Louisville Kings Take Down Defenders, Win United Bowl 27-20

The United Football League’s 2026 season is officially over. Audi Field was host to the Louisville Kings (7-4) and DC Defenders (6-5) facing off in the United Bowl, a clash of two powerhouses that put together impressive seasons in their own regards.

Heading into this affair, Louisville knocked off St. Louis on the road last week, while DC got the best of Orlando after losing the first two. In the regular season, the Kings beat the Defenders twice, and were looking for a third.

Let’s take a look at what went down in DC.

First Quarter

DC received the opening kickoff, and didn’t do much. They had to punt it away after a three and out, and Louisville took over. After a quick start, they stalled out past the 50, and turned it over on downs.

This time, the Defenders were able to put something together. A 20 yard burst from Jackson put them in position to make some moves, and Matt McCrane hit a 48 yard field goal.

Louisville punted again, and the Defenders had a clear path to grab momentum. Xazavian Valladay broke off a 54 yard run, but Keaton Ellis forced a fumble on a chase down, and Cam Dantzler recovered for the Kings.

Heading into the next period, it was a 3-0 lead in DC’s favor.

Second Quarter

After the teams traded punts again, DC’s defense would make another big play. On third and long, Chandler Rogers aired it out deep, and it was picked off by Kai Gray. The turnovers would keep on piling up, though, as Ty Scott fumbled on a screen (forced by Corey Mayfield Jr.) – and Eric Garror scooped it for a score.

DC would respond. Valladay ripped of a 51 yard run, and this time he didn’t fumble, but instead found the end zone to give the Defenders a 10-7 lead.

The Kings were dead in the water offensively. They punted, and the Defenders were able to take advantage. Jason Bean wasn’t throwing much, but the ground game did enough to keep the chains moving, and they kicked a field goal.

Rogers was, uncharacteristically, not in rhythm early. He threw another interception, which fell into the hands of Kai Gray for his second pick of the afternoon.

DC was able to knock through another field goal to end the half, heading into the break with a 16-7 lead.

Third Quarter

Louisville received the ball on the second half, and while they didn’t move the ball too efficiently, they did enough to give Tanner Brown a chance – and he crushed a 57 yarder.

DC went three and out, as Jason Bean was sacked by Keaton Ellis. Rogers connected with Tarik Black on a 40 yard bomb, which set up another field goal for Tanner Brown.

Jason Bean, who dealt with a bit of a shoulder injury last week, reaggravated the same injury – this time worse. This resulted in E.J. Perry, the former Showboats and Panthers QB, entering the game. He went three and out in his first drive, and the Kings took over.

With fifteen minutes left to play for a Championship title, DC led 16-13.

Fourth Quarter

Ian Wheeler was quiet early in this game, but came alive when it mattered most. He broke free for a 40 yard rushing touchdown, giving the Kings a 20-16 lead – and momentum.

DC’s next series would be rather unfortunate. A deep ball from E.J. Perry to Cornell Powell was called back because of OPI on Powell. Two plays later, Perry aired it out and was intercepted by Cam Dantzler, for his second turnover of the night.

A couple of moments later, James Robinson bounced off of tacklers en route to a touchdown run of his own, and the Kings held a commanding 27-16 lead.

Luckily, the DC Defenders roster someone by the name of Matt McCrane. A 60 yard field goal (by very thin margins) was good, and it was a seven point affair.

Hope wasn’t gone quite yet. Louisville went three and out, and DC started to put together a drive. After getting into the red zone, though, Louisville’s defense stood strong – forcing an incompletion on 4th down, effectively sealing the game.

The Kings would hang on to win 27-20, taking home the crown in their inaugural season.

Standout Playmakers

RB Ian Wheeler: Wheeler was named Championship Game MVP, rushing for 81 yards on just 10 carries – and the game-changing touchdown that fueled a Louisville fourth quarter surge.

