XFL’s DC Defenders celebrate in their win over the Houston Roughnecks, Monday March 27, 2023. (Twitter)
The Houston Roughnecks made it difficult for the D.C. Defenders’ top XFL rushing attack to get going – constantly loading the box. But the Defenders answered with their best passing performance of the season in their 37-26 Monday night victory to remain undefeated.
In a clash between two top-conference squads, Jordan Ta’amu had 245 passing yards & two touchdowns. His main target Lucky Jackson led the charge with five receptions for 136 yards, including a 36-yard catch during the third quarter that set up for an Alex Ellis touchdown later in the drive. His touchdown came on just his second reception with D.C. since he joined the team in week four. Jackson also caught a 30-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, which extended D.C.’s lead to 34-14.
Meanwhile, a pick-six from Santos Ramirez capped off a 17-0 Defenders scoring run that sent them into the half with all the momentum. This momentum lasted D.C. through the third quarter, where they added a touchdown & field goal before an 85-yard touchdown from Deontay Burnett on a coverage breakdown. The score on Cole McDonald’s pass marked his first passing touchdown of the 2023 XFL season. From there, McDonald continued to take the snaps at quarterback for the Roughnecks over Brandon Silvers – who seemingly struggled under center during the game.
As the signal-caller, McDonald guided Houston on two more touchdown drives, but his efforts were too little, too late. Overall, he accounted for 194 passing yards on eight completions (11 attempts), along with 37 rushing yards. His top targets, Deontay Burnett & Travell Harris, totaled 122 & 60 receiving yards, respectively. But the absence of star receiver Jontre Kirklin was felt as they couldn’t keep up with the Defenders’ high-octane offense.
Ryquell Armstead returned following his brief hiatus due to injury for the Defenders and put up 26 yards on eight carries. His counterpart Abram Smith, who split snaps with Armstead 60-40, broke off a few nice rushes in his 95-yard performance. As I said, the Roughnecks did a good job defending the D.C. ground attack, much like the Defenders did with Houston, as they held star running back Max Borghi to just 25 yards.
Francis Bernard also returned for the Defenders following his two-week suspension & picked up right where he left off – racking up nine tackles, including two for loss from his middle linebacker position.
For Houston, edge rusher Tim Ward’s absence put them at a disadvantage, as the Defenders’ offensive line was able to limit the Roughnecks’ pass rush – holding it to just one sack. Ward & Trent Harris have been lethal off the edge for the Roughnecks this season, with Ward second league-wide with five sacks & Harris in first with six.
The undiscipline from the Roughnecks didn’t help their case, as they committed 12 penalties compared to the Defenders’ three. Early in the second half, defensive lineman Jack Heflin got ejected due to a late hit. Later in the same quarter, cornerback Ajene Harris received an unsportsmanlike penalty due to intentionally squirting water on a ref in an ill-thought gesture of emotion. The penalty moved the D.C. offense 15 yards into the red zone, but the Roughnecks held it to just a field goal.
The Defenders proved their ability to be two-dimensional offensively in their high-scoring affair that yielded a win. The contest certainly had championship energy between the quality on-field product & electric atmosphere at Audi Field.
Next week, the Defenders will travel to Orlando to take on the 0-6 Guardians, while the Roughnecks will face off against the St. Louis Battlehawks at TDECU Stadium.
