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Inside the XFL

by Fran Stuchbury
Published on May 4, 2023 under XFL (XFL)


This past weekend the XFL held its Division Championship games to decide who will compete for the league's title game. The Arlington Renegades posted a shocking upset in the South Division Championship, defeating the Houston Roughnecks 26-11, while the D.C. Defenders took the North Division Championship with a 37-21 victory over the Seattle Sea Dragons.

After sneaking into the playoffs at 4-6, the offensively-challenged Renegades looked reborn against Houston with three offensive touchdowns after not scoring more than two in any game the entire year. They averaged only 13 points per game this season, but put up 23 points in the first half.

The Roughnecks defeated the Renegades in their two previous matchups 23-14 in week two and 25-9 last week.

"We caught lightning in a bottle here, and maybe third times the charm," said Arlington Renegades head coach Bob Stoops. "We played really well today to give ourselves a chance to win. We hurt ourselves in so many games, and we didn't do that today. We didn't have one offensive turnover."

Renegades quarterback Luis Perez was outstanding, completing 19 of 27 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns. JaVonta Parker, who caught five throws for 121 yards and two scores, hauled in a 59-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

The Roughnecks could not get anything going offensively in their lowest points total of the season, thanks to a Renegades defense which had three sacks and one interception.

Houston managed only 104 yards passing and 132 yards rushing. They benched starting quarterback Brandon Silvers early in the game because they wanted to utilize Cole McDonald's running threat. McDonald ran for 47 yards but completed just nine of 25 passes.

"It wasn't the outcome we wanted obviously," said Houston Roughnecks head coach Wade Phillips. "I told our players it's hard to beat a team three times in one season. Congratulations to Bob Stoops, and their team; they really played well. Luis Perez helped them at the end of the year; that really changed the makeup of their team."

Chairwoman and Owner Dany Garcia presented the Arlington Renegades with the South Division Championship Trophy:

In the North Division playoff game, the D.C. Defenders controlled the ball after the break and pulled away in the second half after a 9-9 halftime tie.

"Our coaches did an amazing job preparing these guys all week," said Defenders head coach Reggie Barlow. "We went out there and performed well. Of course we have a lot of respect for Seattle Head Coach Jim Haslett and his players. They stayed in the fight, but we were able to stay in there a little bit longer. I am extremely proud of our players. It's a good win for us."

Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta'Amu shrugged off a pair of tipped, first-half interceptions to complete 19 of 31 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns.

"I knew this would be a good opportunity for me to get back into the XFL, and I always wanted another opportunity to start somewhere," said Ta'Amu. "I have enjoyed every second from training camp until now."

His 26-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ethan Wolf in the third quarter gave D.C. a two-score cushion.

The Defenders put up at least 30 points six times this season, best in the league.

With Seattle keying on Abram Smith, D.C. finished with 82 rushing yards on 32 attempts, while the Sea Dragons ended the day with just two planned running plays, both in the waning moments of the first half to exhaust the clock. The team's other three runs came on Ben DiNucci scrambles.

Sea Dragons Head Coach Jim Haslett defended the pass-only strategy, saying, "No, we came in going five wide; just throw it and make them show us what they were going do, whether it was three man rush or five man rush or blitz and play cover two."

The commitment to the run and Seattle penalties ensured the Defenders enjoyed a decided time of possession advantage.

The Sea Dragons were a disciplined team in the regular season, averaging five penalties per game. Against D.C. they committed 13 penalties for 125 yards.

"We were on the field too long on defense, so the offense didn't have that many opportunities to score," Haslett added. "We moved the ball not as much as we liked and didn't have the opportunities."

DiNucci completed 31 of 48 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns and was hurt by several drops.

"We lost the game. It happens; someone has to win, someone has to lose," said DiNuicci. "There were a lot of positives to take from it. This is the most fun I had playing football in probably ten years."

