Each week, Greg will present what we learned from UFL games over the previous weekend.
-The injury to Defenders QB Jordan Ta'amu shakes up the playoff race. Ta'amu sustained a knee injury in D.C.'s loss to Louisville on Saturday, their second loss in a row to the Kings. D.C. had the opportunity to clinch a playoff berth with a win, and without Ta'amu, the team that at one time was the championship favorite this year may struggle to get into the post-season. It's a stark about-face for the Defenders, as they match up with the first place Orlando Storm on Friday night. With few exceptions, starting QBs throughout the league have been relatively healthy this season. That, combined with the timing and the fact that Ta'amu has been remarkably injury-free during his spring football career, will prove to make D.C.'s playoff push that much more difficult. In his stead, Spencer Sanders or Jason Bean will get the opportunity. Sanders didn't distinguish himself positively on Saturday in replacing Ta'amu, though a full week of practice as the number one may change that.
-Even without the injury to Ta'amu, the playoffs are wide open. Three teams had a chance to clinch a playoff spot in week eight; only one, Orlando, did so. Both D.C. and St. Louis lost their games and their chance to clinch. The UFL enters Week Nine with all eight teams still technically alive. It's pretty close to the best-case scenario for the league at this point in the season. Most assumed only one playoff spot was available, but now with the injury to Ta'amu, that could open the door for two teams outside the top four right now to jump the line and get in. Even while in the playoffs, Orlando will be vying for the top seed with something still to play for in Week Nine and potentially Week 10.
-Playing a game on a military base should be a yearly UFL tradition. Granted, there may not be a lot of military bases that can handle a nationally televised pro football game the way that Fort Hood could, but if it is possible, the UFL should look to make this kind of game a yearly tradition during Hats off to Heroes week. The presentation was incredibly unique, the spotlight on troops throughout the game was positive, and the emotion of TE Seth Green catching a touchdown pass with his dad - in uniform - at the game was something you can't get anywhere else. Rotating a different team's home game each year to a base in that state would help set the UFL apart and get it some much-need publicity. Every team has a player whose family has been impacted by military service and it's a chance for those stories to be told, just as Green's was.
-Orlando still has a lot to play for. The Storm hold a one-game lead over D.C. and St. Louis and they close the season with two games against the Defenders. Two Defender victories send the Storm to second place - third if St. Louis wins its final two as well. Orlando will want home-field advantage for the semifinals, so they'll have to make sure they take care of business. They lucked out by not having to face one of the league's premier passers in Ta'amu, which should give them an advantage in those contests. With small gameday rosters, it's more difficult for UFL teams to sit key contributors down the stretch anyway.
-The Kings and Stallions are in top contention for the final playoff spot. Both teams are 4-4 and Birmingham is a half-game up on Louisville for the fourth and final playoff spot. Though no team has yet been eliminated from contention, these teams have put themselves in position for at least the fourth seed. Both got themselves to this point on the strength of QB changes: Louisville traded Jason Bean to D.C. and went with backup Chandler Rogers; and Birmingham acquired their new QB, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, by trade. Credit the Kings for the mid-season changes they've made up and down their roster that have turned them from an also-ran into a contender. Beating D.C. two weeks in a row is no small feat for Head Coach Chris Redman and company. Birmingham plays Columbus and Houston in its final two games, while Louisville hosts Dallas and plays at Columbus.
-Houston's win over St. Louis was huge. For his nearly two seasons at the helm of the Gamblers, Head Coach Kevin Sumlin's teams have been marked by an inability to finish. So when time expired with St. Louis on the doorstep of a touchdown that would put them within an extra point of forcing overtime, the Gamblers were able to buck that trend and get a crunch-time victory in the most difficult venue to do so. That gives Houston some momentum as they stay on the periphery of the playoff hunt. They host St. Louis in Week Nine and challenge Birmingham in Week 10. They'll likely need to win out - and get help - to get into the playoffs, but it's more possible today than it would've been had they lost to the Battlehawks.
-Columbus is down but not out. At 2-6, there's still a slim possibility Columbus makes the playoffs, but they'll have to catch a lot of breaks to do so. When their offense is on, it's one of the most fun to watch in the league. When it's off, however, it's frankly brutal, as it was on Sunday. The run game was stuck in the mud, and the downfield passing game was nonexistent. That led to QB Jalan McClendon throwing a bunch of three-and-four-yard passes that didn't amount to much. Columbus's league-worst run defense held Birmingham in check in that regard, so that's a positive to take away. They need to beat Birmingham this week and Louisville in Week 10, two teams ahead of them in the standings, and get a lot of help to find themselves in the post-season.