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Inside the XFL

by Fran Stuchbury
March 30, 2023 - XFL (XFL)


After six weeks of XFL play the North Division has stood out with three teams appearing to be in solid contention for the league title as opposed to one in the South. Not only is the North headlined by the D.C. Defenders, the league's lone undefeated squad after it dispatched the Houston Roughnecks 37-26 at home Monday night, but it has two 4-2 teams in the Seattle Sea Dragons and St. Louis Battlehawks.

With just one loss heading into Monday might, Houston looked as if it could provide a test for the Defenders, and they jumped out to an 8-0 lead before the Defenders scored 23 unanswered points highlighted by the 40-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Santos Ramirez.

D.C. didn't commit any turnovers and had only three penalties for 30 yards. Meanwhile, Houston couldn't get out of its own way in the second half, committing 12 penalties for 100 yards in the game. One of them was a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Houston defensive back Ajene Harris for squirting an XFL official with his water bottle on the sidelines.

With their usually effective running game off to a slow start, Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta'amu passed for 245 yards and two touchdowns.

As for the Roughnecks, they have suffered two straight losses and look at get back on track at home against the St. Louis Battlehawks on Sunday. Even with the recent stumbles, they're still the only team in the South Division over .500.

Seattle has won four straight games after defeating the Orlando Guardians on the road, 26-19. The Sea Dragons have struggled to hold onto the ball but committed only one turnover against Orlando.

In its most decisive win of the season, St. Louis crushed the Vegas Vipers on the road, 29-6. A.J. McCarron connected on an impressive 19 straight completions from 9:51 left in the first quarter to 10:06 left in the third quarter during a streak in which he rolled up 200 yards and two touchdowns. Seven different players caught at least one pass in the game.

With the Defenders in the driver's seat of the North Division, the Battlehawks and Sea Dragons will battle it out the last four weeks of the season for second place and the division's other playoff slot. Circle their week nine clash at St. Louis on your calendar now. After the Battlehawks won on the road against Seattle in week two, 20-18, it could be a must-win game for the Sea Dragons who need to avoid losing the head-to-head tiebreaker.

In the South the Houston Roughnecks are in first place at 4-2, but two straight losses have kept the other Texas teams in the hunt. The Arlington Renegades sit a game back at 3-3, while the San Antonio Brahmas at 2-4 are still in the hunt.

The Brahmas saved their season with a 15-9 road victory against the Renegades. Offense has been a problem in the Alamo City, as the points they scored against Arlington came on a defensive touchdown, a 44-yard fumble return by linebacker Jordan Williams, and three field goals by John Parker Romo. Both San Antonio quarterbacks, Jawon Pass and Kurt Benkert, were seeing their first XFL action of the season.

The Renegades have shared the offensive misery. This week the team released Kyle Sloter, an All-USFL quarterback with the New Orleans Breakers last season, while Drew Plitt has also had trouble moving the ball.

To upgrade the position, Arlington traded linebacker Ryan Mueller to the Vegas Vipers for quarterback Luis Perez. Perez passed for 900 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions with the Vipers.

Perez has become the Ryan Fitzpatrick of spring football, joining yet another team:

  • 2019: Birmingham Iron - Alliance of American Football
  • 2020: Los Angeles Wildcats - XFL
  • 2020: New York Guardians - XFL
  • 2021: Jousters - The Spring League
  • 2022: New Jersey Generals - United States Football League
  • 2023: Vegas Vipers - XFL
  • 2023: Arlington Renegades - XFL

XFL Week 6: Every Scoring Play

EXTRA POINTS

  • The Saturday afternoon Seattle Sea Dragons - Orlando Guardians game on ABC and ESPN Deportes averaged 1.1 million viewers. Saturday night the St. Louis Battlehawks - Vegas Vipers game on FX saw 371,000 viewers. Sunday afternoon's San Antonio Brahmas - Arlington Renegades battle on ABC finished with 753,000 viewers. Monday night's Houston Roughnecks - D.C. Defenders tilt on ESPN2 had 371,000 viewers.

  • .St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback A.J. McCarron, D.C. Defenders cornerback Santos Ramirez, and Seattle Sea Dragons defensive back Antoine Brooks were named the OurSports Central XFL Offensive Player, Defensive Player and Unsung Hero of the Week, respectively, for week six of the XFL season.

  • Road teams went 3-1. Home teams hold a 13-11 edge for the the season

  • Teams went one-of-four on one-point conversion attempts from the two-yard line, five-of-thirteen on two-point conversions from the five-yard line, and zero-of-one on three-point conversions from the 10-yard line.

  • Houston Roughnecks QB Cole McDonald hit WR Deontay Burnett for an 85-yard touchdown, the longest pass completion this season.

  • With Luis Perez traded to the Arlington Renegades, Jalan McClendon will get the start this week. Brett Hundley will be the backup.

  • The Seattle Sea Dragons signed linebacker Tyrell Adams. Adams' best season came in 2020 with the NFL's Houston Texans when he made 125 combined tackles.

  • My XFL Best Bet Lock of the Week is the Seattle Sea Dragons -4.5 over the Arlington Renegades. The Sea Dragons are hot with a four-game winning streak. The Renegades have scored just six offensive touchdowns while the Sea Dragons have scored 15 offensive touchdowns. Even if Luis Perez starts this week for Arlington it is unlikely they will be able to keep up with the Seattle offense. Look for the Sea Dragons to win their fifth straight XFL game.
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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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