For the third time in the first three games of the season, the Stallions have had a chance to win the game in the last few seconds. In back-to-back weeks, the Stallions have failed to execute in the fourth quarter and lost games. Birmingham now falls to 1-2 on the season and some serious questions about the team are being raised. 

The first half was a myriad of mistakes from the Stallions, starting off with a Matt Corral pick six on their first drive of the game. He had another very poor interception not far after, just trying to force those throws and getting punished for them. An interception from Tae Crowder led to a Jordan Thomas receiving touchdown to get the Stallions on the board. That remained the only scoring sequence from Birmingham in the first half. 

The Stallions coming out of the second half looked like a completely different team. A massive pass to Deon Cain led the Stallions to getting a field goal right out of the gate. From there, Mario Goodrich got a pick six to get the Stallions their first lead of the day, and with a missed extra point they went up 16-13. The Battlehawks brought out Harrison Frost who quickly threw another pick to Lukas Denis. This would turn into a lengthy drive capped off by an Anthony McFarland rushing touchdown (even with a fumble right before the goal line). With just over five minutes left the Stallions went up 23-13. 

The fourth quarter was a slug match between both teams. At the start, Harrison Frost started to light up the Birmingham defense. With a major throw to Hakeem Butler and then a short toss to Stephen McBride to cut the score to 23-20. Corral responds with a 67 yard passing touchdown to Deon Cain to go back up 30-20. Then, almost immediately after, Frost connects with Butler for a 64-yard touchdown to close the gap to 30-27. The Stallions were unable to convert any points on their next drive, teeing St. Louis up for a lengthy drive resulting in a touchdown and the Battlehawks retaking the lead 34-30. Birmingham got the ball back with less than two minutes on the clock and started the drive with a pass to Mickens getting to midfield. However, every play after that was an incomplete or dropped pass. 

In a season that only has 10 games, having two losses so early is a major blow to playoff hopes. The Stallions have to figure out how to finish out games. In all three of their games, they have yet to have the result decided until the clock hits zero. On the one hand, this means they are never out of the game and aren’t getting blown out. But on the other hand, this stat is much worse when considering that the Stallions had leads and game winning chances in both losses that they failed to capitalize on. 

The players in Birmingham are championship caliber, many having National Championships, Super Bowls, and USFL/XFL/UFL Championships under their belt. The execution isn’t there though. Major defensive faults continue to be present, specifically in the middle of the field. The addition of Perrion Winfrey back to the team had an immediate impact on run stopping, but the mid to long throws from opponents continue to gash the Stallions. Matt Corral’s turnover troubles also continue to plague the Stallions in such narrow losses. Each sequence of the team continues to struggle between showing massive flashes but falling victim to consistent mistakes. 

The Birmingham Stallions look to get back on track next Saturday as they take on the undefeated Orlando Storm. This will be the home opener for the Birmingham Stallions, adding another layer of pressure due to the offseason concerns about attendance and relocation. It’s arguably the biggest game yet for the Stallions, and how it goes will majorly affect the rest of Birmingham’s goals for the rest of the season.