Week five in the UFL will wrap up on Sunday afternoon. The Dallas Renegades (3-1) host the Louisville Kings (1-3), in a battle of two teams who have had largely different seasons far.
Dallas is seen by many as the best team in the UFL. While they dropped their first loss of the season against Columbus last Friday, the franchise was reeling due to injuries – and playing three games in a span of just 11 days.
On the other hand, the Louisville Kings finally picked up their first victory in team history. It wasn’t pretty by any means, but they found a way to get it done on the road in Houston in overtime.
With a couple of changes for each organization, let’s take a look at what we can expect between these two teams on Sunday afternoon.
Quarterback Play
Despite the underwhelming showing last week, Austin Reed is still one of the top quarterbacks in the UFL. His pocket presence has been impressive through four games, showcasing his ability to escape pressure and sling the ball down the field, or take off for yardage. Austin will have to be smart with his decision making in this game, as Louisville has shown to have opportunistic corners.
The Kings made a major change at quarterback this week. They traded Jason Bean to the DC DEfenders, officially promoting Chandler Rogers to the full-time starter. Chandler was on the field for a couple of quarters in week two, completing 13 of 20 passes for 151 yards and an interception. Rogers is a field general, who is the type of player who will do whatever is asked of him without complaining. His deep ball may not be as pretty as Jason Bean’s, but expect short-intermediate game to be stellar.
Standout Playmakers
Louisville has no shortage of talent in their wide receiver room. Lucky Jackson and Isaiah Winstead have been one of the top duos in the league, both with over 200 receiving yards on the year so far. Winstead, in particular, is incredibly fun to watch. He loves making the contested catches in traffic, using his large frame and strong hands to locate just about any football.
With Tre’ McKitty inactive, Zach Davidson should be fed the ball in the passing game. He’s had his ups and downs, but Davidson did score two touchdowns in week three against Orlando.
Tyler Vaughns has slowed down a bit, as teams have been putting much more aggressive coverage schemes in place simply to account for him. With that in mind, it’s allowed for Drake Stoops and Deontay Burnett to see favorable matchups in the slot. Depending on how heavily Louisville decides to pressure Vaughns, look for those two to see more opportunities. Likewise, Denzel Mims has been way too quiet to begin the year – the former second rounder needs more targets (if healthy).
The Kings’ run defense has demonstrated some weaknesses over the last couple of weeks. Against Houston, they mightily struggled. With that in mind, Dae Dae Hunter’s explosiveness could prove to be an issue. Hunter has accounted for a few large runs over the last three games, since his strange non-appearance in week one.
The Injury Report
The Dallas Renegades were banged up after that three-game streak, seeing several pieces go down against Columbus. Andrew Dowell was placed on IR, and DT Kevin Strong went down with an injury and has not participated in practice. He’s trending towards being inactive, which is unfortunate. Strong has been, no pun intended, a very strong piece on the interior both in stopping the run, and attacking the passer.
Louisville is also a bit battered. Star CB Cam Dantzler didn’t practice this week, and while he’s active, it’s unclear as to whether or not he will start/play the full game. TE Tre’McKitty is also inactive, following an ankle injury he suffered making the game-winning catch last Thursday.
Even though RB Jaden Shirden is fully healthy, he is listed as inactive this week. It’s a rather odd move by the Kings. They could really use his explosiveness in the backfield.
Depth Chart Notes
The Kings have a revised offensive line heading into this affair. Offensive Guard J.D. DiRenzo is listed as a starter, following Nash Jensen’s release. Chim Okorafor and James Tunstall will start at tackle, with Jaylon Thomas at guard (he signed early in the season). Mike McAllister remains at center.
Louisville hopes to see safety Quindell Johnson in action, as he was brought in by the team just several days ago. Johnson is an immediate impact type of player, with 10 interceptions at Memphis collegiately.
After trading away Luis Perez, Dallas only has two quarterbacks on their roster. We’re hearing that WR Greg Ward Jr. will serve as the emergency QB3, if something happens to go haywire.
At linebacker, Donald Payne will remain the starter for the remainder of the year. Payne and Dowell were trading starts to begin the season, but with Andrew sidelined, it’s all Donald from here on out. On the interior, keep an eye on Siaka Ika to make a difference if Strong is inactive.
Chandler Rogers: The Spark?
The Louisville Kings’ offense has been tough to watch through four weeks. They’ve had their moments, but overall, Steve Logan and this unit have left a lot to be desired. Jason Bean could complete the craziest 50 yard pass, but never really found a groove on the important downs in shorter situations.
Chandler Rogers may be the guy to change that. However, nothing is going to improve if the ground game doesn’t offer any support. The Kings are averaging a putrid 45 rushing yards per week. They’ve only rushed for eight first downs – nine less than the 7th-tiered teams in the league.
James Robinson, the former 1,000 yard rusher with the Jaguars, is back in action. He only saw three touches last week, but with the release of Benny Snell, should see an uptick.
This move to Rogers at QB signifies change, but it will only mean something if the other pieces can come around cohesively. The offensive line play has been straight up abysmal. Few quarterbacks in the UFL have been pressured more often than Bean, and Louisville’s run blocking grades are the worst in the league (34.7 via PFF). The Kings will have to hope that Dallas is banged up again defensively, otherwise they could be in for a long afternoon.
Defensive Battle Ahead
We could be poised for a defensive standoff at Toyota Stadium. Heading into this affair, the Kings are ranked third in the UFL in points allowed (20.8), while the Renegades are just ahead of them in second place (18.0).
The big differentiation between these two defenses: takeaways. The Kings only have one interception on this season, despite how aggressive their cornerbacks have played at times.
Meanwhile, we know Mike Gillhamer has preached to his defensive backs to attack the football. They’ve done exactly that, with six interceptions through four games. No other team has more interceptions than Dallas heading into week five. Ajene Harris, Shaun Wade, Steven Jones Jr., and others have been spectacular in this secondary. Chandler Rogers must be aware of their tendencies – one slipup and Dallas is taking it the other way.
Coaching Matchup
Louisville Kings, Chris Redman: Redman got his first win as a Head Coach last week, yet blew up the roster just a couple of days later. It’s evident that this job is showing Chris how difficult it is to be a Head Coach in pro football – even when success comes your way. That said, he’s done a nice job holding down the fort amidst the chaos.
Dallas Renegades, Rick Neuheisel: Neuheisel is 3-1 with the Renegades, which isn’t a surprise to anyone who knew about his past. Rick is a player’s coach, and keeps his team focused and locked in, even when the going gets tough. Dallas fans should not be concerned about this team at all following a loss – Rick will have them back on track in no time.
Final Thoughts
It feels like quite the uphill battle for the Louisville Kings heading into this affair. They’ve had a quarterback change, plenty of movement to their O-Line, and released their RB1 – all within a few days following their first win. Heading nito Dallas, against a Renegades team that is finally well-rested, this is going to be quite the challenge for Chandler Rogers making his first pro start.
The action will kick off at 3pm ET, on ABC. You can secure your tickets for the game here.
Roster Breakdowns: Dallas, Louisville
What are your thoughts on this upcoming matchup between the Dallas Renegades and Louisville Kings? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
