My, oh my, oh my, how the mighty have fallen to depths as low as ever seen in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Remember when the Dallas Renegades had the number one offense in the UFL, and they were 3-0? That quickly shifted into a five-game losing streak after a 31-24 loss to the Orlando Storm from Fort Hood in Week 8. Now sitting at 3-5, the Renegades are on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention.
How in the world did the Renegades get to this point? Can they even find a way to turn this around with only two games left in the season?
Breaking Down Dallas Renegades' Awful Five-Game Losing Streak
Let's start with what the problem is: a lot.
Looking at the offense, the play-calling is just not there from the offensive coordinator, Noel Mazzone, who has called the passing game way too conservatively and hasn't let Austin Reed rip it. The Renegades have so many weapons on offense with Tyler Vaughns, Emmanuel Butler, Greg Ward, Drake Stoops, Denzel Mims, and Seth Green, but they are not all getting enough involved in the passing game.
Speaking of Vaughns, how is this offense not getting him involved enough? Yes, he's had some tough moments with drops, but he went from having 331 yards and four touchdowns in the first three games of the season to having 126 yards and one touchdown in the last five games. That can't happen to a top-five receiver in this league.
Reed has been playing more efficiently over the last two weeks, but he is still not the guy who broke the UFL record for passing yards in a game in Week 1. He's far from it, as he has not been able to get the big plays in the passing game and has had a tendency to turn the ball over back-to-back like a bad domino effect.
Even the running game has not been nearly consistent enough. Ellis Merriweather is coming off a strong game against the Storm with over 70 yards on the ground, but Dallas is one of the weaker rushing attacks in the league.
Really, this offense is lacking the explosive plays they had at the beginning of the season. They have to find ways to create big plays of 20 yards or more if they want any hope of regaining momentum.
Looking at the defense, losing Willie Taylor III in Week 8 was 100% the worst-case scenario for this unit, as he has been by far their best pass rusher all year, and, as Renegades head coach Rick Neuheisel said after the game, "took the sails out of them." That front seven has struggled against the run and has not been able to get pressure on the quarterback.
The secondary has had some nice moments from Shaun Wade and Steven Jones Jr., but like every other position group, not consistently enough. They could use some help from the front seven, but they could also step up and play better.
How about that special teams? Kicker Colton Theaker is very lucky to still have his job, as he has made just six of his 12 field goals this year and is just two of four between 40-49 yards out. Those six missed field goals have hurt them in multiple games.
Ultimately, there isn't much hope that a team on a five-game losing streak can turn things around with just two games left on the calendar. Coach Neuheisel has his work cut out for him, as another loss will be the end of their season, as they have to take on the red-hot Louisville Kings on the road in Week 9.