Category Archive c3

In many ways, the XFL’s third weekend was a who’s who game as the league’s regular season moved past the quarter pole. While the outcomes were somewhat predictable (we went a perfect 4-0 in our Week 3 picks), last week’s results reinforced which teams are contenders versus pretenders.

Only two teams remain undefeated through three weeks: the D.C. Defenders and the Houston Roughnecks. The Defenders were No. 1 in each of our previous Power Rankings, while the Roughnecks started in the middle of the pack before quickly moving up into the No. 2 spot. Both teams justified their spots in our Power Rankings by again taking care of business this past weekend.

Did Houston do enough to surpass D.C.? We have that answer and the rest of our updated Power Rankings below ahead of the XFL’s fourth weekend.

1. D.C. Defenders (3-0)
   Last week: No. 1
   After two wins in low-scoring games, the Defenders proved last weekend they can win a shootout. D.C. posted a 34-28 win over a BattleHawks team that came into the game with an unblemished mark. As has been the case all year, the Defenders’ defense played an integral role in the game by forcing four turnovers that included Michael Turner’s pick-six of St. Louis quarterback A.J. McCarron.

On offense, the Defenders continued to roll on the ground with 136 yards and a touchdown. But the really encouraging part of this game for D.C. was the play of quarterback Jordan Ta’amu, who enjoyed his best game to date after throwing for 196 yards and a touchdown.

2. Houston Roughnecks (3-0)
   Last week: No. 2
   Houston appeared on its way to taking the No. 1 spot after playing a near-perfect first half last Sunday night against San Antonio. The Roughnecks led 22-7 at halftime after receiving a brilliant first half from quarterback Brandon Silvers, who completed 15 of his first 20 pass attempts for 225 yards and three touchdowns.

It was a different story in the second half, however, as Houston was outscored 6-0 in an eventual 22-13 win. The Roughnecks’ defense came up with several big stops, but their offense came up empty with two drives that ended in punts, two on missed fourth-down attempts and another via an interception.

Along with Silvers and Jontre Kirklin’s two touchdown catches, one positive regarding Houston’s offense on Sunday was running back Max Borghi, whose 74 yards on 15 carries helped Houston win time of possession while running 20 more plays than the Brahmas.

3. St. Louis BattleHawks (2-1)
   Last week: No. 3
   St. Louis’ first loss was impressive in the fact that the BattleHawks stood toe-to-toe with arguably the league’s best team. You could argue that St. Louis was the better team on Sunday but cost itself a win by committing four turnovers that led to nine D.C. points. Conversely, St. Louis converted just one of its three forced turnovers into points.

Interceptions aside, McCarron otherwise had a solid game after throwing for a season-high 262 yards and four touchdowns. McCarron’s top target, Hakeem Butler, pulled down nine passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. St. Louis struggled to run the ball, however, picking up just 56 yards on 17 carries.

4. Arlington Renegades (2-1)
   Last week: No. 5
   Bob Stoops’ team continues to occupy the middle of our Power Rankings after being No. 2 in our preseason rankings. The Renegades jumped up one spot this week after winning an ugly game against the league’s worst team. But a win is a win, and by beating Orlando, the Renegades are one of four XFL teams with a winning record.

Kyle Sloter was highly efficient in his first game for Arlington. The former NFL journeyman quarterback went 18 of 23 for 124 yards and a touchdown. He also didn’t turn the ball over while his defense forced a pair of turnovers in Arlington’s 10-9 win.

5. Seattle Sea Dragons (1-2)
   Last week: No. 6
   Seattle was finally on the right side of a close score in Week 3. The Sea Dragons won a high scoring, highly entertaining game against Vegas after Ben DiNucci hit Josh Gordon for a 65-yard, game-winning score. DiNucci led two scoring drives late in the game as the Sea Dragons got their first win of the season.

DiNucci put it all together last week after showing flashes during the season’s first two weeks. He went 29 of 37 for 377 yards and four touchdowns and one pick. He received a breakout game from Gordon (who caught six passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns) and running back Morgan Ellison, who ran for 103 yards on 17 carries.

6. San Antonio Brahmas (1-2)
   Last week: No. 4
   The Brahmas outplayed the Roughriders in the second half, but they were unable to make enough big plays on the offensive side of the ball while not taking advantage of a herculean effort by their defense. A week after throwing three touchdowns, Brahmas quarterback Jack Coan threw for just 64 yards against Houston’s stout defense. San Antonio’s running game didn’t fare much better as the trio of Coan, Kalen Ballage and Jack Coan combined to average just 3.6 yards per carry.

Through three games, it’s clear that San Antonio has one of the league’s better defenses. But the Brahmas won’t be among the league’s elite until they get more consistent play from their offense.

