San Antonio Brahmas Game #4
Visiting Team: San Antonio Brahmas (0-3)
Home Team: DC Defenders (3-0)
Game Location: Audi Field, Washington DC
Date and Time: Sunday, April 20th, 2025 at 5 pm EST
Channel: FOX
Draft Kings Betting Line: San Antonio Brahmas (+7.5), DC Defenders (-7.5), O/U 37.5 points
In Week 4 of the 2025 UFL, the San Antonio Brahmas (0-3) and the DC Defenders (3-0) find themselves as mirror images of the 2024 edition of each XFL Conference team. During the 2024 UFL season, the Brahmas kicked off their remarkable season by upsetting the DC Defenders in the Alamo Dome during the first week. That propelled the Brahmas to a great start to the season, ending with the Brahmas winning the XFL Conference championship and playing the first UFL Championship game. The DC Defenders struggled with injuries and failed to meet pre-season expectations. This season, they have become the team UFL expected the Defenders to be last season.
It would be hard for things to get much more difficult for the Brahmas. They are currently 0-3, playing in their 4th straight road game to start the season, and they will have to contend with a raucous crowd and an undefeated opponent. Offensive coordinator AJ Smith quit last week, and this week, head coach Wade Phillips has taken a leave of absence that has prevented him from being on the sidelines so far this season. That leaves Payton Pardee as the interim head coach, offensive coordinator, and special teams coordinator.
In addition to the losses experienced with the coaching staff, the Brahmas have failed to live up to the expectations that they established in 2024. The Brahmas offense has struggled to produce points and has only scored three touchdowns in three games. Last week, the Brahmas had an excellent opportunity to get their first win of the season against a Michigan Panthers team that has also faced its share of challenges. Unfortunately, the Brahmas lost the game 23 to 26 to the Panthers after YouTube star placekicker Donald “Deestroying” De La Haye missed a field goal that would have tied the game and forced overtime, and now suspiciously is OUT with a pulled groin.
The DC Defenders come into this Week 4 matchup with the momentum built by a defense that has dominated opponents every week, including shutting down the Birmingham Stallions in Week 1 and the Saint Louis Battlehawks last week. DC’s defense has experienced challenges, with head coach Reggie Barlow and defensive coordinator moving from the UFL to coach at NCAA FCS Tennessee State University. Despite those challenges, the Defenders have posted nine quarterback sacks this season, including two sacks last week by Edge Rusher Andre Mintze, allowing the DC to shut down the Battlehawks offense to pick up a key 27 to 16 win and secure a move into the top spot in the XFL Conference standings.
Offensively, the Defenders and quarterback Jordan Ta’amu have struggled to find a rhythm in the first three games. The Defenders have run the ball well, which has allowed them to manage games and their defense to secure their victories to start the season. Having a dominant defense and controlling the game on offense is an effective recipe for championship football. DC’s downside on offense is related to turning the ball over, which allows less talented or skilled teams to stay in the game against the Defenders.
Let’s take a look at three things the Brahmas must do to pick up a win against the undefeated DC Defenders.
Depth Charts and Rosters
Keys to Victory
Key to Victory #1: Brahmas Offense Must Lean on the Running Game
The Brahmas Offense has been a massive failure during the first three games of the 2025 UFL season. Pass protection for quarterback Kellen Mond coupled with a large number of dropped passes by the Brahmas receivers have been the biggest culprits. What is the answer for the Brahmas? The obvious answer is to lean on their running game that despite poor offensive line play has still been successful.
San Antonio has three running backs active for this game Anthony McFarland, Jashaun Corbin, and new addition Aidan Robbins. Those backs need to carry the load against a Defenders defense that has 11 quarterback sacks in their first three games this season. Running the ball will allow the Brahmas to move the chains, build long drives to protect their defense, and shorten the game.
Are the Brahmas capable of becoming a power run team? The answer is yes, they were in a similar position during the second half of the 2024 season and the Brahmas running backs made their run to an XFL Conference championship possible. Also, Anthony McFarland is averaging 8.8 yards/carry this season, but has only had 16 carries, It is obvious that the Brahmas need to “Run the D— Ball”.
