2025 UFL Season: Week 2 San Antonio Brahmas at St. Louis Battlehawks Game Preview
Week 2 of the 2025 UFL season concludes with the San Antonio Brahmas heading to St. Louis to play the Battlehawks in the Dome on Sunday night.
The Brahmas got off to a rare bumpy start to the season as they got blown out by the Arlington Renegades 33-9 in Week 1. San Antonio struggled offensively with 240 total yards and their only touchdown coming late in the fourth quarter. The biggest surprise was the defense allowing 347 total yards with 183 rushing yards allowed.
St. Louis went in the opposite direction of San Antonio as the Battlehawks provided the knockout blow to the Houston Roughnecks 31-6. The Battlehawks demonstrated a balanced attack offensively with 460 total yards and an impressive 273 yards rushing in the win.
The Battlehawks are undefeated against San Antonio in the regular season series 3-0, but the Brahmas got the most important win against St. Louis last year in the XFL Conference title game.
Game Details
Location: The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri
Date and Time: Sunday, April 6 at 6:30 pm EST
Network: FS1
Betting Odds via DraftKings: Battlehawks -8, O/U 40
Brahmas Inactives
San Antonio took a beating this week as five of their starters from last week are listed as inactive for the game. Here are the key players on the inactive list and why they are not playing:
CB Greedy Williams (left hamstring)
RB John Lovett (right hamstring)
RG Chuck Filiaga (N/A)
OLB Garrett Nelson (illness)
DT Prince Emili (right ankle)
Battlehawks Inactives
By far the biggest name on the Battlehawks’ inactive list is All-UFL wide receiver Hakeem Butler who is out with a left hamstring injury. 2024 UFL Special Teams Player of the Year Chris Garrett will also miss the game as he was dealing with a right knee injury this week.
Depth Charts
At quarterback for the Brahmas, Kevin Hogan has been replaced as the backup with Jarrett Guarantano. Derrick Kelly II is replacing Filiaga at right guard for San Antonio. Anthony McFarland Jr. jumps up as the starting running back with Jashaun Corbin moving up to second string. On defense, Rashard Lawrence will start as one of the defensive tackles, and Chris Steele gets the start at cornerback.
Former New York Jets wide receiver Denzel Mims will make his first UFL start as he replaces Butler in the lineup. With Garrett out, Travis Feeney no longer has a backup at outside linebacker.
Keys to Brahmas Win
Starting quarterback Kellen Mond has to get off to a faster start and not be afraid to use his legs more often to avoid pressure. McFarland and Corbin ran the ball well last week and could be more of a factor in the running game. While Jacob Harris was Mond’s favorite pass target the previous week, Mond can’t forget Jontre Kirklin and Greg Ward Jr., as offensive coordinator A.J. Smith has to find ways to get creative and get those two receivers more involved in the offense.
This defense is better than what they played a week ago, and they need to get back to their identity of pressuring the quarterback and shutting down the run. The Battlehawks will want to run the ball with Jacob Saylors and Jarevon Howard, so they must load up the box with more defenders to stop the run.
Keys to Battlehawks Win
After running for almost 300 yards in last week’s game, the Battlehawks have something going with Saylors and Howard, so feed them. Quarterback Manny Wilkins made smart decisions with short passes and scrambling when needed, so more quarterback-designed runs would open up the running game more.
Feeney, Willie Harvey, and Pita Taumoepenu's pass rush will be necessary for getting loose on Mond, as the Brahmas’ offensive line struggled against the Renegades’ defensive line last week. San Antonio has enough athletes with former quarterbacks Kirklin and Ward to open up the offense so watch for big games from cornerbacks Brandon Sebastian and Chris Payton-Jones.
Prediction
The Brahmas should bounce back and get to what they are best at: running the ball and playing good defense. St. Louis looked like the complete package offensively and defensively, which will make it hard for them to lose games. The number of injuries to key starters on the Brahmas could end up hurting them and put them behind the eight ball the rest of the season with another loss.
