Inside the XFL

by Fran Stuchbury
April 27, 2023 - XFL (XFL)

The final week of the 2023 XFL season saw the last two playoff spots decided. The top two teams in both the North and South Divisions qualified for the postseason.

In the North Division the D.C. Defenders had already clinched first place, while the St. Louis Battlehawks and Seattle Sea Dragons went into week 10 tied for second place and eyeing the possibility of a tie-breaker.

The Battlehawks did their part, defeating the Orlando Guardians at home, 53-28. The 53 points scored by St. Louis was the most by one team in XFL history. The combined 81 points also set an XFL record.

Battlehawks quarterback A.J. McCarron put on a show, completing 28 of 35 passes for 420 yards and six touchdowns. Wide receiver Hakeem Butler caught nine throws for 164 yards and two scores.

With 30 seconds left in the game, Battlehawks kicker Donny Hageman missed a 49-yard field. Immediately after time expired St. Louis coach Anthony Becht ran up to Orlando Head Coach Terrell Buckley to ensure Buckley understood Becht's team was still trying to score with the game out of reach because it was concerned about playoff tiebreakers. Buckley confirmed he understood the St. Louis strategy.

St. Louis' scoring frenzy came up short the following day as the Sea Dragons topped the overmatched Vegas Vipers, 28-9, just enough for Seattle to win the tiebreaker. A win and 34 points scored, without giving up 34 or more, would have clinched a postseason berth through the 4th tiebreaker, but Seattle found a different way to edge the Battlehawks with a stellar defensive performance.

Sea Dragons quarterback Ben DiNucci completed 26 of 41 throws for 339 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions along with 41 rushing yards and another score.

In the South Division, the San Antonio Brahmas clung to playoff hopes entering the finale Saturday against D.C. They needed a win and an Arlington loss to capture a berth. Their effort came up just short as league-best D.C. captured a 29-28 decision.

The Brahmas had a chance to win the game, but reliable kicker John Parker Romo missed a 53-yard field goal with 32 seconds left, only his second miss of the season.

Defenders head coach Reggie Barlow said that although the team had first place locked up, they wanted to win to maintain momentum going into the postseason.

The Brahmas loss gave the Arlington Renegades the playoff berth in the South Division. With nothing on the line against the Houston Roughnecks, the Renegades fell, 25-9. With a rematch looming in the playoffs, neither team wanted to show much.

The Roughnecks scored another defensive touchdown, a 45-yard interception return by linebacker Tavante Beckett, their third defensive score in the last two weeks and league-leading fifth of the season.

Offensively, Jeremy Cox shouldered the load with 21 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown as starting quarterback Brandon Silvers took the afternoon off.

Top 5 Plays Week 10

South Division Championship

Arlington Renegades vs. Houston Roughnecks

Roughnecks are 6.5 point favorites - Over-Under is 41

Unless the Renegades have been hiding a lot on offense with new quarterback Luis Perez, it's difficult to see them being productive against a Roughnecks defense that leads the XFL with 35 sacks and has put constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks all season long. The defense is a big reason why Houston ended the regular season on a three-game winning streak.

With quarterbacks Silvers and Cole McDonald, the Roughnecks will be looking to re-establish the offensive tempo they enjoyed early in the year. They will also see if Cox can give the running game some much-needed life as he did last week.

Perez has proven to be an upgrade at quarterback, but unless Arlington can run the football successfully, a lot of pressure shifts to the passing game. The Renegades managed just 820 yards on the ground this season, second to last in the league, with a 3.3 yards-per-carry average, the worst average in the XFL.

The Roughnecks are 4-1 against the spread at home this season. Look for Houston to punch its ticket to the XFL Championship.

Predicted score: 26-12 Houston.

North Division Championship

Seattle Sea Dragons vs. D.C. Defenders

Defenders are a 3 point favorite - Over-Under is 48.5

The previous two matchups between these teams have been nail-biters which came down to the final moments. The Defenders took both matchups, at home in week one, 22-18, and at Seattle in week nine, 34-33.

Seattle will key on eliminating errors and turnovers. Sea Dragons quarterback Ben DiNucci is a gunslinger, for better or worse. His 2,671 passing yards topped the league, but so did his 13 interceptions. He also led Seattle with 305 yards rushing.

The Sea Dragons defense doesn't get a lot of attention, but it came up big against the Vipers to earn the fifth tiebreaker as the best scoring defense in the league. They have surrendered just 17.7 points per game and 276 yards per contest, second in the XFL.

The Defenders defense has been vulnerable down the stretch. In week seven it gave up 37 points to the Guardians, in week eight 33 to the Sea Dragons, in week nine 26 to the Renegades, and last week 28 points to the Brahmas. Over the course of the season, the Defenders have given up 24 points per game and a league-worst 341 yards per game

Still D.C. finished at 9-1, outscoring opponents thanks largely to quarterback Jordan Ta'amu and the league's top rushing attack. Ta'amu has been outstanding, rebounding sharply after last year with the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits. He threw for 18 touchdowns with just three interceptions. When he's not in the game, D'Eriq King provides a change of pace.

If it is anything like the previous matchups, this game could go down to the wire, possibly the final play.

Predicted score: 34-31 Seattle.

EXTRA POINTS

• Saturday's Orlando Guardians - St. Louis Battlehawks game on ESPN generated 636,000 viewers, while the following contest on ABC pitting the D.C. Defenders and San Antonio Brahmas drew 832,000 viewers, peaking at 1.2 million. On Sunday, the Houston Roughnecks - Arlington Renegades game on ESPN saw 403,000 viewers. Sunday night's Vegas Vipers - Seattle Sea Dragons battle on ESPN2 had 378,000 viewers.

• St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback A.J. McCarron, Houston Roughnecks linebacker Tavante Beckett, and D.C. Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta'amu were named the OurSports Central XFL Offensive Player, Defensive Player and Unsung Hero of the Week, respectively, for week ten of the XFL season.

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

• Home teams went 2-2 and finished 21-19 for the season.

• Former Arlington Renegades quarterback Kyle Sloter signed with the United States Football League's Birmingham Stallions.

• Seattle QB Ben DiNucci has 33 completions of 20+ yards, ranking first in the XFL. He also leads the league with eight 40+ yard throws. His teammate Jahcour Pearson tops the XFL with 670 receiving yards, 60 catches, and 32 first down catches.

• Officials at the Dome at America's Center in St. Louis have expressed interest in hosting the 2024 XFL Championship.

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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.