The Orlando Storm found themselves at the top of the 2026 UFL standings after starting the season with a 4-0 record. Since then, the Storm have run into complications against the Saint Louis Battlehawks and the Birmingham Stallions, leading to a two-game losing streak. That leads to a question: Which team is the real Orlando Storm?
In reality, the Storm are not defined solely by their 4-0 or 0-2 records; rather, their identity is shaped by the quality of their opponents. Orlando began the season facing three teams led by first-year head coaches, giving Storm head coach Anthony Becht an edge in guiding his team to victory. In Week 5, the Storm again faced a team with a first-year head coach, A.J. McCarron, but McCarron's familiarity with Becht's game-planning, having been his starting quarterback for three years with the Saint Louis Battlehawks, made this challenge distinct.
While leading the Battlehawks, Becht established himself as the UFL equivalent of Mike Tomlin sans a Super Bowl victory. That comparison is based on both coaches' ability to lead their teams to a winning record, but not on their ability to overcome their own limitations to become the best team in the league. During his coaching career, Becht has had two 7-3 seasons and one 8-2 season, suggesting the Orlando Storm will be an 8-2 or 7-3 team in 2026. With four games left in the season, the Storm stand at 4-2. Over the next four weeks, the Storm will face the 2-win Houston Gamblers and the 3-win Dallas Renegades, and will play the 5-1 DC Defenders in back-to-back games to finish the season. Under the UFL's current playoff model, the Storm need to win two more games to clinch a playoff spot in 2026. However, along the way, Anthony Becht and the Storm will need to make a decision. Do they simply want to make the playoffs, or are they working to become a championship team? If they are striving to become a championship team, there are three areas the Storm need to improve so that they can push themselves to the highest level in the UFL in 2026.
Orlando Storm Problem #1: Turnover Margin
The most impactful predictor of success for the Orlando Storm is their ability to win the turnover margin against their opponent. In their four victories, the Storm have done an outstanding job of protecting the football and putting together drives that end in points. In contrast, when the Storm lost, they lost the turnover battle, which led to the Storm offense failing to score points, especially in the red zone. Over the last two games, the Storm have surged in fumbles, limiting their ability to win. To resolve this, the Storm should target two areas: offensively, executing the running game and stressing ball security; defensively, Orlando must force turnovers to give the offense a short field and increase scoring chances. By winning the turnover battle, the Storm’s ability to win games against good teams increases exponentially.
Orlando Storm Problem #2: Red Zone Inefficiency
A side effect of the Orlando Storm's poor ball security has led to red-zone inefficiency. Their offense becomes predictable if they can't commit to running the ball, particularly in the constrained red zone. As a result, the Storm has become pass-heavy in its attempts to score, complicating the offensive line's and quarterback Jack Plummer's jobs. The quickest way for the Storm offense to boost its red-zone efficiency is to use pocket-moving passing concepts with Plummer. By implementing boot and waggle concepts in their running game, they can create red-zone matchup issues using layered full-field crossing and flood concepts. If Plummer is on the run, he will feel less defensive pressure and can use his legs to pick up yards if all routes are covered downfield.
Orlando Storm Problem #3: Rushing Production
Another area where the Orlando Storm has seen a drop in success over the last two games is their overall running-game production. This week, the Storm produced only 72 rushing yards against the Birmingham Stallions in their Week 6 rematch, which they lost by three points. That lack of production in the running game has led the Storm to rely more on the passing game, setting Jack Plummer up for failure. Coming into the 2026 season, the Orlando Storm were optimistic about their offensive line. However, when the Storm has faced their most difficult opponents, they have gotten away from establishing the run to manage the game. If Orlando is going to be a legitimate championship contender, it will need to get its running game going and return to balance on offense.
For more football content, check out Football Scientific
Follow me on X: @AaronSauter7