Image via Daniel Sperling via WJLA
The United Bowl has come and gone as the Louisville Kings did the unthinkable and won the title in their first year of existence with a 27-20 win over the home team D.C. Defenders, but it wasn't without some drama in the game.
In the third quarter, Defenders starting quarterback Jason Bean was knocked out of the game with the same shoulder injury he had in the UFL semifinal playoff game against the Orlando Storm. That thrusted E.J. Perry into action after just signing with the team at the end of the season and playing his first snaps of the year.
Perry finished the game, completing five of 12 passes for 50 yards and rushing for 43 yards on seven carries with one interception. While the stat sheet may not look impressive, he does deserve a ton of credit for his performance in the game.
E.J. Perry played better than what UFL fans thought he did
Look at the situation Perry was in: he hadn't played a snap all year and only had a few weeks with the team, and most likely did not practice with the starters. He also came into the middle of the championship game completely cold off the bench. Under those circumstances, it would be nearly impossible for many quarterbacks to succeed, and Perry didn't play badly.
Let's acknowledge the one bad play he had in the game: the interception. Perry had his receiver open, but ended up underthrowing him badly, and it was picked off by the Kings' defensive back Cam Dantzler. That was 100% on Perry and not a great pass.
Outside of that play, though, Perry had some big moments in the game, especially on the final drive. He had two runs that were over 11 yards and went for first downs, as well as converted a third and short on a three-yard run. Prior to being inside the 20-yard line, Perry completed three of four passes as he made some solid throws. Unfortunately, Perry would end the drive with two incompletions as the Kings would run out the rest of the clock.
There's going to be a lot of conversation about what would have happened if Bean had never gotten hurt, but he himself was struggling to throw the football in the game. Aside from the interception, Perry played well, stepped up when his new team needed him to, and should get credit for his performance.