The St. Louis Battlehawks’ third straight fourth-quarter comeback attempt fell short Sunday in a
34-28 loss to the D.C. Defenders in a Week 3 contest at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.
A 2-yard touchdown pass and 5-yard, two-point conversion pass from QB A.J. McCarron to WR
Steven Mitchell Jr. with 22 seconds to play were not enough for the Battlehawks to come back
from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
The Defenders took a lead they would not relinquish with 17 straight points in the second half.
A 2-yard touchdown run by QB Jordan Ta’amu gave D.C. a 23-20 lead with 3 minutes, 8 seconds
left in the third quarter, and a successful two-point conversion extended the Defenders’ lead to
25-20. A field goal and touchdown in the fourth quarter then gave D.C. a 34-20 advantage.
St. Louis recovered from a 14-0 deficit in the first half and took its only lead of the game when
QB A.J. McCarron completed a 23-yard pass to TE Jake Sutherland with 8:26 left in the third
quarter. Sutherland’s first touchdown catch of the season gave the Battlehawks a 20-17 lead.
WR Darrius Shepherd put the Battlehawks in position for the go-ahead touchdown with a 72-
yard kickoff return. Shepherd also had a 58-yard return in the fourth quarter.
The Battlehawks overcame an early 14-0 deficit and tied the score at 14 points apiece on their
final drive of the first half. McCarron was 7-for-8 for 67 passing yards on a drive that ended with
a 1-yard completion to WR Hakeem Butler with three seconds left before halftime. Butler
caught five passes for 58 yards on the drive, including his team-high third TD catch of the year.
The Defenders stormed to their 14-point lead within the first 5:15 of the game. A 77-yard
touchdown drive that included a two-point conversion put D.C. up, 8-0. CB Michael Joseph then
intercepted McCarron two plays later and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown.
St. Louis closed to within six points of D.C.’s lead, 14-8, with its first score of the game when
McCarron found RB Brian Hill for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 5:33 left in the first quarter.
McCarron then hit Shepherd for a 5-yard pass good for a two-point conversion that completed
an eight-play, 73-yard drive.