With the Seattle running game sidelined, Defenders defensive coordinator Gregg Williams dialed up the pressure, sacking DiNucci three times.

Williams coached the game with a heavy heart after losing his father-in-law, longtime MLB player and broadcaster Mike Shannon, Saturday at the age 83.

Chairwoman and Owner Dany Garcia presented D.C. Defenders Head Coach Reggie Barlow with the North Division Championship Trophy:

The XFL Championship will be played in San Antonio, Texas at the Alamodome on Saturday, May 13th, giving both teams extra time to prepare for the game.

Top 5 Plays from the XFL Division Championship Games:

EXTRA POINTS

  • Saturday's South Division Championship pitting the Arlington Renegades vs. the Houston Roughnecks on ESPN drew 675,000 viewers and peaked at 931,000 viewers. Sunday's North Division Championship featuring the Seattle Sea Dragons against the D.C. Defenders on ESPN wrapped with 478,000 viewers.

  • Arlington Renegades quarterback Luis Perez, Renegades linebacker Donald Payne, and D.C. Defenders running back Cam'Ron Harris were named the OurSports Central XFL Offensive Player, Defensive Player and Unsung Hero of the Week, respectively, for the XFL Division Championship games.

  • D.C. Defenders head coach Reggie Barlow has been named the 2023 XFL Coach of the Year. Barlow's Defenders won the XFL North Division Championship and boasted a 9-1 regular-season record.

  • St. Louis Battlehawks wide receiver/kick returner Darrius Shepherd has been named the 2023 XFL Special Teams Player of the Year. Shepherd racked up 907 yards in kick returns to lead the XFL during the 2023 regular season. He ranked No. 2 in the league in kick return average (min. 10 returns) with a 24.8-yard average. Shepherd recorded three games with more than 132 kick return yards, including an XFL-best 190 in Week 3 vs. the D.C. Defenders. Shepherd's 80-yard return to open the second half against D.C. was the second-longest kick return of the season.

  • Teams went two-of-two on one-point conversion attempts from the two-yard line, three-of-eight on two-point conversions from the five-yard line, and zero-of-one on three-point conversions from the 10-yard line in the playoff round.

  • Home teams went 1-1 last week, after going 21-19 in the regular season.

  • The Denver Broncos invited Houston Roughnecks defensive end Trent Harris to their rookie minicamp. Harris led the XFL with 9.5 sacks in nine games for the Roughnecks.

  • The Broncos also invited Brahmas running back Jacques Patrick to their rookie minicamp. Patrick ranked second in the XFL this year with 443 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

  • The Broncos made it a trifecta of XFL invites on Wednesday by asking Seattle quarterback Ben DiNucci to attend their camp.

  • The Seattle Seahawks and New York Jets invited San Antonio Brahmas quarterback Jack Coan to their rookie minicamps.

  • The New York Jets invited St. Louis Battlehawks running Mateo Durant to rookie minicamp as well.

  • The Detroit Lions have invited San Antonio Brahmas kicker John Parker Romo to their minicamp. He connected on 17 of 19 field goal attempts this season, including a 57-yarder.

  • The Miami Dolphins invited Battlehawks defensive end Freedom Akinmoladun to their rookie minicamp.

  • The Pittsburgh Steelers have invited San Antonio Brahmas offensive tackle Chidi Okeke to participate in their three-day rookie camp next weekend. They also invited Battlehawks wide receiver Hakeem Butler to their camp.

  • The Philadelphia Eagles signed Orlando Guardians wide receiver Charleston Rambo to their camp.

  • The Seattle Seahawks signed defensive lineman Austin Faoliu to their camp.

  • The Atlanta Falcons invited Battlehawks defensive back Lukas Denis and defensive line Kevin Atkins to their camp.

  • The Tampa Bay Buccaneers invited Roughnecks defensive lineman C.J. Brewer to their camp.

  • The Cleveland Browns invited Brahmas defensive back Luq Barcoo to their camp.


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