LB Jaheim Thomas: Thomas had a great day, containing Briley Moore in coverage (two PBU’s) – to go along with six tackles, leading the team.

CB Cam Dantzler: Dantzler did his thing today, with a key interception and a recovered fumble. Plus, his lockdown coverage was crucial in securing the win.

DC

RB Xazavian Valladay: It’s wild that Valladay only touched the ball four times, as he rushed for 111 yards on the afternoon. He was the sole reason why DC had any lead in the first half.

S Kai Gray: After not playing for most of the season, Kai Gray was thrown into the starting rotation a couple weeks ago, and he’s impressed. Gray had two interceptions, and four PBU’s, making life difficult for Chandler Rogers.

“We was waiting on that from Kai all season. I think he got an opportunity to play in week two, and I don’t know if he wasn’t ready in that moment, but we didn’t give up on him. We were trying to help him understand that this is pro football, the game is faster. We brought him here for a reason. He’s fast, he’s physical, he can cover the field. He displayed that today. We felt like it was the right move to insert him in.” – Defenders HC Shannon Harris

Major Takeaways

The glaring issue in today’s game: neither team could throw the ball. Jason Bean was using his legs, and Valladay had a huge first half – but he finished the day with just 19 passing yards on eight attempts prior to injury. Meanwhile, Chandler Rogers wasn’t his usual self, as Blake Williams drew up serious pressure and dynamic coverage schemes to slow him down.

Ultimately, DC wasn’t able to fully capitalize in the first half, and it cost them. They fumbled on a 50+ yard play, and settled for a few field goals, two of which came off of turnovers. DC was just 2-for-12 on third downs and turned it over three times – not a winning formula for a rather potent offense. E.J. Perry did what he could (and, looked rather sharp considering his lack of play/reps this year), but ultimately could not get over the hump late.

The Kings stayed true to who they were, and it’s why they won this game. Even though the Kings could not get much of a push at all in the first half, they continued to run the ball, and eventually broke out those explosives we saw against St.Louis. Louisville didn’t change up anything too dramatically at the half, but instead stuck to the game plan, and it paid off in dividends.

“It wasn’t so much about the changes, as it was just execution. I felt like we had a couple of holes in the first half that we missed, and we had to regroup. Honestly, I was kind of glad we had a little extra time [in halftime], to figure out exactly what was going on. They had to finish, and we’ve been finishing all year. That’s a trait that you can’t always coach. They never stopped the whole game, and I’m really proud of them gutting it out.” – Kings HC Chris Redman 

When the Kings needed them most, this defense answered the bell. Louisville’s defense allowed just 69 passing yards, and as previously mentioned, DC converted on less than 20% of their third down attempts. Jamie Sharper deserves all the praise that’s coming his way for what was an outstanding year in the Kings. DC scored just four points in the second half.

Final Thoughts

It’s official: the Louisville Kings are your 2026 UFL Champions. They are one of the best storylines in the league, starting 0-3 – making major changes – and then turning it around. They won eight of their last nine games, and now have a title to bring home to the state of Kentucky in their first year as a franchise.

“You want to start off with the right type of chemistry, and culture, so we worked on that early. You want to give yourself an opportunity to win a Championship. I knew that if we hung in there together, we could make ourselves relevant. We just were able to get hot at the end of the year. These guys, they remind me of 2000 playing for the Ravens in the Super Bowl. No one could deny us at the end of the season…no one batted an eye at halftime when we were down today.” – Kings HC Chris Redman

A lot of credit needs to be given to Chris Redman and this entire organization for putting together what was an incredible turnaround.

For the UFL, this was an outstanding game. Outside of the lack of QB play, the atmosphere was tremendous, the fans turned out in a big way, and overall the experience showed just how special this league can be moving forward.

Until next year, folks.

What are your thoughts on this UFL United Bowl game? Which players impressed you from the DC Defenders and Louisville Kings? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!