Winless San Antonio Brahmas Stun Undefeated DC Defenders

Easter Sunday brought UFL fans a battle between the XFL conference foes, as the San Antonio Brahmas (0-3) visited the DC Defenders (3-0) at Audi Field in Washington, DC.

In two matchups last season, the Defenders and Brahmas split the series, with both winning on home turf.

San Antonio was in the limelight this week after head coach Wade Phillips announced he was taking a leave of absence from the team, elevating offensive coordinator Payton Pardee to head coach. Pardee, only 28, will be making his HC debut on Sunday against DC.

With these two teams trending in opposite directions heading into this week, let’s recap how this intra-conference XFL matchup played out in our nation’s capital.

First Quarter

San Antonio started with possession and wasted no time getting to work, as the Brahmas charged down the field and capped off an 11 play, 81-yard drive with an Aidan Robbins two-yard touchdown to gain the early lead over DC, 6-0.

DC was ultimately unable to match the Brahmas hot start and were forced to a three and out. 

Soon after, Matthew Sexton fielded his second punt of the game and took advantage of the momentum with a spectacular 83-yard return touchdown. 

San Antonio’s start to the game left the normally rowdy Audi Field crowd stunned after the first quarter of action, as DC trailed 12-0 entering the second quarter. 

Second Quarter

With nothing coming from the run game, DC needed a spark in the worst of ways entering the second quarter on home turf. They finally received that spark from veteran tight end Briley Moore who was wide-open behind the Brahmas defense and flipped his way into the end zone.

The Defenders were unable to convert the two-point conversion, as the Defenders trailed San Antonio 12-6.

These intra-conference XFL matchup always have a high level of physicality, and this one was clearly no exception as Brahmas linebacker Tavante Beckett laid out Defenders RB Abram Smith.

DC was able to add a field goal on the drive from Matthew McCrane, to draw the lead down to 12-9 behind San Antonio. McCrane is now the league-leader in total field goals made, as he’s 12/14 so far this season.

With just under five minutes left in the first half, the Brahmas offense returned to early first quarter form as Kellen Mond led the unit downfield with an 11 play, 72-yard drive and capped it off with Aidan Robbins second touchdown of the day in his Brahmas debut.

The Defenders closing drive of the first half was efficient, as Ta’amu led the team into field goal territory and McCrane drilled his second FG of the game to cut the lead down to six points again heading into halftime.

Halftime Thoughts

As San Antonio led DC 18-12 heading into halftime, here are a few personal quick fire thoughts on the game at that point. 

Third Quarter

Coming out of half, DC continued their efficiency on offense with a quick, less than five-minute drive to tie the game with DC. Ta’amu had his best rushing game of the season on Sunday, finishing with 74 yards on 10 attempts, including this touchdown to finish off an impressive drive.

Payton Pardee and the San Antonio Brahmas offense did not skip a beat either, as Mond continued to be very accurate throughout the game, throwing into tight windows and reading the pass-rush well in the pocket. 

Former Philadelphia Eagles hero Greg Ward Jr. finally found the end zone at the end of this drive on a dart from Mond to regain the lead over DC. 

Fourth Quarter

As mentioned before, this game had a consistent, physical style and penalties became a constant theme throughout, as well. The Defenders ended the game with 13 penalties for 121 yards, including multiple personal fouls. One being a very costly one, as safety Tayler Hawkins was ejected from the game for throwing a punch.

The Brahmas offensive line played out of their mind on Sunday night, giving up zero sacks to the UFL’s league leaders in sacks. Mond played his best game as well, finishing 14/20 for 121 passing yards and a touchdown.

With just under five minutes remaining in the game, the Defenders had one last chance to tie, or take the late lead over San Antonio. The drive began promisingly, as Ta’amu connected with multiple receivers to carry on hope at home. As they creeped into the red zone, DC began to encounter similar issues that have stagnated this offense through the first four weeks. Whether it’s chemistry issues, inaccuracies, or guys running the wrong routes, the Defenders red zone offense has been poor this year. On fourth and goal with the game on the line, Ta’amu was unable to find his intended target in the end zone, as the San Antonio Brahmas under interim HC Payton Pardee earned their first win of the 2025 season.

Final Thoughts

The fairy tale start to the Defenders 2025 season is over, as major questions will be asked this week on offensive red zone efficiency and overall team discipline after the slew of penalties against San Antonio. The Defenders will visit the Arlington Renegades (3-1) next week in a battle for first place in the XFL conference. 

For San Antonio, extremely gutsy performance by Pardee’s group inside of a loud, hostile DC environment. Overall a tremendous team effort by the Brahmas after losing their first three games this season. San Antonio hosts the Houston Roughnecks (1-3) next week at the Alamodome.

Do you think the San Antonio Brahmas have a chance of making the playoffs? Can the DC Defenders get back on the right track? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.