San Antonio Brahmas Game #5
Visiting Team: Houston Roughnecks (1-3, 3rd Place in the USFL Conference)
Home Team: San Antonio Brahmas (1-3, 4th Place in the XFL Conference)
Date and Time: Sunday, April 27th at 3 pm EST
Game Location: Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas
DraftKings Betting Line: Houston Roughnecks (+3.5), San Antonio Brahmas (-3.5), O/U 38.5 points
In Week 5 of the 2025 UFL season, the Houston Roughnecks (1-3) visit the San Antonio Brahmas (1-3) to renew their rivalry known as the “Sombrero Bowl. This game represents a massive game for both teams. The Roughnecks will potentially be three games back from the Michigan Panthers (3-1) and the Birmingham Stallions (3-1), and that will make their odds of having a chance to make the UFL playoffs very slim. The Brahmas come into this game after picking up their first win of the season by upsetting the previously undefeated DC Defenders last week to get their first win. They are chasing the Battlehawks (2-2), Defenders (3-1), and the Arlington Renegades (3-1). If the Brahmas can win against the Roughnecks in their home opener, they will have a great chance to only be one game out of a potential playoff spot in the XFL Conference.
The Roughnecks come into this matchup with quarterback Jalan McClendon getting his first start of the 2025 season after Nolan Henderson suffered an injury during last week’s loss to the Birmingham Stallions. McClendon brings a dual-threat flair to the Roughnecks offense. If he can get the ball to wide receiver Justin Hall consistently, they will have a chance to produce some explosive plays against a Brahmas defense that has been susceptible to giving up big plays in the passing game. Defensively, the Roughnecks have played well on their defensive line this season, but similar to the Brahmas, their secondary has been burnt by play-action passes and given up some explosive plays through the air.
The San Antonio Brahmas come into this week’s game with a momentum boost after upsetting the DC Defenders last week. This week is also the first time since Week 1 that the Brahmas have not had to deal with coaches leaving their coaching staff and having a week in which all their key players are healthy. Brahmas head coach Payton Pardee brings a 1-0 career record as a head coach, and quarterback Kellen Mond comes off the best game of his professional football career. The key to the Brahma’s success last week was managing the game against the DC Defenders’ aggressive defense by running the ball and allowing Mond to get comfortable with play-action to jump-start their passing game. The Brahmas also received a big boost from a punt return for a touchdown by Special Teams Player of the Week Matthew Sexton.
Let’s examine three keys to victory that will determine which team will win the “Sombrero Bowl” in 2025 and pick up its second win of the 2025 UFL season.
Depth Charts and Rosters
Key to Victory #1: Win the Line of Scrimmage
The biggest matchup of this game features the trenches on both sides of the ball. The easiest way to win in the UFL is to avoid turnovers and critical mistakes, and establishing the running game goes a long way to helping teams put together and sustain drives. On the line of scrimmage, they are opposites, which should make for a compelling matchup.
Defensively, the Roughnecks defensive line has competed well against some strong running games this season. If the Roughnecks can penetrate the Brahmas offensive line and get them behind the chains, they will struggle to move the ball and score points. Fortunately, the Brahmas offensive line is becoming one of the best units in the UFL, which coincidentally started to become apparent when Payton Pardee showed a greater commitment to the run game using his stable of running backs led by Anthony McFarland and Aiden Robbins. If the Brahmas can establish the run against the Roughnecks, then their offensive line and backs can get running downhill, giving them a chance to control the game’s flow.
On the other side of the ball, the Roughnecks offensive line has struggled to get their running game started featuring Kirk Merritt, which has put overwhelming pressure on their quarterbacks’ shoulders. Defensive the Brahmas have struggled to stop their opponent’s run game and have been beaten on the line of scrimmage nearly every week. This week one of these two units will have to elevate their game, and the team that is able to do that will win this game.
Key to Victory #2: Protect the Quarterback
Another critical factor in this game will be whether or not each team can protect their quarterback. The Roughnecks have struggled with pass protection this year, which is why they are starting their third quarterback of the season with Jalan McClendon. McClendon’s advantage is his mobility, and if he can get out of the pocket, he can extend plays to give his receivers time to get home and potentially generate explosive plays. The challenge for the Brahmas defensive line will be to contain McClendon and force him to be a pocket passer; so far this season, the Brahmas only have three quarterback sacks in four games, which is a shell of their defensive front last season, which led the UFL in quarterback sacks in 2024.
On the Brahmas sideline, the offensive line started the season struggling to protect Kellen Mond. Their breakthrough occurred last week when they shut out the top pass-rushing defensive line in the UFL when they faced the DC Defenders. The key to shutting down the Defender’s pass rush was for the Brahmas to establish their running game and use play-action protections that allowed Kellen Mond to complete his read progressions, get out of the pocket, and extend plays when needed. The Roughnecks defensive line has five quarterback sacks for the 2025 season, and if the Brahmas can re-create their performance from last week, Kellen Mond could once again have one of the best games of his career as a professional quarterback.
Key to Victory #3: Force Turnovers
The X-factor in this game will be the ability to force the other team to turn the ball over. Those turnovers could come in the form of interceptions, fumble recoveries, or explosive or disastrous special teams plays. Neither defense has been able to force many turnovers so far this season.
The Houston Roughnecks defense has intercepted a paltry three passes this season and recovered three fumbles in their first four games. San Antonio’s defense has also struggled to force turnovers, with only two interceptions and no recovered fumbles. If one of these defenses finds a way to start taking the ball away from the other offense, it will have a chance to control which team gets its second win of the 2025 UFL season.
Game Prediction
San Antonio Brahmas 18, Houston Roughnecks 16
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