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The Battlehawks put together another come-from-behind win.
We are in Week two of then XFL, with the league continuing to make new fans by the day. This week the XFL treated fans to another come from behind victory, as well as the rest of the pack of teams beginning to iron themselves out.
St. Louis Battlehawks 20, Seattle Sea Dragons 18
The Cardiac BattleHawks do it again, staging another comeback victory to get to 2-0, beating the Sea Dragons in Seattle. The Battlehawks seem to be built to win in any way possible, with players that perform at their best at the most important times. QB AJ McCarron once again was the star, throwing for 184 yards but also running for 41 yards and a touchdown in the victory. His connection with WR Austin Proehl is really cool to see.
#XFL game breakdowns? XFL GAME BREAKDOWNS BABY!! The connection that Austin Proehl and AJ McCarron have built is very cool and was on display in the biggest play of the game last night pic.twitter.com/aSKb0z1rhP
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) February 24, 2023
For Seattle, this is their second loss that has come down to the final moments. Last week they couldn’t close out a victory over the DC Defenders, and this week the defense does them in. The offense should continue to be fine, as long as QB Ben DiNucci doesn’t turn the ball over. The defense relies heavily on blitzing, but when it doesn’t get there it leaves their DBs susceptible to big plays. Defensive coordinator Ron Zook has to find a way to temper those calls better.
DC Defenders 18, Vegas Vipers 6
The DC Defenders have proven to be as deep and talented a team as anyone else in the league, dismantling the Vegas Vipers in a heavy downpour. The Defenders are very well coached on both sides of the ball, and if they do reach a point where they’re struggling (the passing game has yet to click), they have the ultimate ace in the hole: QB D’Eriq King and the run game.
DC might have a QB problem on their hands, because with King in the game the offense moves with much more fluidity and explosiveness, essentially becoming a college spread team in the process. DC ran for 229 yards on 43 carries, a tidy 5.5 yards an attempt. That’ll play. The defense, led by Gregg Williams, also is in play for the best in the league, and they shut down what should be a more dynamic Vipers offense (we’ll come back to that).
As for Vegas, they shouldn’t be 0-2 based on their team on paper but here we are. The offense has talent, but they can never seem to get out of their own way with playcalling, constantly putting themselves behind the sticks.
San Antonio Brahmas 30, Orlando Guardians 12
This game was tightly contested for maybe like 30 minutes. The Brahmas continued to wear down the Guardians defense over time, and QB Jack Coan made a couple of spectacular throws off play action to help the Brahmas cruise to an easy victory.
San Antonio is a tough team to gauge. They seem to want to attack downfield off play action and heavy run game, but their offensive line remains suspect. Jack Coan is good in the play action game, but sometimes has moments of inefficiency. It’ll be interesting to see how this team develops as they play opponents of higher caliber.
As for the Guardians, I think this clip sums it up:
They’re the worst team in the league, and I’m not sure it’s close.
Houston Roughnecks 23, Arlington Renegades 14
The Roughnecks continue to impress, beating to the Renegades to stay undefeated. QB Brandon Silvers was once again efficient, throwing two TDs, while QB Cole McDonald provided some spark in the short yardage run game. However, this is a Wade Phillips team, and this team plays DEFENSE. The Roughnecks sacked Renegades QB Drew Plitt five times and picked him off twice, and the Renegades two scoring opportunities were built on special teams blunders. Houston is going to be a problem in the XFL.
The Renegades might be on the next tier below the top teams, and it’s because of the turnovers. They’re 2nd in the league in interceptions thrown, and the untimely turnovers could be what keep them from being in that top tier. Despite that, the offense still has its’ spurts of being fun and the skill talent has played well, so they’ll always be in a game.
Week 2 Power Rankings
DC Defenders
Houston Roughnecks
St. Louis Battlehawks
Arlington Renegades
Seattle Sea Dragons
San Antonio Brahmas
Vegas Vipers
Orlando Guardians