7. Las Vegas Vipers (0-3)
   Last week: No. 7
   Vegas had its best game of the season to date in a losing effort against Seattle. Brett Hundley made a big step forward as he threw two touchdowns while picking up 66 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Hundley connected on several big plays that included a 56-yard throw to Jeff Badet and a 50-yard scoring strike to John Lovett.

Surprisingly, it was the Vipers’ defense that dropped the ball against the Sea Dragons. It’ll be interesting to see if this game was a mulligan or the start of a bad trend for Rod Woodson’s defense.

8. Orlando Guardians (0-3)
   Last week: No. 8
   They’re still the league’s worst team, but the Guardians showed growth while playing a competitive game against Arlington. Orlando’s defense played winning football, while the offense received a solid game by Paxton Lynch, who ran for a score while throwing for 219 yards and not turning the ball over.

Pass protection continues to be a major issue for Orlando. Lynch was sacked four times against Arlington and was pressured several other times.

Week 3 of the XFL was pretty fun. We started off hot on Saturday night, as Josh Gordon caught a game-winning, 65-yard catch with under one minute remaining to get the Seattle Sea Dragons into the win column for the first time this year. The 30-26 win over the Vegas Vipers was the highest-scoring XFL game of the year — that is, until the St. Louis Battlehawks and D.C. Defenders took the field the very next day.

The Defenders remained undefeated with a 34-28 win over the Battlehawks, where things got testy late. After that matchup, the Arlington Renegades struggled with the Orlando Guardians before eventually pulling out a 10-9 win, and then the Houston Roughnecks built on their argument for best team in the league with a 22-13 win over the San Antonio Brahmas. It was a solid week.

As for our gambling picks, we went 3-1 ATS and 4-0 SU. Personally, I am of course playing spreads in the XFL, but moneyline parlays have worked out beautifully too.

ATS record: 8-4
Straight up record: 9-3
XFL Favorites ATS: 7-5

All odds are via Caesars Sportsbook

Arlington Renegades at St. Louis Battlehawks (-4)
Sunday, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN 2) | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)

As we discussed earlier in this piece, the Renegades struggled with the winless Guardians. I believe that says more about Arlington. If you’ve followed along with my picks this year, you know I’m very hesitant to pick the Battlehawks. A.J. McCarron has been up and down, but they’ve pulled off some close wins. With the game being in St. Louis, I actually think this line may be too low. I’ll lay four points against a team I’m starting to question.

The pick: Battlehawks -4
Projected score: Battlehawks 25-15

Vegas Vipers at D.C. Defenders (-6)
Sunday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN 2) | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)

Audi Field is going to be rocking. If you are unaware, the Defenders have the best home-field advantage in the XFL, and it doesn’t matter that this game will be played on a Sunday night. You will still see plenty of shirtless grown men attempting to build the world’s largest beer snake with zero regard for work in the morning. And that’s why we love the XFL.

Gregg Williams’ unit is aggressive, but Brett Hundley is definitely an upgrade at quarterback over Luis Perez. Six points is a good amount, but I don’t want to bet against D.C. at home. The Defenders defeated the Vipers in Vegas by 12 points just a couple weeks ago, and are 3-0 ATS.

The pick: Defenders -6
Projected score: Defenders 23-16

Saturday’s picks:
Roughnecks over Guardians (Result: Roughnecks won)
Sea Dragons over Brahmas (Result: Sea Dragons won)

The XFL is halfway through Week 4 as the league’s regular season is approaching the midway point. Only two teams remain undefeated entering the weekend. The D.C. Defenders enter the week at 3-0 behind a stout running game, talented receiving corps and a solid defense. The Houston Roughnecks and their top-flight defense improved to 4-0 on Saturday night. Houston also has arguably the XFL’s best receiving corps that is only rivaled by the group in St. Louis.

Here’s a complete look at this weekend’s games along with our predictions for each contest.

Arlington Renegades (2-1) at St. Louis BattleHawks (2-1)
Date: Sunday, March 12 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: The Dome at America’s Center (St. Louis, Missouri)
TV: ESPN2 | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)

Another game that should go down to the wire. Arlington is coming off a 10-9 win over Orlando, while St. Louis is hoping to bounce back after losing a 34-28 decision last weekend to the Defenders. The BattleHawks will finally get a chance to play in front of their home fans after spending the first three weeks on the road.

Prediction: BattleHawks over Renegades

Vegas Vipers (0-3) at D.C. Defenders (3-0)
Date: Sunday, March 12 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)
TV: ESPN2 | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)

The Defenders won a shootout last week after winning moderately low-scoring games the season’s first two weeks. Vegas, who has struggled on offense all year, will have to stop the Defenders’ formidable running game while giving their offense favorable situations in order to have a shot at pulling off an upset.

