The Orlando Storm are the next UFL team to experience the Anthony Becht Curse in the first round of the playoffs. Year after year, Anthony Becht leads the UFL team he coaches to the brink of a championship, only for his team to come up short in the biggest game of the year. This is a cycle that has repeated itself over the last four seasons, and in 2026, the Orlando Storm is the team that must experience the sense of failure that comes with losing a playoff game after being the best team in the regular season. To break this cycle, it is important to understand why these failures occur. As in the past three seasons with the Saint Louis Battlehawks, the areas where the Orlando Storm came up short in their 28-22 loss to the DC Defenders involved bad habits the Storm ignored throughout the regular season. For the Storm to take the next step as a team, they will need to hope that the UFL experiences unprecedented stability this offseason, so they can maintain as much of this year's team as possible and make key improvements.
Postseason Football Is Won in the Trenches
In the world of professional football, when teams reach the postseason, they must be willing and able to control the pace of the game with their running game. That means that they need a strong enough offensive line to control the line of scrimmage. Throughout the 2026 season, the Storm have struggled to get their running game going week to week, and this week, the DC Defenders were able to run back Deon Jackson, forcing the Storm to become one-dimensional. By becoming one-dimensional on offense, the Storm opened the door for the DC Defenders' pass rush to unleash its aggression, forcing quarterback Jack Plummer to play on the run. Under the pressure of the Defenders, Plummer was reduced to being a below-average quarterback, including throwing the ball over which he had avoided throwing for most of the UFL season. If the Storm is going to win games in the postseason, they need to make the running game a priority, which will allow Orlando to use more play-action concepts to improve pass protection and create more opportunities for explosive plays.
The Cost of Logistical Chaos
Since clinching a spot in the UFL Playoffs with their win over DC in Week 8, the Storm have had to deal with a variety of logistical issues that have created distractions from preparing to play their best football. Orlando went from believing they would have a home playoff game in their own stadium to thinking they would play in Columbus to finding out they would play a neutral-site game in Daytona Beach. While the Storm players and coaches were not actively speaking out about this chaotic atmosphere, it created an environment that was not conducive to playing their best game of the year. The reality is that even though the game was still being played in Florida, the Storm still had to travel, just like the Defenders. However, instead of being in front of their home crowd, which has steadily grown over the course of the season, the Storm found themselves playing in a completely different environment. That removed any advantage the home-field advantage provided in the first round of the playoffs, and, as the road team, the change in environment definitely leveled the playing field for the Storm and DC Defenders.
A Bright Future, If the Foundation Remains
The next step for the Orlando Storm will depend on several factors beyond their control. Last season, it seemed like the UFL was going to have the same teams to stabilize and build a dedicated following. However, Mike Repole was brought in to shake things up and attempt to fix the problems that have limited the UFL's opportunities for success. With that in mind, and with the expectation that the Orlando Storm will return for another season, the Storm needs to invest more in its offensive and defensive lines. That will give them a better chance to use play-action to create explosive plays downfield. If quarterback Jack Plummer returns to the Storm in 2027, then he would benefit significantly from getting Orlando's running game going early to create bigger passing windows downfield.
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