WASHINGTON, DC – April 18, 2026 – Round two between DC and St. Louis delivered. The Defenders controlled most of the night, but a late Battlehawks surge made things tense before DC’s defense slammed the door on a third straight win.
St. Louis opened with the ball and, despite early substitution issues that burned two timeouts, pieced together a gritty drive capped by a 51-yard Tucker McCann field goal.
DC answered immediately with one of its sharpest drives of the season. Converting all three third downs, Jordan Ta’amu found Cornell Powell and Braylon Sanders to keep things moving, then broke loose for a 22-yard scramble to set the tone. He finished it with a perfect 14-yard strike to Keke Coutee for the game’s first touchdown.
Looking for a spark early in the second quarter, St. Louis turned to its playmaker. Hakeem Butler took a screen, delivered a nasty stiff arm, and raced 75 yards to the house. After the missed extra point, DC quickly regained control as Matt McCrane drilled a 56-yarder to make it 10-9.
Ta’amu stayed in rhythm. After a 21-yard strike to Powell, who piled up six catches for 72 yards in the half, DC capitalized on penalties and third-down conversions. Ta’amu connected with Ty Scott for his second touchdown, pushing the lead to 17-6.
Just before halftime, the Battlehawks stole momentum. Harrison Frost launched a deep ball into traffic, and Butler came down with it against four defenders. A neutral zone infraction set up McCann for a 26-yard field goal, trimming it to 17-12 at the break.
DC wasted no time responding. A 27-yard completion to Erik Ezukanma set up another McCrane field goal, and moments later, the defense delivered the biggest swing of the night, Devonnsha Maxwell dropped Frost in the end zone for the first safety of the UFL season, extending the lead to 22-12.
McCrane added his third field goal early in the fourth to make it 25-12, but St. Louis wasn’t done.
The Battlehawks finally found rhythm, sparked by a 13-yard catch-and-run from Blake Jackson. Jarveon Howard ripped off chunk gains to set up a Kevon Latulas touchdown run, bulldozing his way in from seven yards out to cut it to 25-19.
Ta’amu answered again, doing damage with both his arm and legs, including a key 18-yard scramble that led to McCrane’s fourth field goal. With five minutes left, DC pushed the lead back to nine.
Still, it wasn’t over.
Howard broke free for a massive 51-yard run to keep St. Louis alive. The drive stalled in the red zone, but McCann’s short field goal made it 28-22. Opting against the 4th-and-12 attempt, St. Louis kicked deep, and it worked.
The defense forced a three-and-out, with AJ Thomas and Jordan Williams making key stops, giving the Battlehawks one last shot from the DC 40 with 1:23 remaining.
Frost scrambled for 12 yards to open the drive, but the Defenders responded. Derick Roberson came up with a massive 11-yard sack, and on the next play, Sam Kidd sealed it with an interception in the end zone.
DC bent late but never broke, securing its third consecutive win.
Ta’amu led the way with 204 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 61 rushing yards without a turnover.
Howard paced St. Louis with 85 yards on just eight carries, while Williams led the defense with nine tackles.
The Defenders return home Friday night to face the Birmingham Stallions at 8:00 PM ET on FOX.