Week 4 of the UFL continues with the most-heated rivalry in the league, as the DC Defenders (2-1) host the St. Louis Battlehawks (2-1) at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.
These two teams squared off in Week 1 at The Dome in St. Louis, where the Battlehawks defended home-turf by winning 16-10.
With potential down the line playoff implications and plenty of bragging rights on the table, let’s analyze how this XFL-rooted matchup may play out…
Quarterback Play
The Battlehawks are coming off of a heroic comeback win, led by quarterback Harrison Frost, who replaced Brandon Silvers in the second half against Birmingham last week. Frost began by shockingly throwing two straight interceptions on his first two pass attempts of the game. Luckily, he was able to quickly bounce back with Hakeem Butler leading the way in receiving with two monster catches in the fourth quarter.
Frost earned the start this week, in what will be his first career UFL start.
Jordan Ta’amu and the DC Defenders were finally able to find some groove in the passing game last week, as Ta’amu finished with 172 yards through the air along with a touchdown and an interception in the dominant 45-7 win over Houston.
The ground-game and overall defensive play is likely to blame for Ta’amu’s down numbers, but he is turning the ball over consistently through the first three games, and has already tied his 2025 total with four interceptions.
Standout Playmakers
We mentioned Hakeem Butler’s performance against the Stallions last week, where he finished with four receptions for 146 receiving yards and one touchdown. The mind-blowing statline and performance earned Butler the UFL Offensive Player of the Week award. Oddly enough, the Week 3 Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week will be facing off in this game as Butler goes up against DC’s defensive end Derick Roberson.
Back to St. Louis, Butler is joined by Jahcour Pearson, Blake Jackson, and Steven McBride. McBride finished second in receiving last week with three grabs for 35 yards. Tight end Tyler Neville is someone the Defenders much stay aware of in the red-zone. Neville has a touchdown in all three games this season.
One interesting note from last week for St. Louis was the rushing split, as Kevon Lautulas led the backfield for the first time this year with 13 carries for 41 yards, and Jarveon Howard finished with 11 carries for 37 yards.
The Defenders rushing attack has been the talk of the town through the first three games as running back Deon Jackson has emerged as an early-season MVP contender as he leads the UFL with 224 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
Jackson has been the engine thus far for DC, and may be asked to do even more with Xazavian Valladay potentially out this week. More on the injury report later…
As for DC’s receiving unit, Ty Scott had his best performance of the year last week, though he failed to reach 50 yards for a third-consecutive game. Powell is in the same boat, as the passing game must take a step forward this week.
Defenders tenured tight end Briley Moore, similarly to St. Louis’ Tyler Neville, is a scoring machine that the Battlehawks must key in on once they reach the red-zone.
Injury Report
Defensive Players to Watch
DC Defenders
- DE Derick Roberson: It’s impossible to create this list without including this week’s Defensive Player of the Week, Derrick Roberson. He currently sits second in the league in sacks, and it would not be shocking to see him atop the list at the end of this week.
- DT Devonnsha Maxwell: Maxwell appears to have taken the biggest year-to-year jump forward compared to the rest of the returning Defenders players this season. He continues to cause havoc and be a force in the run game. Maxwell’s ability to create pressure is also extremely valuable.
St. Louis Battlehawks
- DE Pita Taumoepenu: Just as the Defenders offensive line stopped having nightmares of the Week 1 performance by Pita Taumoepenu, he returns for another potential game-changing performance against DC. Pita was in DC’s backfield all-game long and finished with 1.5 sacks. The one difference this time around will be the return of offensive tackle Yasir Durant for DC…
- S Jordan Mosley: While it came as a surprise to some that Pita did not win the Week 1 DPOTW, it was for good reason as his teammate Jordan Mosley balled-out against DC last time out with eight tackles, one interception, and one PBU.
Final Thoughts
With both teams coming into this game at 2-1, this will be an enormous ‘tilt’ game between these heated-rivals. If the Defenders rowdy crowd can make an early impact and affect Harrison Frost’s rhythm, DC has a good chance to even the season-series. If not, the Battlehawks will earn bragging rights and more importantly, a season sweep…
The action all kicks off on Saturday at 12:30pm ET on ABC. You can secure your tickets for the game here.
Full Roster Breakdowns: DC, St. Louis
What are your thoughts on this upcoming matchup between the DC Defenders and St. Louis Battlehawks? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
