After a 3-0 start to the 2026 UFL season, the Dallas Renegades hit rock bottom as they suffered their sixth straight loss with a 37-23 beating given by the Louisville Kings to officially eliminate them from playoff contention.
The Kings gained nearly 500 yards of offense, and it was another week of quarterback Austin Reed struggling to get anything going to the point that he was benched late in the fourth quarter to give Luke Lehnen a chance to play. Dallas was in the game for the most part, but 21 fourth quarter points allowed doomed them.
Most Renegades fans are looking for a reason to watch the team play in the final game of the season in Week 10 against the St. Louis Battlehawks, but might be finding it hard to find that motivation. There is still plenty to watch for, but the real question is, how should Dallas play this game out?
Dallas Renegades' Week 10 Should Play Out Like This
Luke Lehnen should start in place of Austin Reed
At this point, Reed has shown all that he can on the field, but the Renegades really should give Lehnen a chance to show off his skills. When Lehnen has been on the field, he seems to be getting more comfortable with throwing the ball, but his legs add another dynamic to the offense that Reed can't offer as much. Let him get the start and play it out to see if he has a future at starting in the UFL, as he's been on the bench for so long already.
Noel Mazzone needs to let it loose with his play-calling
One notable thing about the Kings' loss that Renegades fans were at least happy to see was that more deep-ball shots were taken downfield. The problem is the balance between those play calls just didn't seem to be there. Renegades offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone should just have fun with the play calls and get more aggressive to see what works in 2027, so they can set up a better game plan for next year.
Renegades' defense could be more aggressive, too
There are many changes Dallas's defense will need to make in the offseason, but for the time being, they should try to blitz more often. Bringing the heat on a quarterback like Battlehawks' starter and familiar face to the Renegades, Luis Perez, will get him rattled early on and force mistakes. St. Louis likes to push the ball downfield with Hakeem Butler, so get the corners to play more aggressively on him and don't give the Battlehawks anything going.
Rick Neuheisel should rotate more guys on the field in Week 10
One thing Neuheisel has done well is to play as many players as possible, so everyone can get game tape. That should be the case again, as everyone should be on the field auditioning for the team in 2027. The Renegades need to figure out who to keep and who to drop, as they might have to undergo another massive roster overhaul since this didn't work out.