With the 3-5 D.C. Defenders and 1-7 Memphis Showboats out of playoff contention, it’s challenging to find enticing storylines for Sunday’s matchup beyond players playing for pride, or putting out great tape angles typically reserved for late-season spring pro football games with no playoff implications.
Sunday’s FOX broadcast will likely focus heavily on the latter and the XFL versus USFL season record, which, heading into Week 9, has the leagues deadlocked at 7-7 in head-to-head meetings.
Memphis, losers of seven straight, have yet to win a game this season at home. The Showboats’ struggles have been one of the biggest surprises in the merged USFL-XFL league. On paper, John DeFilippo’s team looked like a sure-fire contender before the season began, but despite having several proven spring league standouts, they have been one of the league’s most flawed squads.
D.C., which marched to a championship game with a 10-1 record a year ago, has been unable to duplicate last year’s success. Reggie Barlow’s troops took some hits in the offseason, losing several key contributors from 2023. A season ago, the two most significant strengths for the Defenders were their running game and big-play defense, but they have become liabilities in 2024.
Both teams could look entirely different a year from now, so these next two games for Memphis and D.C. could serve as auditions for players and coaches looking to return in 2025. That’s likely the strongest motivation for both sides.
Game Information
Line: Defenders -5, O/U 46
Date/Location: Sunday, May 26, 2024, at Simmons Liberty Bank Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee
Kickoff Time: 2:30 pm EST/1:30 pm CT
Weather Forecast: Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray afternoon thunderstorm is possible. High 87F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph.
TV/Streaming: FOX, FOX Sports App, SiriusXM
Week 9 Depth Chart/Inactives
Memphis Showboats (vs D.C. Defenders) #UFL Week 9 Inactives:
#16 WR Diondre Overton
#45 ILB Malik Lawal
#48 OLB Terrill Hanks
#55 G Terronne Prescod
#64 T Marcus Tatum
#90 DL Dillon Faamatau
#97 DL Connor ChristianGame Center: https://t.co/Ixquj8imVU pic.twitter.com/eY8cvMbV3K
— UFL Communications Department (@UFL_PR) May 25, 2024
D.C. Defenders (at Memphis Showboats) #UFL Week 9 Inactives:
#15 CB Michael Joseph
#33 DE Trent Harris
#39 S Santos Ramirez
#56 T David Satkowski
#59 T William Barnes
#82 WR Monroe Young
#87 TE Ben BresnahanGame Center: https://t.co/Ixquj8imVU pic.twitter.com/Mptm9jEvUY
— UFL Communications Department (@UFL_PR) May 25, 2024
Lineup Notes:
The Showboats are turning back to Troy Williams at quarterback with Case Cookus out of the mix. Josh Love, who impressed in relief duty last week, could see some action as well.
The Defenders will be missing standout cornerback Michael Joseph on defense. Outside of that, there are not very many changes to this week’s lineup. D.C. has signed four separate rookies from the 2024 NFL Draft Class but has yet to activate any of them. Perhaps that could come a week from now.
Key Matchups
The Defenders and Showboats are mirror images offensively. They will make the occasional big play through the air with playmakers like Ty Scott and the electrifying Daewood Davis. However, their inability to sustain drives due to poor line play is why they are two of the league’s lowest-scoring teams.
The Showboats have been particularly bad upfront, allowing a league-leading 36 sacks. The next closest team in that category is Michigan with 22. Memphis is also last in the UFL in rushing and yards per carry.
As a result, this might be the ideal opponent for Gregg Williams’s defense, which has had its fair share of struggles. Pass rusher Malik Fisher has been one of the Defenders’ few bright spots defensively. He is tied for first in the league with 6.5 sacks. The Villanova edge rusher could be in line for a huge day.
Memphis would be doing itself a disservice by abandoning its rushing attack against a D.C. team that has the worst rushing defense in the UFL. They’d be playing into the Defenders’ hands by not showing any semblance of balance.
On the flip side of things, the Defenders offense is facing a struggling Showboats defense led by Carnell Lake. They’ve allowed a league-high 14 rushing touchdowns at 4.6 yards per run. On top of that, Memphis’s secondary has seen opposing passing attacks complete 72% of their passes for nearly 2,000 yards and 18 scores. If there was ever a week for Fred Kaiss’s offense to experience a breakout performance, this is it.
Prediction:
At some point, you’d figure that Memphis will end their season-long losing skid and win a game. They were pretty competitive last week in Michigan after weeks of being bludgeoned.
Nevertheless, the Showboats have select skill players who have been showing out every week. But when it comes to the team game, they have been consistently the worst in every respect.
The Defenders could come into Sunday as a deflated team after last week’s crushing loss in St. Louis, so you have to wonder about their mental state. Still, on paper, D.C. is the better overall team and should win.
Defenders 31 Showboats 26
You can find Mike Mitchell on X @ByMikeMitchell.
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