Rogers' Resilience Fuels Kings as Top Dogs Fall in DC
UFL Louisville Kings

Rogers' Resilience Fuels Kings as Top Dogs Fall in DC

Published on May 9, 2026 under United Football League (UFL)
Louisville Kings News Release


WASHINGTON, DC - The Louisville Kings did it again. Another miraculous upset, this time taking down the top dogs in their own house and keeping their playoff hopes alive. Chandler Rogers led the charge, and the game flipped after he absorbed a massive hit late in the first half.

For the first time this season, the Defenders were kept off the board on their opening drive. Josiah Bronson sacked Jordan Ta'amu on third down and pushed DC out of field goal range.

The Kings offense opened fast behind the shiftiness and burst of former 1,000-yard NFL rusher James Robinson. Robinson ripped into the secondary on back-to-back runs of 19 and 21 yards, and Louisville looked ready to strike first.

But the Defenders, as they have all season, got into the backfield and caused chaos. Brandon Smith and Curtis Jacobs swarmed Robinson for a big loss on the handoff, then Boogie Basham exploded off the edge and dropped Rogers.

That sequence led to a missed field goal from Tanner Brown, and minutes later Matt McCrane missed one of his own, both from well within range.

After an unexpected scoreless first quarter, Louisville finally broke through. Rogers stayed sharp early, hitting Tarik Black for 16 yards before finding Jaden Shirden on a screen that picked up 15 more.

Brown redeemed himself with a 48-yard kick to give the Kings a 3-0 lead.

It felt like only a matter of time before DC answered.

On 3rd-and-10, Ta'amu escaped pressure and stepped into a deep shot. Javon Antonio hauled in the bomb and raced the rest of the way for an 81-yard touchdown. It was DC's longest play from scrimmage this season, and the longest touchdown by any team this year.

The missed two-point try left it 6-3.

Ta'amu then orchestrated his best drive of the half as the clock wound down. He rolled away from pressure and found Mason Fairchild on the sideline for a key conversion, then fired a strike to Cornell Powell on 3rd-and-11 for 16 yards.

He capped it with a perfect throw to Ty Scott, who adjusted beautifully on a jump ball and came down with a 20-yard touchdown in single coverage. Scott followed it with his signature Spider-Man celebration after his fourth score of the season.

Ta'amu went five-for-six for 68 yards and a touchdown on that drive alone.

But the Kings had an answer before halftime.

Rogers opened the drive with a dart to Isaiah Winstead for 32 yards. Then came the turning point. Derrick Roberson absolutely leveled Rogers, but lowered the crown of his helmet and drew a 15-yard penalty.

Everything changed after that.

Rogers responded with a perfect corner throw to Black for a nine-yard touchdown, pulling Louisville within three.

DC still had 38 seconds and no timeouts. Ta'amu hit Powell for 54 yards and had the Defenders in position to answer, but a sack by Cam Gill and Nick Kubitz let the final seconds expire. DC led 13-10 at the break.

Louisville opened the second half with the ball and quickly tied it. Rogers stayed efficient, with Winstead hauling in another 32-yard gain before Brown drilled a 49-yard field goal to make it 13-13.

Then came the momentum swing. On the kickoff, Jalen Wydermyer delivered a perfect peanut punch to force a fumble and hand Louisville a short field. Ian Wheeler ripped off 22 yards, Robinson added 18 more, and Rogers found Black again in the end zone for the go-ahead score. Kings led 20-13.

After a sharp first half offensively, the Defenders slammed into a wall in the second half. They ran just six plays and punted twice.

Ta'amu then surrendered a crucial turnover early in the fourth. Backed up deep in his own territory, he was intercepted by Keaton Ellis, who read the throw the whole way.

Rogers capitalized immediately, hitting Lucky Jackson for 22 yards down to the goal line. Robinson punched in the one-yard score two plays later.

After a dropped touchdown that would have cut the deficit to one possession, Ta'amu was intercepted again, this time by Cam Dantzler in the end zone on a deep ball.

Louisville then marched down and settled for another Brown field goal from 49 yards, stretching the lead to 30-13 with under five minutes left. The Kings drained 5:15 off the fourth-quarter clock in the process, fueled by a stunning rushing performance.

Corey Mayfield later jarred the ball loose from Cornell Powell and recovered it himself. Louisville forced turnovers on DC's final three possessions and blanked the Defenders in the second half.

The Kings closed the game on a 27-0 run after the unnecessary roughness penalty on Roberson late in the second quarter.

Louisville dominated on the ground with 145 rushing yards, paired with Rogers' efficient 201 passing yards and two touchdowns. The Kings never turned it over, while their defense forced four takeaways.

Mekhi Garner led Louisville with eight tackles and two pass breakups. Tarik Black paced the offense with five catches for 49 yards and two touchdowns.

Ta'amu threw for a season-high 353 yards in the loss.

The Defenders and Kings will meet again next Saturday in Louisville at 12:00 PM ET on ABC for a highly anticipated rematch.

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United Football League Stories from May 9, 2026


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