May 15, 2025
By Sam Weiger
Games are listed in chronological order.
New York Empire at Boston Glory | Friday Night Frisbee (Free on YouTube)
Friday, May 16 - 7:00 PM/ET - Watch link
The UFA's East Division is proving to be everything it was hyped to be in 2025, featuring an enthralling four-team battle for three playoff spots. Philadelphia's stunning start is putting pressure on the established East powerhouses – Boston, New York, and DC – to win crucial divisional battles, like the one featured on our free Friday Night Frisbee showcase.
Philly's hot start in the East begs the question: could the Empire, a team that enjoyed one of the greatest seasons in UFA history just two years ago, actually miss the playoffs?
It's a very real possibility. New York's recent, less-than-convincing win over Montreal highlighted that their retooled offensive line has yet to forge the crucial chemistry needed for big matchups. The team's play appeared less fluid than we're accustomed to seeing, with more instances of rising stall counts and uncharacteristic errors. Given the increasing competitiveness of the East Division, the Empire's O-line chemistry needs to solidify before it’s too late.
Calvin Brown and Jack Williams will be under the microscope Friday night. Both had completion percentages below 90 percent against Montreal, and this adds to concerns as Williams has already had another uncharacteristically poor passing performance in Week 1. If they are indeed going to attempt 30 or more passes each on Friday, finding a solution to their passing issues against Boston's top-tier defense will be absolutely essential.
Boston's league-leading defense, which allowed just 15.5 goals per game last season, presents a major obstacle for New York. There is already immense pressure on their O-line, with the D-line weakened by offseason departures. The Empire D-line has struggled to score on their possessions and get stops.
Their defensive struggles can’t continue against Boston’s attack, led by two-time UFA MVP Jeff Babbitt, Tobe Decreane, and Orion Cable. They’ve been a nightmare to contain, excelling in sky battles and red zone efficiency.
One Big Number:
91.5 - In their two challenging games this season, New York completed just 91.5 percent of their passes.
21 - Babbitt and Decraene have 21 combined scores so far this year through two games, compared to just one combined throwaway.
Chicago Union at Minnesota Wind Chill | Game of the Week
Saturday, May 17 - 7:00 PM/ET - Watch link
Last year’s defending champion Wind Chill will have their first big test of 2025, and it’s against the only UFA team yet to play a game this year. They'll be up against the winners of the offseason, the Chicago Union.
We could spend an essay listing and analyzing every Union acquisition, but to summarize: Chicago now has one of the deepest teams in the UFA. With such a star-studded roster, everyone is curious to see how co-head coaches Dave Woods and Charlie Furse will deploy their players.
While several of Chicago’s recent acquisitions were important members of the team that fell short in the 2022 UFA Championship Game, my focus this weekend will be on the biggest names donning a Union uniform for the first time: Daan de Marrée, Xavier Payne, Brandon Van Deusen, and William Wettengel.
The player I'm most looking forward to seeing is de Marrée; last year he made history as the first player to earn back-to-back Ultiworld European Men’s Player of the Year selections.
Chicago's new stars, especially along the O-line, will need to have ironed out any kinks before their matchup against Minnesota, a team that delivered a defensive clinic in their season opener against Indianapolis last week. Their D-line looks even more potent than last season, largely due to the impactful arrival of Justin Burnett. Burnett, who had four blocks last week, is the Wind Chill player I'm most excited to see in Saturday's must-watch game.
One Big Number:
25 - Chicago scored 25 goals against the Wind Chill in their last meeting.
42 - The Wind Chill's D-line held the AlleyCats O-line to an incredibly low 42 percent hold rate.
Carolina Flyers at Atlanta Hustle
Saturday, May 17 - 7:30 PM/ET - Watch link
Carolina and Atlanta are set to resume their highly anticipated Week 2 matchup, which was postponed due to bad weather. Play will pick up with the Hustle ahead 8-7 and just over four minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Since this contest was postponed, we’ve observed that Carolina's offense appears less potent than last year, while Atlanta's defense hasn't been as impactful in creating turnovers. But with Atlanta's offense still looking dominant, we'll be keeping a close eye on how Carolina's offense holds up on Saturday.
Carolina's loss to DC saw Allan Laviolette and Jacob Fairfax making their usual impact, and Grayson Sanner providing a nice offensive spark. But there wasn’t much else to be excited about. Whether they are capable of delivering a more dynamic offensive performance remains to be seen.
The player I’m most excited to watch in this game is Atlanta’s Adam Miller – he's been an unexpected offensive menace so far this season.
One Big Number:
3 - In Week 3, Miller set single-game career highs in three major categories: total scores (eight), total yards (460), and completions (45).
5 - Only two Flyers reached five total scores last week: Laviolette and Sanner.
Colorado Summit at Austin Sol
Saturday, May 17 - 8:00 PM/ET - Watch link
In a Week 4 brimming with blockbuster contests, it's understandable why the Colorado vs. Austin game has slipped under the radar. But with everyone curious about just how good these two teams can be, we're definitely locked in for this one.
Austin's surprisingly dominant Week 2 win over Madison showcased the strength of their roster after significant offseason losses. Leading the charge has been Jackson Potts, who has been electric in all three of Austin’s games. All eyes will be on Potts to see if he can continue his stellar form against the Summit.
Colorado’s player to watch will be a former Oakland Spiders standout making his Summit debut: Keenan Laurence. A versatile O-liner like Laurence could be the game-changer Colorado needs after a season of offensive disarray.
One Big Number:
8 - Potts is averaging an absurd eight scores per game, tying him for the league led through three weeks of play.
6 - The Summit lost six of their nine games against playoff-caliber teams last season.
Boston Glory at DC Breeze
Sunday, May 18 - 4:00 PM/ET - Watch link
So, a New York-DC doubleheader weekend for Boston? Nothing new for the Glory. They successfully navigated the same Empire-Breeze doubleheader last year, winning both contests.
But those games were very close, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see another one of those low-scoring, clean games on Sunday.
DC's flawless win in Carolina last week was largely thanks to Jacques Nissen, who has clearly gained head coach Lauren Boyle's trust and now shares primary passing duties with Andrew Roy. While Roy's consistency is known, Nissen's high accuracy over his last two games is significant. As a relatively new QB1, Nissen will be DC's player to watch as he faces what should be his toughest defensive test of the season against Boston.
Another player to watch is Boston’s Ben Sadok. With Calvin Stoughton and Ryan Dinger currently listed as inactive, Sadok is likely to see an increased throwing workload. Last year against DC, he averaged 58.33 completions per game, and his completion percentage aligned with Boston's outcomes.
One Big Number:
98.41 - Sadok was highly efficient in Boston's win against DC last year, completing 98.41 percent of his passes. His completion rate dropped to 93.34 percent in their two losses to the Breeze.
96.77 - In just his last two outings, Nissen has 121 completions and 882 passing yards on a sterling 96.4 percent completion rate.
