The St. Louis Battlehawks will be in Texas on Sunday, for a second straight matchup against the Houston Gamblers. (Photo: Ellie Parker)

St. Louis Battlehawks – Gameday Info
Game No. 6 — St. Louis Battlehawks (5-3) at Houston Gamblers (3-5)
Date/Time – May 24, 2026 – 6 pm
Location – Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, TX
Broadcast – ESPN2
Radio — KMOX 104.1 FM
Live Stats – UFL Stats Broadcast

HOUSTON, TX — After winning three straight games to soar to the top of the United Football League standings, the St. Louis Battlehawks suffered a bit of a letdown with its home loss of the season last week against the Houston Gamblers.

St. Louis struggled to move the ball for most of the day and made several key mistakes early that it was never able to fully recover from late.

Needing a touchdown to tie in the final seconds, the Battlehawks did get the ball to Houston’s 3-yard line. But the clock ran out before St. Louis could run another play, allowing the Gamblers to walk out of the Battledome with a 23-16 upset victory.

The Battlehawks will get their chance to avenge that loss this week, when they head down to Houston for a rematch with the Gamblers.

“We’re excited about getting the chance to play them again right away,” Battlehawks head coach Ricky Proehl said. “That game left a bad taste in all our mouths and we want to fix that as soon as we can.”

Sunday’s contest will have other implications as well. If St. Louis can get the win it’s looking for, it will clinch itself a spot in the UFL playoffs. Only the top four teams in the league standings will make the playoffs and the Battlehawks will come into Sunday’s matchup in sole possession of second place.

With a victory, St. Louis will lock up a spot of no worse than third place, with a chance to also secure second place, depending on the outcome of the day’s other game, Dallas at Louisville.

Houston needs a second straight win over the Battlehawks to keep its playoff hopes alive.

Battlehawks WR Steven McBride caught eight passes for 116 yards in the team’s loss to Houston last week. (Photo: Ellie Parker)

Players to Watch: The offense ultimately let St. Louis down in last week’s defeat and will look to rebound quickly in Houston. The Battlehawks totaled 365 yards of offense, but managed just 15 points.

They finished only 2-for-11 on third down and 1-for-6 in the red zone, while also turning the ball over twice on Luis Perez interceptions. Perez threw for 338 yards, but finished with a 64.8 quarterback rating. If Perez is more efficient this week, the Battlehawks will once again put themselves in position to win.

Perez targeted Hakeem Butler seven times in Week Eight, but connected with him only three times. Meanwhile, Steven McBride continued his dominant season with eight catches for 116 yards, once again proving how dangerous he is at every level of the field.

Still, getting the football to Butler cannot just be a focus, it has to be a priority. Butler ranks second in the UFL with 508 receiving yards and leads the league with a staggering 23 yards per reception. One play can completely flip the momentum of a game when Butler gets involved.

The Battlehawks defense remains the team’s greatest strength. St. Louis leads the UFL by allowing just 241 yards of offense per game and has held opponents to only 33 percent on third down and 25 percent on fourth down.

Even in last week’s loss, the Battlehawks held Houston to just 200 total yards. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Pita Taumoepenu once again led the charge with a two-sack performance.

Taumoepenu has caught fire in recent weeks and is now tied for the UFL lead with nine tackles for loss. Another dominant performance in Houston could further strengthen his case for Defensive Player of the Year honors once again.

The formula for St. Louis is clear: rely on its elite defense and hope Perez finds a rhythm offensively in a revenge matchup with major playoff implications.

The Battlehawks defense held the Houston Gamblers to 200 yards of total offense last week. (Photo: Ellie Parker)

For the second straight week, head coach Kevin Sumlin rolled with Hunter Dekkers at quarterback, and the move paid off. Dekkers played an efficient game, throwing two touchdown passes and finishing with a 99.6 quarterback rating.

John Rhys Plumlee also remains an option heading into Week Nine. The dual-threat quarterback, who joined Houston just weeks ago, was sidelined in Week Eight but still gives the Gamblers another wrinkle offensively.

Battlehawks TE Tyler Neville scored his fifth touchdown of the season, last week against Houston. (Photo: Ellie Parker)

Up Next: Win or lose on Sunday, the Battlehawks will close out the regular season with a home matchup against the Dallas Renegades on Friday, May 29. That game will be key no matter what.

If St. Louis defeats Houston on Sunday, the game against Dallas will be for St. Louis’ chance at home field in its playoff contest in two weeks. If St. Louis loses to Houston, it will need to win the game against Dallas to secure a playoff spot.

2026 ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS SCHEDULE

DateTimeAtOpponentLocationTVResults
March 28, 2026 (Saturday)11 amHomeDC DefendersThe Dome at America’s CenterW, 16-10 (1-0)
April 7, 2026 (Tuesday)7 pmAwayDallas RenegadesToyota Stadium / Frisco, TXFS1L, 31-15 (1-1)
April 12, 2026 (Sunday)2 pmHomeBirmingham StallionsThe Dome at America’s CenterABCW, 34-30 (2-1)
April 18, 2026 (Saturday)11:30 amAwayDC DefendersAudi Field / Washington, DCABCL, 28-22 (2-2)
April 25, 2026 (Saturday)6 pmAwayOrlando StormInter&Co Stadium / Orlando, FLW, 25-17 (3-2)
April 30, 2026 (Thursday)7 pmAwayLouisville KingsLynn Family Stadium / Louisville, KYFS1W, 16-3 (4-2)
May 8, 2026 (Friday)7 pmHomeColumbus AviatorsThe Dome at America’s CenterFOXW, 31-20 (5-2)
May 16, 2026 (Saturday)2 pmHomeHouston GamblersThe Dome at America’s CenterABCL, 23-16 (5-3)
May 24, 2026 (Sunday)6 pmAwayHouston GamblersShell Energy Stadium / Houston, TX
May 29, 2026 (Friday)7 pmHomeDallas RenegadesThe Dome at America’s CenterFOX