UFL Week 4 power rankings: Battlehawks, Brahmas climbing; Panthers slide
The 2024 UFL season continues to deliver week in and week out. There have been 10 one-possession games through the first four weeks of the season, which has also featured a perfect performance (3 for 3) on alternative onside kicks.
Officiating heads Mike Pereira and Dean Blandino have been perfect in instant replay review from their command center, and football fans get to hear most offensive play calls during these games, which continue to move at an exciting pace and average under three hours.
The UFL is built on traditional football values and loaded with the best talent of any spring football league in the past 40 years. There isn't much else to ask for a TV product, and the league is continuing to grow and trend upward, as evidenced by the boisterous atmosphere in St. Louis over the weekend.
That said, let's get to our fourth edition of the 2024 UFL power rankings, with title odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.
1. Birmingham Stallions (4-0)
UFL title odds: +150
The Stallions needed a late surge and a field goal from a kicker they signed just four days prior to Saturday to earn the win in Week 4, but they managed to pull off both and remain perfect on the season — extending their winning streak to 11 games dating back to 2023.
After the UFL’s first 300-yard passing performance and entering Week 4 as the UFL’s leading rusher, QB Adrian Martinez watched the start swing back to former Ole Miss signal-caller Matt Corral.
Corral held serve in the QB derby with the win and a solid performance. He completed 19 of 29 passes for 240 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Still, there’s little doubt that the offense is more explosive with Martinez in at QB.
What’s nice for Stallions head coach Skip Holtz is that it doesn’t matter much to his playmakers, and no one was bigger in Saturday's win than former Clemson WR Amari Rodgers, who recorded four catches for 82 yards and a score.
John Chavis’ defense played its first game without recording a single sack but still picked up five tackles for a loss. Linebacker Kyahva Tezino led Birmingham with 10 tackles, including two for a loss. The Defenders allowed a safety just before the game went into an 86-minute lightning delay.
2. St. Louis Battlehawks (3-1)
UFL title odds: +250
The Battlehawks looked elite in what ended up being a statement win against the Memphis Showboats on Saturday.
In front of yet another enormous crowd at The Dome at America’s Center, running back Jacob Saylors recorded the longest rush of the UFL season so far (55 yards), while QB AJ McCarron completed the most passes by a signal-caller in a single game this season. He completed 35 of 45 attempts for 222 yards and three touchdowns, plus an interception.
Thanks in large part to that 55-yard run, Saylors became just the second 100-yard rusher of the season with 15 carries for 103. He and teammate Mataeo Durant are the only players to rush for 100 yards or more in a single game thus far.
That’s now three in a row for the Battlehawks, which are now tied for first place in their conference.
3. San Antonio Brahmas (3-1)
UFL title odds: +700
Brahmas QB Quentin Dormady got his first start in place of an injured Chase Garbers, and he responded with an outstanding showing. The Central Michigan product completed 23 of 37 passes for 269 yards, one score and one inception.
Dormady performed most of his work through the air with passes to wide receivers Jontre Kirklin and Justin Smith. The duo became the first set of teammates in the UFL to notch 100 receiving yards each; Kirklin caught five passes for 105 yards, while Smith caught seven passes for 107 yards.
Wade Phillips’ defensive unit made the offense's job much easier with significant pressure on Michigan Panthers QBs E.J. Perry and Danny Etling. Michigan's offensive line gave up six sacks to the Brahmas.
Safety Jordan Mosley, one of the UFL’s best defenders, led the Brahmas with five tackles and his first pick of the season.
4. DC Defenders (2-2)
UFL title odds: +850
The Defenders looked valiant on the road but came up just short. With under two minutes left to play, the Defenders held a one-point lead over the Stallions before allowing a game-winning drive that pushed them to 2-2 this season.
QB Jordan Ta’amu led an offense that gained 256 yards — including 12 of 22 for 161 yards on his arm — but wasn’t great on third down, going just 4 of 11. What stings Defenders fans about that is neither were the Stallions at just 3 of 11.
The Stallions (5.4 yards per play) didn’t outgain the Defenders (5.2 yards per play) by much either. If Defenders offensive coordinator Fred Kaiss can figure out how to get his rushing attack going, they could be a true challenger among former XFL teams. The Defenders picked up 90 yards on 26 rushes against the Stallions, averaging a measly 3.5 yards per rush.
5. Michigan Panthers (2-2)
UFL title odds: +1000
The Panthers' offense regressed at Ford Field despite a rushing attack that recorded 111 yards on 17 rushes. Michigan managed to score just three points through the first three quarters of their Week 4 loss.
Star kicker Jake Bates continued his perfect record of field goal attempts when he hit from 49 yards out to give the Panthers their only score of the first half.
Head coach Mike Nolan needs to get more consistency from his quarterback play. Etling entered and completed 11 of 14 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw an interception and fumbled in the fourth quarter. Perry still looks like the better runner, and he showed that with four carries for 49 yards.
Defensively, Frank Ginda led the Panthers with eight tackles, including one tackle for a loss and a pass breakup.
6. Memphis Showboats (1-3)
UFL title odds: +1600
For the second week in a row, the Showboats' offense looked hurried and Memphis head coach John DeFilippo pulled starter Case Cookus for backup Troy Williams. The two QBs combined to complete just 12 of 21 passes for 60 yards. Cookus had both the Showboats’ lone passing touchdown and interception.
The offense was shut out in the second half, while the Showboats' defense gave up 29 points in the first and fourth quarters of their loss to St. Louis. The Showboats have now lost three in a row headed into Week 5.
7. Houston Roughnecks (1-3)
UFL title odds: +3600
The Roughnecks finally earned their first win of the year behind a solid offensive performance and stellar defensive performance.
While QB Reid Sinnett completed just 18 of 28 passes for 191 yards and one score, the return of USFL Offensive Player of the Year Mark Thompson to the Roughnecks' backfield certainly energized the offensive line.
Thompson scored a rushing touchdown in his first game back, while the Roughnecks' defense became the first to hold an otherwise explosive Renegades offense to single-digit scoring.
8. Arlington Renegades (0-4)
UFL title odds: +3300
The Renegades are the last winless team in the league after losing their third consecutive one-possession game. This time, the loss came to what I'd argue to be the UFL’s worst team heading into Week 4, but underscores the urgency Bob Stoops’ squad must feel.
The Renegades have lost each of their past three games by a combined 10 points. Had their offense had better clock management heading into halftime, it might have pulled out a win on the road. But offensive coordinator Chuck Long’s unit went into the break with two timeouts and tried to convert a fourth-and-19 from their own 20-yard line.
It also didn’t help much that QB Luis Perez — who leads the league in passing — looked pedestrian for the first time all year, completing just 15 of 28 passes for 144 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The Number One College Football Show." Follow him at @RJ_Young and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube.
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