Key to Victory #2: Brahmas Receivers and Tight Ends Need to Eliminate Dropped Passes
Brahmas’s quarterback comes into this game with a quarterback rating of 67.7 and has completed 49 out of 89 passes for 441 yards with one touchdown and one interception. This is not a picture of offensive efficiency, and in the UFL, having a high level of offensive efficiency is a fast track to a championship. It would be easy to blame Kellen Mond for this offensive debacle, but the real problem is numerous dropped passes.
In the rare situation that Mond actually has time to drop back and make a read before needing to run for his life, the Brahmas’ receivers have dropped the pass. If the Brahmas are going to be a pass-heavy offense, they need to have a high completion percentage—that is offensive football 101. The Brahmas and Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Payton Pardee need to make a few game plan adjustments to increase the efficiency of their offense.
First, the Brahmas need to establish their running game. Then the Brahmas either need RPOs, which seems too late to implement that strategy, or utilize play-action passing and get Kellen Mond out of the pocket. These game plan tweaks will help Mond avoid the pressure of a nasty Defenders pass rush and give his receivers time to get open and separate from the players covering them. Also, what made the Brahmas offense great in 2024 was the willingness to take shots and produce explosive plays, and the Brahmas needed to get back to that mindset.
Key to Victory #3: San Antonio Brahmas Defense Need to be +2 in the Turnover Ratio
For the offense to succeed more against an excellent DC Defenders defense, the San Antonio Brahmas defense will have to step up, get some stops, and force turnovers. In 2024, the Brahmas led the UFL in quarterback sacks, leading to many takeaways for the defense. Those takeaways set the offense up with a short field in many situations, allowing the Brahmas offense to be successful even though the quarterbacks are not playing as well as needed.
In 2025, the Brahmas defense is a shell of itself, and they have only recorded two quarterback sacks in three games and two takeaways. With only one interception and one recovered fumble, the Brahmas defense has watched more football than they have played. Defensively, the Brahmas need to take ownership of this team once again and put their offense into a position to be successful.
A significant weakness of the Defenders is that while their defense has been dominant, their offense has just barely been able to manage games. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has completed less than 50% of his passes and has thrown three interceptions this season. The Brahmas will likely turn the ball at least once to the Defenders, but the Brahmas defense needs to play aggressively, and if they can be +2 in the turnover ratio, they give themselves a chance to score an Easter Day upset.
Key to Victory #4: Be Sure New Brahmas Kicker Tristan Vizcaino is Ready to Be Successful
For the second season in a row, the Brahmas bet their placekicker position on YouTube star Donald “Deestroying” De La Haye. For the second time in two years, they find themselves being hung out to dry by the very average kicker. Last year, after not attempting a single field goal in two games, De La Haye tapped out after two games due to a “broken neck” after making a tackle against the Showboats. Of course, a few months later, he was back to making kicking videos, “Deestroying” appears to be a quick healer.
This year, after missing a chip shot field goal against the Michigan Panthers in Week 3, a kick that would have sent the game to overtime, “Deestroying” shanked the kick. Rather than taking ownership of his missed field goal, he claimed to suffer a pulled groin. On Friday, two days before playing against the Defenders, “Deestroying” said he could not kick for several weeks due to the injury.
That opens the door for a new kicker to take over the role of the Brahmas. And this time, “Deestroying” has created an opportunity for Tristan Vizcaino. Vizcaino played college football at the University of Washington, where he converted 12 out of 20 field goal attempts. While he lacked consistency, he has received several opportunities in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals, the San Francisco 49ers, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Arizona Cardinals, and the New England Patriots. During his NFL career, Vizcaino is 11 for 12 on field goal attempts, and that would be a significant upgrade from De La Haye for the Brahmas.
Game Prediction:
DC Defenders 24, San Antonio Brahmas 12
Check out more football content on Football Scientific
Follow me on X: @AaronSauter7
