Jake Bates boots Panthers to comeback victory over winless Renegades

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Detroit — It might have been too close to call considering the opponent, but the Michigan Panthers and kicker Jake Bates did it again, winning another home game on a last-second field goal in a 28-27 victory over the Arlington Renegades on Sunday afternoon at Ford Field.

Bates' 42-yard field goal was his second game-winner of the season, and was the third and final lead change in the last four minutes of the contest. The Panthers (4-2) haven't won or lost consecutive games all season, but that trend ended today against the only team in the UFL that remains winless.

But this wasn't your average winless team. The Renegades (0-6), the 2023 XFL champions, led by eight points in the fourth quarter. But the Panthers were able to rally to have the former champs still searching for that first win, with half of their losses coming by three point or less.

After trading wins and losses throughout the season, the Panthers might have finally found some consistency.

"It was more about just consistency and not letting that alternating thing be anything more than just what it was," Panthers head coach Mike Nolan said after the game. "It was more of us just playing well and getting the victory."

And no player seems to be as consistent as Bates, at least indoors. His 64-yard field goal gave the Panthers an 18-16 victory over St. Louis in the season opener at Ford Field, and on Sunday, he went 5-for-5 on field goals, including a 60-yard field goal at the end of the first half to keep the Panthers close.

But Bates wasn't the only hero, as his game-winner was set up by a big kickoff return from Marcus Simms, who took a muffed catch for a 45-yard return, with a face-mask penalty helping to put the Panthers at the Renegades' 31-yard line with 46 seconds left.

"What a return, I mean my goodness and it looked like it was a parting of the Red Sea all of a sudden... it was like 'Oh my goodness, let's take it to the house.' Great play," Nolan said.

Simms also had four catches for 67 yards and led the team with 112 all-purpose yards.

The team started strong, building a 10-3 lead after the first quarter thanks to the strong play of quarterback Danny Etling. But then the Panthers gave up two second-quarter touchdowns before Bates' field goal made it a 17-13 deficit at halftime.

Etling had a strong performance as his second game starting for the injured E.J. Perry, going 16-for-28 for 202 yards and a passing touchdown with 55 rushing yards. He dueled with the Renegades' Luis Perez, who went 24-for-37 for 180 yards and a passing touchdown as well.

Starting the second half, the Panthers' defense forced a quick three-and-out. On offense, a couple of defensive pass interference penalties on third down kept the drive alive, but Etling got sacked by former NFL All-Pro Vic Beasley on another third down.

Bates hit a 29-yard field goal following a drive that went over eight minutes, the only score in the third quarter for both teams as the Panthers still trailed 17-16 with one quarter remaining.

The Panthers had a chance to stop the Renegades, but defensive pass interference was called on a third-and-4 incompletion. The next play was a 14-yard rushing touchdown by J.P. Payton to push the Renegades to a 24-16 fourth-quarter lead.

After another Bates field goal made it 24-19, the Panthers stuffed the Renegades on fourth-and-two, getting the ball back at the Renegades' 46 with 5:32 left. Etling scrambled for 40 yards on the first play, setting up a Wes Hillis rushing touchdown from three yards out, and after a failed two-point conversion, the Panthers held a 25-24 lead with 3:49 left.

The Panthers defense couldn't get the Renegades offense off the field before landing in field-goal range, leading to a 48-yard kick from Jonathan Garibay to give the Renegades a 27-25 lead with under a minute remaining.

Without plays like Simms' kickoff return and Bates' clutch end-of-game field goals, the Panthers could easily sit 2-4. But games like this show how thin the margin for error can really be in the UFL.

Now the Panthers have four games left, three of them on the road, including next Sunday at the D.C. Defenders in Washington, D.C.

Kameron Goodwill is a freelance writer.