Week 5 opened with Uncle Jordan and the DC Defenders conquering the once-powerful fortress of Protective Stadium as they won 45-28. Meanwhile, Louisville delivered the shocker of the week with a 47-25 road beatdown of Dallas, and the Crown changed hands once again as Houston stole it from Columbus.
Crown Holder š: Houston Gamblers
The Houston Gamblers stole the Crown with a 17-13 win at home over Columbus. They will take on Columbus again in week 6 on the road, Friday night.Court Jester š: Dallas Renegades
The Dallas Renegades remained the Court Jester as they lost 23-47 at home against Louisville. The Renegades will travel to DC to take on the Defenders in week 6.
If a team defeats the Crown Holder, they steal the Crown and become the new Crown Holder. If a team loses to the Court Jester, they become the new Court Jester, freeing the previous holder.
1. DC Defenders (4-1)
Previous Rank: #1
Week 5 Result: 45-28 win at Birmingham
Week 6 Opponent: vs Dallas Renegades Saturday 12 ET
The defending champs stayed hot with another dominant road win, improving to 4-1. Jordan Taāamu continued to look like the championship quarterback we saw last postseason that awakened in week 4, posting zero turnover-worthy throws across the last two games while his adjusted completion rate jumped from 63.79% to 78.72% once you factor in the 8 throwaways and 3 drops. DC now holds the best point differential in the league and looks like the most complete team after five weeks.
2. Louisville Kings (2-3)
Previous Rank: #5
Week 5 Result: 47-25 win at Dallas
Week 6 Opponent: vs St. Louis Battlehawks Thursday 8 ET
The Kings delivered the biggest shocker of the week, exploding for 47 points on the road against a previously strong Dallas team. Chandler Rogers threw for 150 yards, completing 72.2% of his passes in the Kings' first game since trading away quarterback Jason Bean. The run game exploded as James Robinson rushed 13 times for 63 yards (4.8 average) and Ian Wheeler rushed 13 times for 62 yards and 4 touchdowns. The defence generated 4 turnovers in the form of interceptions, including 2 pick-6s, which came from Bryce Hall and Antonio Grier Jr. Louisville is suddenly looking like they could challenge for the UFL throne.
3. Houston Gamblers (2-3)š
Previous Rank: #7
Week 5 Result: 17-13 win vs Columbus
Week 6 Opponent: at Columbus Aviators Friday 8 ET
The Houston Gamblers are back in the money after a big win on the road, raining on Columbus's 1-week anniversary party of their first win and stealing the Crown in the process. Nolan Henderson came back from injury and completed 13 of his 25 passes for 146 yards and led the team in rushing with 37 yards on 6 rushes with 1 touchdown. Jalen White also had a touchdown on his 9 carries for 32 yards. The defense stepped up big, and the offense did just enough. Kevin Sumlinās group is now 2-3 and has new life as Crown Holder heading into a quick rematch with Columbus, this time on the road.
4. St. Louis Battlehawks (2-3)
Previous Rank: #6
Week 5 Result: 25-17 victory at Orlando
Week 6 Opponent: at Louisville Kings Thursday 8 ET
The Battlehawks are kind of falling forward this season. Theyāve been a really strong team this season, but have left a lot to be desired in the passing game. Both passers struggled in St. Louisā loss to Orlando as Harrison Frost completed 20 of his 31 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown with 2 interceptions, 4 total turnover-worthy throws by my count. We had some good runs from Jarveon Howard, rushing 12 times for 59 yards with 2 missed tackles on the way, and Kevon Latulas rushed 10 times for 37 yards with 3 missed tackles forced. Pita Taumoepenu led the way in a disruptive pass rush that made life difficult for Orlandoās office, as he had a tremendous game in pass rushing, as he had 14 total plays where he had pressure generated past a blocker by my tracking.
5. Columbus Aviators (1-4)
Previous Rank: #3
Week 5 Result: 13-17 loss vs Houston
Week 6 Opponent: vs Houston Gamblers Friday 8 ET
The Columbus Aviators absorbed a close loss after 2 really strong performances against Dallas in weeks 3 and 4. Week 5 saw the Aviators lose 13-17 on the road. Late in the 4th quarter, Columbus was in position to tie the game, trailing 14-17 with 3 minutes left, but a costly fumble from Jalen McClendon ended the drive without any points. Columbus has had 2 really close losses over the last 3 weeks, and they could have been 3-2 had a couple of things gone differently, but itās beginning to be increasingly difficult for them to make the playoffs.
6. Orlando Storm (4-1)
Previous Rank: #2
Week 5 Result: 17-25 loss vs St. Louis
Week 6 Opponent: vs Birmingham Stallions Sunday 4 ET
The rising Storm suddenly calmed very suddenly as Orlando suffered their first loss of the season on the road against St. Louis. Orlandoās offense was held in check for the first time, really struggling to maintain productivity against St. Louisā edge rushers and blitz packages. Jack Plummer completed 24 of his 44 passes for 143 yards with 1 touchdown and 3 turnover-worthy throws on the way (by my count). Anthony Bechtās group is still 4-1 and very much in the mix, but this loss made them look like a Storm you can weather, rather than one that makes you want to seek shelter. Orlando will host Birmingham this week.
7. Dallas Renegades (3-2)š
Previous Rank: #4
Week 5 Result: 25-47 loss vs Louisville
Week 6 Opponent: at DC Defenders Saturday 12 ET
The Renegades are having a tough go of it lately. After such a strong start to the passing game, Dallas traded away their QB2, Luis Perez. Week 5 saw Austin Reed struggle for a third straight week and this time throw 4 interceptions, including 2 pick 6ās. Despite being above .500. Dallas needs to get their mojo back after looking extremely vulnerable the last 3 weeks.
8. Birmingham Stallions (1-4)
Previous Rank: #8
Week 5 Result: 28-45 loss vs DC
Week 6 Opponent: at Orlando Storm Sunday 4 ET
The bright side right now for Stallions fans is probably the fact that the season is only 10 games. Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 28 of his 43 passes for 313 yards and 2 touchdowns with 2 interceptions. He also rushed 4 times for 43 yards and a touchdown. While the 300 yards is an impressive stat line, he had 4 total turnover-worthy passes by my count. Weāll see how things go for Birmingham, but they are not looking like an improved team after trading away quarterback Matt Corral. After some struggles from different quarterbacks across the league in week 5, Corral is currently the 2nd highest graded passer by Pro Football Focus.
