The Trilogy: Orlando, DC Clash for Third Straight Week in UFL Semifinals
by Ethan Berch
ARLINGTON, TX – June 4, 2026 – The trilogy is set. For the third straight week, the Orlando Storm and DC Defenders will share the battlefield, but this time the stakes are at their highest. The Storm will host the game at Daytona Beach Stadium with a trip to the United Bowl on the line.
After two regular-season meetings decided by slim margins, the reigning champions now face the top seed in the UFL postseason.
Story of the Season:
The Orlando Storm finished the regular season as the top seed in the UFL with an 8-2 record. In their inaugural season, head coach Anthony Becht led the franchise to the postseason and has now reached the playoffs in three consecutive years as a head coach.
Becht, who spent the previous three seasons in St. Louis, may have put together his most impressive coaching job yet.
The Storm opened the season by winning their first four games before stumbling through a two-game skid. As doubts began to creep in around the league, Orlando responded by winning its final four regular-season games, including back-to-back victories over DC.
The Storm have been the most explosive offense in the UFL all season.
Their receiving corps has been dominant from the jump, featuring playmakers such as Chris Rowland, Elijhah Badger, KJ Hamler, and the emergence of Cam Camper.
Rowland led the UFL in all-purpose yards for the third consecutive season, while Badger finished second in the league with 588 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
At the center of it all has been MVP caliber quarterback Jack Plummer.
Plummer finished the regular season with a remarkable 17-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He led the UFL with 2,188 passing yards and finished second with 17 touchdown passes. His efficiency has been one of the driving forces behind Orlando's rise to the top of the standings.
Defensively, the Storm allowed a league-best 18.6 points per game. They also boasted the top red-zone defense in the UFL, allowing opponents to score touchdowns on just 41 percent of trips inside the 20.
Keshawn Banks anchored the unit and led the league with 11 tackles for loss.
The Storm enter the postseason as the No. 1 seed, but with that success comes pressure.
Orlando spent most of the season atop the standings and features one of the league's best under center. Anything short of a United Bowl appearance would be viewed as a disappointment.
On the other side stands the reigning UFL Champion DC Defenders.
The Defenders entered the season as the team to beat and appeared to be on their way toward another dominant campaign after starting 5-1.
Then everything changed. Quarterback Jordan Ta'amu suffered a season-ending injury in Week Eight, helping spark a four-game losing streak to close the regular season.
Despite the late-season struggles, DC remains one of the most complete defensive teams in the UFL. The Defenders led the league with 60 tackles for loss while ranking second with 27 sacks and 16 takeaways. They also allowed a league-best 243 total yards per game.
Offensively, no team ran the football better. Led by UFL rushing leader Deon Jackson, the Defenders averaged 151 rushing yards per game and routinely controlled games on the ground.
Now the biggest question surrounds the quarterback position.
Head coach Shannon Harris can choose between Spencer Sanders and Jason Bean. Bean was acquired following Week Four and made his first appearance in Week Ten. He rushed for 116 yards against Orlando but struggled through the air, throwing two interceptions, including a 93-yard pick-six.
The Defenders enter the postseason on a four-game losing streak, but the defending champions remain dangerous.
What’s Different This Time:
The previous two meetings provide a blueprint, but playoff football changes everything.
DC now has two full games of film against Orlando's offense. The challenge is no longer identifying the problem. It's finding an answer.
Jason Bean also enters this matchup with valuable game experience after making his first appearance in the system last week.
Meanwhile, Orlando enters the first elimination game in franchise history.
The Storm have handled expectations all season long, but the pressure only grows in June. For Anthony Becht, an opportunity to reach the United Bowl is once again within reach after falling short in previous postseason appearances.
The History:
The Storm swept the regular-season series, winning both meetings in Weeks Nine and Ten.
In Week Nine, Orlando defended home turf with a 27-19 victory behind a Jack Plummer masterclass. Plummer threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns, but the final score failed to tell the entire story. DC actually outgained Orlando 339-318 and rushed for 202 yards. Spencer Sanders led the rushing attack with 75 yards but struggled as a passer, finishing just 10-for-21 for 160 yards.
The same script played out one week later in the nation's capital. Orlando escaped with a 29-23 victory, but DC once again rushed for more than 200 yards and outgained the Storm by more than 100 yards.
A 93-yard pick-six by Mishael Powell proved to be the turning point. The stat sheets favored DC, but the scoreboards favored Orlando.
Through two meetings, the Defenders have rushed for more than 400 combined yards and outgained the Storm both times. Yet Orlando is 2-0 because it consistently made the game-changing plays when they mattered most.
The difference came on third down, in the turnover battle, and through explosive plays.
DC Defenders:
DC's biggest strength is clear. The Defenders can run the football better than anyone in the UFL.
However, if they fail to throw the football effectively against Orlando for a third straight week, the result may not change. To win this game, DC may need its defense to produce its best performance of the season.
Jack Plummer has turned the football over just once all year. The Defenders must find a way to pressure him, flip field position, and force the rare mistake.
One turnover could change everything in a playoff game.
Orlando Storm:
The Defenders have rushed for more than 200 yards in both meetings against Orlando.
Jackson and the DC rushing attack have consistently controlled the line of scrimmage, but Orlando has found ways to survive.
Can the Storm finally slow the run game, or will Deon Jackson once again control the pace and keep Orlando's offense on the sideline?
The Question:
The Defenders have outgained the Storm in both meetings and rushed for over 200 yards in each contest.
Yet Orlando is 2-0. Can DC finally make Orlando pay, or will the Storm once again capitalize on explosive plays and critical mistakes?
One Win Away:
For Orlando, it's an opportunity to validate an 8-2 season and punch its ticket to the United Bowl.
For DC, it's a chance to return to the championship stage and continue defending its 2025 title.
The first two chapters belonged to Orlando.
If the Defenders want to keep their championship defense alive, they'll have to write a different ending.