4 Takeaways From Week 9 Of The 2026 UFL Season

Chandler Rogers’ breakout season continued in Week 9 of the UFL season. Since taking over for Jason Bean after the Louisville Kings shipped him to the D.C. Defenders in a midseason trade, the quarterback has led his team to a 4-1 record, throwing for 1,119 passing yards and five touchdowns. In the latest win for the Kings, a 37-23 victory that handed the Dallas Renegades (3-6) their sixth straight loss, Rogers finished with 266 passing yards and two touchdown passes, while also rushing for 21 yards and a score. “Just having that different perspective, starting at the backup position, I saw what we needed,” Rogers said. “And I just took charge. Coach [Chris] Redman gave me the keys to the franchise, and we’ve been on a roll ever since.” At 5-4, Louisville needs a victory on the road against the Columbus Aviators (3-6) to clinch a postseason bid.  Speaking of the Aviators, new starting quarterback Jalen Morton led Columbus to a come-from-behind victory in his first start, a 36-29 win over the Birmingham Stallions (4-5). Meanwhile, already in the postseason, the Orlando Storm improved to a league-best 7-2 on the year with a 27-19 victory over the D.C. Defenders (5-4), who lost their third straight game but clinched a postseason bid. And the St. Louis Battlehawks (6-3) reached the postseason for a third straight season with a 21-15 victory over the Houston Gamblers (3-6). The Battlehawks have also clinched a home game in the opening round of the postseason. Here are my takeaways from Week 9 of the UFL season: With hopes of a postseason appearance dashed, Aviators head coach benched Jalan McClendon in favor of backup Jalen Morton, with good results. A physical presence at 6-4 and 226 pounds, while also blessed with a strong arm, Morton should promise in his first career UFL start. A backup with the Stallions last season, Morton played well against his former team, the Stallions, passing for 213 yards and three touchdowns, with a lone interception. Morton also rushed for a game-high 96 yards and a score on 13 carries. “Anybody who gets a fresh start at the end of the year with nothing on the line, he played for the name on the back of his jersey,” Columbus head coach Ted Ginn Jr. said. “And that’s all that I asked him to do. And that carried over to the Aviators. And that’s all I’m asking guys to do right now… As a unit, offense, defense, special teams and coaching staff, we’re taking pride in being great.” D.C. has predictably struggled on offense since losing Jordan Ta’amu to a season-ending ACL knee injury in Week 7. Riding a three-game losing streak, backup Spencer Sanders made his first UFL start in Week 8, completing just 48% of his passes for 160 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Sanders did finish with 79 rushing yards, but the Defenders scored only 19 points in the loss. D.C. has averaged 20 points a contest during the team’s three-game losing streak but averaged 32.7 points per game with a healthy Ta’amu in the first six weeks of the season. Defenders head coach Shannon Harris chose not to play Jason Bean against the Storm, who started the first three games of the season for Louisville and was shipped to D.C. in a midseason trade. But with the offense struggling and a game left until the postseason, the defending UFL champs have another chance to get something going before the postseason. “I ain’t really got much for you,” Spencer said when asked about the upcoming game at home against the Storm. “I’m just ready to play, to be honest with you.” Speaking of Orlando, generating a spark for the Storm on offense has been the increased use of do-it-all receiver and UFL veteran Chris Rowland. Playing against his former team he won a championship with last season in the Defenders, the Tennessee State product finished with eight receptions for 117 yards, including a 62-yard reception for a score. After finishing with one catch for zero yards on two targets in Week 7, Rowland has totaled 17 catches for 208 yards and a touchdown over the last two games. The All-UFL performer still leads the league with 1,040 all-purpose yards. Louisville kicker Tanner Brown finished 3-for-3 on field goals with a long of 54 yards. Brown has now made a UFL-record 25 field goals this season, making 25-of-28, including 7-of-9 from 50-plus with a long of 60 yards. Brown has made 17-of-19 extra points. But overall, it’s been a down year for kickers this season. Three teams have used at least two kickers this season. Kickers have made just 75.3% of their field goals this season and 56.8% from 50-plus yards. That compares to 84.6% on field goals in the UFL last year and 64.5% from beyond 50 yards. For reference, NFL kickers made 85.6% of their field goals in 2025, including 68.7% from 50-plus yards. However, the UFL did have three made, four-point 60-yard field goals in the first year of that rule implemented this year. St. Louis hosts Dallas at The Dome at America’s Center on Friday. Birmingham then hosts Houston on Saturday. The Stallions still have a chance to get in with a victory and losses by the Kings and Defenders, resulting in a three-way tie at 5-5 that leaves Louisville out due to the strength of victory tiebreaker. The Stallions also advance if D.C. wins and Louisville loses; Birmingham owns the tiebreaker over the Kings because of their head-to-head victory over Louisville in Week 1. Orlando and D.C. face off in a rematch at Audi Field on Sunday, while Louisville and Columbus close out the regular season with a Sunday afternoon tilt in Columbus.