders Pre-Thanksgiving Stretch (Week 11 | @Eagles November 14th 8:15 , Week 12 | November 24th 1:00) 

• I put these two games together because these are the most pivotal games of the season, and these matchups are against the last two NFC EAST Champions. Heading into week 11, if the Commanders are above .500 or slightly under .500, this 10-day stretch will be season-defining. The Commanders head to Philly following a short week (Commanders face the Steelers in Week 10), which has been a house of horrors as the Commanders have lost 3 out of 5 matchups in Philly. Following the Eagles Matchup, the Commanders return home to face the Dallas Cowboys. This will be the 1st time the Cowboys will face their former Defensive Coordinator, Dan Quinn, and Defensive Backs Coach, Joe Whitt Jr. 

1) Commanders @Cowboys (Week 18 | Sunday January 5th 1:00) 

• The major storyline heading into this matchup will be the return of Dan Quin, but huge playoff implications can come into play for Dallas and Washington in this matchup. Washington has lost 7 out of 8 last games at Dallas. I can see this game flexing to the SNF window with a Playoff Berth or NFC East  Championship Berth at stake. 

Check out the Full Schedule here:

(Image Source: Washington Commanders X Page)

Battlehawks thrash Defenders to capture 4th straight win

IMAGE SOURCE: Darrell Lee Owens Sr., LegacyMaker Sports

(Washington, DC) A crowd of 16,058 witnessed the DC Defenders suffer their first home loss in franchise history on Sunday afternoon, falling 45-12 to the St. Louis Battlehawks. The Battlehawks captured their fourth consecutive win on Sunday. Quarterback A.J. McCarron led the Battlehawks, going 14-24 for 213 yards and two touchdowns. 

In the Battlehawks' opening possession, AJ McCarron was sacked by Defenders defensive lineman Malik Fisher, who forced a fumble at the Defenders' 14-yard line. Following the turnover, Defenders Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu threw an interception to cornerback Brandon Sebastian at the Defenders' 44-yard line. On the next possession, the Battlehawks would capitalize, as AJ McCarron connected with Hakeem Butler for a 13-yard touchdown to cap a 7-play, 44-yard drive to put the Battlehawks up 6-0 with 8:07 remaining in the first quarter. McCarron connected with Marcell Ateman on the 2-point conversion attempt to put the Battlehawks up 8-0. Andre Szmty connected on 2 field goals (37 and 51 yards ) to put the Battlehawks up 14-0 at the end of the 1st quarter.

The Battlehawks extended their lead to 17 as Andre Szmty connected on a 22-yard field goal with 8:13 remaining in the second quarter. Cam' Ron Harris's 1-yard rushing touchdown with 2:16 remaining in the second quarter put the Defenders on the board, cutting the Battlehawks' lead to 11 (17-6 Battlehawks). The Defenders failed to convert on the 2-point conversion attempt. Jordan  Ta’amu connected with Kelvin Harmon to cap a 6-play 53-yard drive (2-point conversion attempt failed) with 18 seconds remaining in the 2nd quarter to cut the Battlehawks lead to 5 (17-12) entering halftime.

With 1:25 remaining in the third quarter, Andre Szmty connected on a 48-yard field goal to extend the Battlehawks' lead to 8 (Battlehawks 20-12). The defender's last hope of gaining control of the game failed as Jordan Ta'amu was sacked by Pita Tamumoepenu, who forced a fumble that Battlehawks linebacker Willie Harvey recovered at the Defender's 37-yard line. Following the Defender's turnover, the Battlehawks scored 25 points in the 4th quarter, including a Wayne Gallman II rushing TD (2-point conversion failed), Jacob Saylors rushing TD (converted on1-point conversion), AJ McCarron's pass to Hakeem Butler, leading to an 80-yard reception for a touchdown (the longest play in UFL History, 2 point conversion failed ) & a rushing touchdown by quarterback Manny Wilkins (conversion failed) to give the Battlehawks their 4th straight win of the season.

The Defenders (2-3) continue their three-game homestand. They will face the San Antonio Brahmas on Sunday, May 5th. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. EST.