UFL 2024 Week 5 roundup: Sizzling Battlehawks hand Defenders first home loss

Playing in front of more than 40 friends and family members, St. Louis Battlehawks receiver Hakeem Butler made sure to give them something to cheer about.

The Baltimore native finished with six catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns in his team’s 45-12 victory over the DC Defenders (2-3) on Sunday.

"I only get to play in this area once a year," Butler said. "For them to come and be able to watch me, it means a lot." 

The setback was the Defenders' first loss at home in two seasons, ending a 10-game winning streak at Audi Field dating back to last season in the XFL. On the other side, the Battlehawks are on a four-game winning streak and stayed tied with the San Antonio Brahmas (4-1) atop the XFL Conference. However, St. Louis holds the tiebreaker because of a head-to-head victory over the Brahmas in Week 3.

Playing without UFL all-purpose yardage leader Darrius Shepherd (hamstring), Butler and QB AJ McCarron picked up the slack. The Alabama product continues to be the most productive signal-caller in the league, completing 14 of 24 passes (58.0%) for 213 yards and two scores. McCarron leads the UFL in touchdown passes (10) and is second in passing yards (1,051) while also having just one interception.

The Battlehawks lost two offensive linemen to injuries but were still able to effectively move the ball against a stout Defenders defense. St. Louis also played with heavy hearts, as long snapper Alex Matheson lost his father this week. He opted to stay with his team and played in Sunday’s game.

Here’s a closer look at some of the other storylines from Week 5.

Stallions QB Adrian Martinez runs over Roughnecks

Making his second start of the season, the Stallions QB sprinted past a Roughnecks defense that could not