Birmingham Stallions’ season ends short of the UFL playoffs

The Birmingham Stallions' quest for another postseason run hit a dead end on Saturday. In a must-win scenario at Protective Stadium, the Stallions fell 26-13 to the Houston Gamblers, officially ending their hopes of reaching the United Football League playoffs.

Birmingham entered the finale needing a victory paired with losses by the DC Defenders and Columbus Aviators to keep their season alive. However, the Stallions failed at the first hurdle, largely due to a dominant Houston ground game that racked up a league-record 277 rushing yards.

A Difficult Finish

Coach AJ McCarron pointed to a grueling run of injuries that left the roster depleted by the final whistle. The Stallions were forced to shuffle their lineup extensively, plugging in new offensive linemen and even utilizing quarterback Donovan Smith on special teams. "We were running out of players," McCarron said. "When four of your starting O-linemen go out in three weeks, it’s hard to be successful, I don’t care how many playmakers you got."

Key Moments at Protective Stadium

Early on, it appeared Birmingham might turn the tide when safety Tre Norwood intercepted a trick play to halt Houston’s opening drive. However, Gamblers quarterback John Rhys Plumlee responded by leading three straight scoring drives, capped by his own 11-yard touchdown run to build a 17-0 first-half lead.

The Stallions briefly sparked a rally in the third quarter when safety Alex Cook returned an interception 70 yards for a touchdown, narrowing the gap to 17-7. But the momentum was short-lived; on the very next snap, Houston's Marcus Majors broke free for a 72-yard scoring run, effectively slamming the door on any potential comeback.

Looking Ahead

Dorian Thompson-Robinson finished the day 13-of-27 for 112 yards and a touchdown to Kyric McGowan, but the Birmingham offense struggled to sustain drives against a persistent Houston pass rush. Both teams concluded their campaigns with identical 4-6 records. With the loss, the Louisville Kings officially secured the final playoff spot, joining the St. Louis Battlehawks, Orlando Storm, and DC Defenders in the postseason field.