By Brian Gertler
ST. LOUIS, Missouri (June 5, 2024) – With a win over San Antonio in Week 10, the Battlehawks have clinched homefield advantage and are now the 2024 XFL conference regular-season champions. This season has been filled with ups and downs, unforeseen scenarios, and a few surprises along the way. With the UFL playoffs only a few days away, let’s take a look back at what led the Battlehawks to achieve the first St. Louis home professional football playoff game in over two decades.
A 5-1 Conference Record
The 2023 season came to a tragic end for the Battlehawks when they lost a playoff spot to the Seattle Sea Dragons on the league’s fifth tiebreaker of combined points for/allowed. This wouldn’t have been an issue had the Battlehawks performed better against in-conference teams. However, that wasn’t a problem this year with an XFL-leading 5-1 conference record. Sweeping all XFL teams except the Renegades was key to such a successful 2024 campaign, considering that six of the ten games played in a season are against conference opponents. This was a far cry from the 2023 season, where the Battlehawks’ three losses came from conference opponents: a Defenders team that swept them and a crucial loss against a Seattle team that took their playoff spot.
Finishing 2-1 with a Banged Up AJ McCarron
If you watched any of the last Battlehawks game against the Brahmas, you probably noticed that AJ McCarron was either playing conservatively or being held back by the play calling, especially in the beginning of the game. After McCarron’s ankle injury in week 7 against the Stallions, it was clear that the coaching staff wanted to focus on preserving their star quarterback for the playoffs. Manny Wilkins was able to secure a win at home in week 8 while getting solid reps as a backup in both weeks 8 and 9. McCarron was activated in week 9 but didn’t end up starting until week 10. Wilkins heavily relied on his feet to get the job done against DC in week 7 but struggled against the Renegades in Arlington.
The last three games were relatively sloppy in terms of QB play, with an overall 50% completion rating, four interceptions, and only two passing touchdowns. However, the Battlehawks were still able to pull off two home wins.
Five ALL-UFL Team Selections
One of the biggest improvements this year came from the offensive line. With many starters returning, Jaryd Jones-Smith was one of the few new faces who made himself known as a leader both on and off the field. Both Jones-Smith and Mike Panasiuk were selected to the 2024 All-UFL team, along with rookie running back Jacob Saylors and two of the team’s offensive and defensive MVPs, Hakeem Butler and Willie Harvey. The Battlehawks tied with Birmingham for the second most All-UFL team selections behind the Michigan Panthers, with a whopping seven players selected, mostly from their outstanding defense and special teams.
The Battledome Advantage
Playing in St. Louis was a game-changer for the Battlehawks. The noise of the fans and the sheer numbers that showed up (an average of just under 35K fans in attendance per game) have always posed a challenge for the opposing team. Brahmas Coach Wade Phillips made note of the team ‘not handling the noise of the stadium’ in the early portion of the game last week. With headset issues for Brahmas’ backup quarterback Quinten Dormady, playcalling was difficult on top of the roar of 34k Battlehawk fans. Attendance has always been a highlight for the St. Louis team. In fact, the Battlehawks beat their previous modern spring football attendance record with 40,317 fans at their home opener back in April.
As the Battlehawks prepare to face San Antonio this Sunday night with the prospect of securing home-field advantage in the championship game, their journey, marked by resilient performances, passionate fans, and individual player achievements, underscores the resurgence and determination of St. Louis in the UFL.
*Photo from UFL Board by Dilip Vishwanat*