There was a whole lot to keep track of in the NFL this week, so you’re excused if you didn’t keep an eye on everything that went down in the XFL as it reached the midway point the regular season. We’ve got you covered if you missed anything, as Week 5 saw some of the most interesting outcomes of the season.

The week began with a stunner Thursday night as the Houston Roughnecks suffered their first loss in two XFL reboots. Then on Saturday, the D.C. Defenders showed they’re the team to beat by going 5-0 in a win over the St. Louis BattleHawks — behind an unreal performance by D.C. running back Abram Smith. In the other Saturday game, the Vegas Vipers and Orlando Guardians got in a shootout (67 total points) to see which would be left as the league’s only winless team.

Here’s a look at the scores, followed by takeaways below.

Thursday
Seattle Sea Dragons 21, Houston Roughnecks 14

Saturday
D.C. Defenders 28, St. Louis BattleHawks 20
Vegas Vipers 35, Orlando Guardians 32

Sunday
Orlando Renegades 12, San Antonio Brahmas 10

Saturday’s games
Defenders 5-0 as Abram Smith runs wild in St. Louis
If there’s any question that St. Louis misses pro football, it broke the XFL attendance record for the second straight week as 35,868 were at The Dome at America’s Center to watch the BattleHawks. The home team kept it close, as A.J. McCarron’s 50-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter made it a one-score game.

However, the star of the day was D.C. Defenders running back Abram Smith, who ran for three touchdowns — including a 62-yarder in the second quarter and a 70-yarder in the fourth quarter — finishing with 217 yards rushing.

Abram Smith is on fire tonight 🔥

He has 164 rushing yards on 12 attempts, with 3 TDs.

pic.twitter.com/jFrlNotHqA

— XFL Stats (@XFL_Stats) March 19, 2023
Despite Smith’s effort’s, St. Louis had a chance to tie it late after McCarron completed two short passes following his 50-yarder. But the BattleHawks’ comeback attempt was squashed when Defenders defensive back Michael Joseph picked off McCarron — Joseph’s fourth interception of the season.

D.C. sits alone atop the league at 5-0, but will host arguably the XFL’s second best team next week in the Houston Roughnecks.

Winless teams collide, Vipers earn victory
No matter what happened in this one there could be only one winless team left sitting, as the XFL’s two 0-4 squads were in a battle of the resistible force vs. the movable object. There were plenty of points scored, 67 in all, but ultimately it came down to the final ticks after Orlando cut the Vegas lead to three with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

Orlando QB Quintin Dormandy hit Cody Latimer for a 45-yard TD, but the Guardians couldn’t convert on the extra point. They attempted to convert on 4th-and-15 rather than go for an onside kick, but the Vegas defense held. It wasn’t quite over, but even after getting the ball back, Orlando couldn’t do anything with it.

Dormandy had come in for Paxton Lynch who, other than an impressive opening drive, continued to struggle. Lynch was benched in each of Orlando’s first two games.

Thursday’s game
Roughnecks suffer first loss in 10 XFL games
Through two XFL reboots — first in 2020 and again in 2023 — the Houston Roughnecks had not lost a single game no matter who was wearing their uniform. That streak finally ended on Thursday night at the hands of the Seattle Sea Dragons, but not before a wild ending.

The Roughnecks had scored the most points in the XFL entering the Week 5 matchup, but the Sea Dragons held them scoreless through three quarters in Seattle, thanks in part to two blocked punts, the first leading to the game’s first touchdown.

In fact, the Sea Dragons led 21-6 with a little under two minutes left in the game — it could’ve been worse had Seattle quarterback Ben DiNucci not been picked off in the end zone twice — but that’s when things went off the rails.

Roughnecks quarterback Brandon Silvers hit Justin Smith for a 47-yard touchdown with 24 seconds left, and a two-point conversion made it 21-14. In the XFL, rules allow teams to try to convert a 4th-and-15 to retain possession, rather than attempt an onside kick, and Houston did just that, as Deontay Burnett caught a 17-yard pass to keep the Roughnecks’ hopes alive.

And they had a chance. A pass interference penalty put the ball on the Sea Dragons’ 27-yard line for one final play. But a Seattle hit on Silvers caused the ball to float and get picked off by the Sea Dragons’ Niko Lalos:

WILD FINISH IN SEATTLE. The @XFL2023 after dark is crazy!

Niko Lalos with the game winning turnover, on the forced fumble by Elijah Ponder for the @XFLSeaDragons. What a game. #XFL pic.twitter.com/oiR3NB1L0Y

— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) March 17, 2023
The Roughnecks had started 5-0 in the 2020 version of the XFL before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and had started 4-0 this season. Houston’s loss leaves the D.C. Defenders as the league’s last remaining unbeaten. The Sea Dragons improved to 3-2 on the season (you can check out the standings here, along with all the scores and 2023 season schedule).