Above Image Credit: Orlando Business Journal
When: Sunday, June 7th, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Daytona Stadium (Daytona Beach, FL)
How to Watch: ABC (check your local listings)
This Sunday, four teams will enter the UFL playoff doubleheader with the winners advancing to the United Bowl in Washington, DC. Part 1 will kick off with the reigning champion DC Defenders taking on the Orlando Storm once again.
The Crack In DC’s Shield
After losing to St. Louis in Week One, DC went on a winning streak all the way to Week Seven where they lost to the Louisville Kings 30-13. However, the most unfortunate part of that week was losing star QB Jordan Ta’amu to a season-ending injury. Talk about bad timing.
Backup QBs Spencer Sanders and Jason Bean attempted to get the team back on the right track but was unsuccessful. DC would finish the regular season with a 4-game losing streak, a 5-5 record, and the #4 playoff seed. That losing streak actually came from consecutive losses against Louisville and Orlando.
The only question that now remains is which quarterback will start the game. Everyone knows playoff games hit differently compared to the regular season, but Sanders and Bean haven’t played this season as long as many others and hardly have experience in this level. Head coach Shannon Harris might have to switch between the two as the game goes on.
Not Your Average Storm
When new UFL teams were announced last October, Orlando would return to spring football rebranded as the “Orlando Storm.” They were previously known as the “Orlando Guardians” back in the XFL before merging with the USFL.
Spring football veteran head coach Anthony Becht was called to coach the rebranded city team after three seasons with St. Louis. His methods and strategies has turned the Storm into the league’s best team, just like with the Battlehawks in the past.
QB Jack Plummer is one of the league’s best overall passers with 195 completions out of 300 (1st in UFL) for 2,188 yards (1st in UFL), 17 touchdowns (2nd in UFL), and an interception. Their offense looked unstoppable all season long with Elijhah Badger and Chris Rowland making it happen. Badger is the second-best wide receiver overall with 588 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Rowland led the UFL in all-purpose yards for the third year in a row with an overall total of 1,093. With records like these, it would be a shame if they were eliminated early.
DC vs. Orlando: UFL Playoff Final Prediction
This will be the third consecutive meeting between the teams this season. Orlando has been one step ahead of the champs in their last two meetings, and the reason is not because Ta’amu was absent. If the Storm was able to outsmart their opponents, they would outsmart Ta’amu if they could.
The reason is because the Storm knows how to get around offensively and defensively. However, DC’s defense could be what stands between them and the United Bowl. They made 60 total tackles for loss (1st in the UFL) and are ranked second in sacks (27) and takeaways (16).
RB Deon Jackson is DC’s go-to in the offense. He leads the league in total rushing yards (449) and rushing TDs (7) while having the fifth-best overall score (44 points). Fans should also play attention to wild card RB Xazavian Valladay who has scored five rushing TDs (3rd in UFL) and recorded 840 all-purpose yards (4th in UFL).
For DC, it’s a matter of figuring out who to target when slowing down the Storm offense, how they can make Plummer turnover the ball, and getting their shaky offense together without their star QB. If they can’t take whatever lessons they learned from the consecutive losses to Orlando, then their championship reign is over. Frankly, that’s where their path might be ending, but let’s see if they can prove that theory wrong.
