The D.C. Defenders defeated the Arlington Renegades 28-26 in front of a soldout Audi Field for the Defenders’ final regular season home game. The overtime win gave D.C. their eighth win of the season and secured them the top seed in the XFL North with one week remaining in the regular season.
Midway through the third quarter, former Washington Commanders safety D.J. Swearinger took a pick-six to the house for 62 yards in a sequence that had Audi Field in a frenzy and extended D.C.’s already substantial lead to 26-9. Swearinger, in just his second game with the Defenders, has already made an impact and found his role in a D.C. secondary hindered by injuries.
Leading by 17 points in the second half, it may’ve seemed to Defenders fans that their team had a win all but secured. But the Renegades didn’t go away without a fight, as they forced overtime behind two interceptions by Joe Powell and Colin Schooler, respectively. Both of these culminated in one-yard rushing touchdowns from De’Veon Smith, eventually making the score 26-23.
From there, a converted 4th & 15 “onside kick alternative” and 1:15, 66-yard drive by the Renegades allowed Taylor Russolino to tie it with a field goal. During the drive, a defensive holding penalty on Santos Ramirez on 4th & 4 proved costly for D.C. just four plays before the game-tying score.
Ultimately, the Defenders won in overtime thanks to three defensive stops and the difference-making two-point conversion from Josh Hammond. All-in-all, Hammond, the leading receiver for D.C. in this one, finished with five receptions and 74 yards.
On the next play, which turned out to be the last play due to its result, Davin Bellamy swatted Luis Perez’s pass at the line, securing the Defenders’ win. Bellamy and the Defenders’ front seven were problems for Perez & Co. throughout, accounting for two sacks and countless pressures, one of which resulted in an underthrow from Perez and Swearinger’s interception.
The Defenders came out of the gates firing in tempo after holding Arlington to just a field goal on its first drive, thanks to a tremendous goal-line stand. Their first offensive drive culminated in a 9-yard receiving touchdown from Hammond after just five plays.
Brandon Smith, another midseason acquisition for D.C, had two receptions for 57 yards, including an impressive 37-yard toe-drag grab that set up for one of Lucky Jackson’s two touchdowns during the second quarter. On the next offensive drive, Jackson had a six-yard receiving touchdown on backup quarterback D’Eriq King’s pass.
Speaking of quarterbacks, regardless of the loss, quarterback Luis Perez had the game of his life with a season-high 335 passing yards on 31 completed passes, including all the clutch drives mentioned above. His only touchdown came amidst the second quarter on a 25-yard pass to Caleb Vander Esch.
Former Clemson/Missouri quarterback Kelly Bryant also made his XFL debut and seemingly did his job, racking up 24 yards on his only carry of the game. The mobile Bryant was used on a handful of occasions throughout the game to keep the D.C. defense honest.
The Renegades continually loaded the box to stop XFL-leading rusher Abram Smith, who ran for a season-low 27 yards during the game. Conversely, opposing running back De’Veon Smith ran hard for 43 yards on 12 carries. His counterpart Leddie Brown tallied 100 yards on the dot, including 69 through the air.
After seemingly missing in action last week, tight end Sal Cannella bounced back big time with a seven-reception, 92-yard performance for Arlington – the most by any pass-catcher in the contest.
What’s next?
The win secures D.C. the top seed in the XFL North, meaning they’ll get to host the divisional championship two weeks from now against the winner of Seattle/St. Louis — which is ongoing. Meanwhile, the Renegades will be fighting for their playoff lives next week against Houston, after today’s heartbreaking loss.
