Michigan Panthers quarterbacks Bryce Perkins and Danny Etling are looking to lead Michigan to its first spring-league championship since the team was reborn as part of the 2022 USFL reboot.
Both players are drawing upon their experience winning at the highest level as they look to take down the DC Defenders.
Perkins and Etling both enjoyed multi-year NFL careers during which they were part of Super Bowl-winning teams. Etling’s title came during his rookie season with the New England Patriots in 2018 while Perkins’ came in his second season with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021.
While neither Perkins nor Etling played in the respective Super Bowls their team won, each explained that being part of a championship winner has helped them in their quest for a UFL championship.
‘It allows you to understand what it takes to keep playing on after the regular season,’ Perkins told USA TODAY. ‘Keep playing in the playoffs.’
What Bryce Perkins learned from Rams Super Bowl
The UFL playoffs are different in structure from the NFL’s. Teams need to win two games in the UFL postseason to take home a championship while NFL squads need at least three victories to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
However, the UFL’s schedule ensures that teams meeting in each conference championship are playing each other for a third time.
That challenge is something Perkins learned a lot about with the Rams. Los Angeles played the San Francisco 49ers three times – twice in the regular season and in the NFC championship game – on their path to winning Super Bowl 56.
The Rams lost both of their regular-season games to the 49ers before beating them in the playoffs. The Panthers did the same against the Birmingham Stallions during the 2025 UFL season, losing twice to their rival before earning a 44-29 win in the USFL Conference championship game.
Perkins’ experience with the Rams gave him confidence he could help the Panthers figure out a way to beat the Stallions.
‘(You) kind of understand how to play your opponent and how to really just keep executing on the things that you think you may notice,’ Perkins said of a third matchup. ‘Just a dedication in the execution level that it takes to go and perform as it gets late in the season.’
In Perkins’ opinion, executing required the Panthers to win the one-on-one battles and be the aggressor. He felt they were able to achieve that in earning coach Mike Nolan his first win over the Stallions in his seventh try.
‘No matter who it was, it was going to be sweet, because it’s a testament to how hard we work and the progression we’ve made throughout the year getting better and better,’ Perkins said of beating Birmingham in the USFL Conference championship.
What Danny Etling learned from Patriots Super Bowl
Progression was a key theme Etling witnessed in his championship season with the Patriots.
‘My championship with the Patriots was all about peaking at the right time, getting the timely wins, learning about our team,’ Etling said. ‘We had all types of issues early on in the year.’
New England got off to a rocky 1-2 start to the 2018 season with road losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions. The Patriots came under fire for their shortcomings, with Etling noting the team’s defense having a particularly troubling start to the season.
However, Bill Belichick’s unit enjoyed a strong midseason turnaround and managed to scrape together an 11-5 record. They ultimately performed well in the postseason and held the Rams to just three points in Super Bowl 53, tying the Miami Dolphins’ record-low scoring output in Super Bowl 6.
Witnessing that about-face gave Etling a conclusion he has carried with him throughout his professional career.
‘It doesn’t really matter how you start the season,’ Etling said. ‘It’s all about how you finish. It’s all about the improvement you make throughout the year.’
Etling believes the Panthers have put those marginal improvements on display throughout the 2025 UFL season. In particular, they were clearly visible in each of the games leading up to their big win over the Stallions.
Now, Michigan will try to continue to make minor tweaks as Perkins and Etling look to add another championship to their respective ledgers.
‘Just the little changes we make and the failures along the way throughout the season, they only make it better,’ Etling said, describing the Panthers’ run to the UFL championship game. ‘It’s all culminating to this Saturday, and making sure that you go out and execute and learn from those mistakes. That’s been what our season’s been about.’
