Year 2 of the UFL concludes on Saturday evening in St. Louis with the UFL Championship Game between the D.C. Defenders and Michigan Panthers.
These two teams played in Week 6 of the regular season, with the Panthers dominating the Defenders at home, 38-14.
My Defenders vs. Panthers predictions and free betting picks expect plenty of offensive fireworks in the UFL Championship game on June 14.
Defenders vs Panthers predictions
My Defenders vs Panthers best bet: Over 50.5 (-108 at DraftKings)
These D.C. Defenders and the Michigan Panthers have been offensive juggernauts all season, with two stellar quarterbacks that battled it out for UFL Offensive Player of the Year.
Defenders QB Jordan Ta’amu threw for 2,155 yards with 17 touchdowns and only four interceptions to go with 178 yards rushing and two more touchdowns in nine games. Panthers quarterback Bryce Perkins threw for 1,342 yards with nine touchdowns and only two picks to go with 269 yards rushing and five more touchdowns in seven games.
Ultimately, they gave the award to Perkins, and he certainly earned it with his stellar play-making ability in avoiding sacks and making big plays with both his feet and his arm.
Perkins was near perfect against the perennial spring football champion Birmingham Stallions — whom the Panthers had never beaten — completing 20 of 25 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown to go with 34 yards rushing and another touchdown.
Perkins was 13-for-18 passing with 188 yards and two touchdowns to go with 76 yards rushing and another touchdown vs. the Defenders in Week 6.
He thrives in the big moments against the best teams, and I expect another great performance from him on Saturday. He can also lean on running back Toa Taua, the UFL rushing leader in touchdowns that was third in yards per carry. He had 94 yards on the ground with a score in the Week 6 matchup.
Ta’amu wasn’t extremely efficient for the Defenders in that Week 6 matchup, but he still put up 259 yards passing with two touchdowns and no interceptions. His team only scored 14 points, but still managed 325 yards of total offense and just failed to capitalize on a couple long drives.
If you take out the Week 10 game with all backups playing, the Defenders have scored 30.5 points per game since that Week 6 loss. Meanwhile, the Panthers just made one of the best defenses in the UFL look silly, dropping 44 points on the Stallions.
These defenses both rank in the bottom half of the league in total yards and rank fourth and sixth in scoring, respectively. The winning team is going to need to reach 30 points, and I do not expect a complete blowout to hurt the Over here.
Defenders vs Panthers odds
| Defenders | Panthers | |
|---|---|---|
| +3 (-108) | Spread | -3 (-112) |
| +136 | Moneyline | -162 |
| Over 50.5 (-108) | Total | Under 50.5 (-112) |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of 6-12.
How to watch Defenders vs Panthers
| Location | The Dome at America's Center, St. Louis, MO |
| Date | Saturday, 6-14-2025 |
| Kickoff: | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ABC |
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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