Each week, Greg will present what we learned from UFL games over the previous weekend.
-And then there was one. That goes for just one regular season week remaining in this fast-moving UFL 2026 season, but also one playoff spot left to be decided in that final week. St. Louis clinched with a win over Houston and D.C. back-doored their way in after a loss to Orlando on Friday. Birmingham's failure to defeat Columbus put the Defenders into the post-season. Now, it'll be either Louisville or Birmingham that completes the playoff picture. The Kings, at 5-4, has a much clearer path than the 4-5 Stallions. It's a win-and-in scenario for Louisville against Columbus. Birmingham will have to win against Houston and get some help. Most, if not all, of the week 10 games will have something at stake.
-D.C.'s QB problem is bigger than we thought. The Defenders played Orlando tough on Friday, losing by just one score despite QB Spencer Sanders appearing overmatched for much of the game. We knew he wasn't going to be able to step in and replicate Jordan Ta'amu's body of work, but with a full week of practice as a starter (splitting some reps with Jason Bean, according to reports), it was expected he would look more composed than he did when thrown into the deep end the previous week against Louisville. Sanders rushed for 75 yards but completed less than 50% of his passes and missed an open receiver on the 4th-and-12 desperation scenario at the end of the game. Despite his performance, D.C. opted not to put in Bean at any point in the game. The Defenders see Orlando again this week with seeding implications, meaning they're playing to win. We'll see if they still have trust in Sanders to get it done.
-Dallas's collapse is complete. With their playoff lives on the line, Dallas lost its sixth in a row, eliminating them from playoff contention. The Renegades lost RB Ellis Merriweather for the game after one carry, down to their third and fourth backs. QB Austin Reed completed just 33% of his passes. Their defense allowed the Kings to rush for over 200 yards, and Chandler Rogers passed for 266. It was a complete breakdown to cap a complete meltdown over the last six weeks, sending Dallas from the penthouse of the UFL to the outhouse. Even the normally mild-mannered Rick Neuheisel was shown on the broadcast getting after special teams coach Scott Spurrier and later, Reed for missing open receivers and going for riskier throws.
-Columbus's turn to Jalen Morton at QB sparked their offense. It was a curious decision by Columbus (and one it sounded like offensive coordinator Todd Haley didn't necessarily agree with) to bench QB Jalan McClendon in favor of Jalen Morton. It was a high-risk move, as the Aviators were still contending for a playoff spot - albeit as a longshot - heading into Week Nine. Morton performed well, though, throwing for three touchdowns, rushing for a fourth (as part of his 96 yards on the ground) and generally pushing the ball downfield more than his predecessor. That dimension had been sorely lacking in Columbus's offense all season. In the end, it may have been too little, too late for the Aviators, as they were eliminated from playoff contention despite the victory.
-Birmingham made their playoff path more difficult. A win against a bottom team in the standings in Week Nine would not have secured the Stallions a spot in the post-season, though it would've gone a long way toward that goal. However, QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson struggled against a strong Columbus pass defense, tossing two interceptions and throwing for just 157 yards. Frustratingly for the Stallions and their fans, they blew an early double-digit lead in the loss, and they were also leading heading into the fourth quarter. Birmingham has to close better, and that starts with defeating a Houston Gamblers team playing for pride in the final week.
-Luis Perez is getting hot at the right time. It was a close game, but St. Louis was able to prevent Houston from defeating them two weeks in a row. That was thanks in large part to QB Luis Perez, who completed two-thirds of his passes for 239 yards. Perez was un-Perez-like the first few weeks after taking over as starter; he seems to be finding his groove at the right time. And now, he has his security blanket from the last few years, TE Sal Cannella, to work with. Cannella was signed last week to replace the injured Tyler Neville after Cannella was waived by the Cleveland Browns following May's rookie minicamp. The emergence of Steven McBride as a weapon and favorite target of Perez has helped diversify the offense. St. Louis will need to avoid a trap game against Dallas to keep that momentum going into the playoffs.