D’Eriq King takes it to the house for the DC Defenders, Saturday February 25, 2023. (Twitter)
Going into last night’s game against the Vegas Vipers, the D.C. Defenders had historically been outscored 64-9 on the road, with an overall 0-2 record. Down 6-0 at the half, it looked like their losing ways on the road would continue, with the Jordan Ta’amu-led offense showing little-to-no signs of life.
Well, that’s not exactly what occurred.
In the pouring Las Vegas rain, with kickers slipping and balls getting dropped left and right, the Defenders put up 18 unanswered against the Vipers in their Week 2 rout.
The Defenders ground game really picked up from last week and was vital in their offense’s second-half revival. The entrance of D.C. QB D’Eriq King after Ta’amu’s benching gave the Defenders flexibility in terms of running the ball, and with King under center, D.C. banked on the option game, which kept the Vipers defense on its toes. King, the hero in this story, had 32 rushing yards, including a touchdown and the two-point conversion that put the Defenders in the lead early in the fourth quarter. He did not throw a single pass amid the poor conditions.
Defenders RB Abram Smith rushed for 71 yards on 11 carries and scored the game-sealing touchdown, while former Jacksonville Jaguar Ryquell Armstead finished with 58 rushing yards. All in all, the Defenders tallied 229 yards on the ground. The number comes as a step up from last week’s 84 rushing yards against the Seattle Sea Dragons.
All game, the Defenders defense looked stout, with the only points allowed coming on a short-field opportunity via a fumble recovery at the D.C. 15-yard line. It would be Vipers RB DeAndre Torrey on the two-yard rush for six.
Vipers QB Luis Perez struggled early on before being relieved by former Green Bay Packers QB Brett Hundley, who really couldn’t bring much more to the table. Overall he threw for just 98 passing yards and scrambled for 24.
D.C’s secondary did an excellent job keeping recognizable receivers like Martavis Bryant and Geronimo Allison receptionless throughout the game. Vegas WR Jeff Badet, who ended last week’s game with 81 receiving yards and two touchdowns, had just six yards yesterday.
The Vegas rushing attack also struggled. Excluding a Rod Smith 27-yard rush to no real avail in the second quarter, the Vipers running back core averaged only 3.1 yards on each of their 20 carries.
Defenders OLB Reggie Northrup had an impressive five total tackles, including a tackle for loss and sack in the fourth quarter.
A 47-yard field goal from Defenders K Matthew McCrane on the team’s first drive of the second half got D.C. on the board and made it 6-3. Meanwhile, Vipers K Bailey Griffen missed two field goals, including this botched chip shot:
Though D.C. still won, it’s worth noting that they fumbled three times throughout the game, while Vegas’ lone fumble from Brett Hundley set up the game-sealing Smith touchdown I mentioned earlier. No doubt the rain was a factor in the quantity of fumbles.
What’s next
Both teams travel back to the XFL Hub in Arlington, Texas where their respective practice facilities are located.
Though still early, the Defenders 18-6 win keeps them undefeated at 2-0, while the Vipers home loss drops them to 0-2 on the young season. Both teams have some tough decisions to make regarding who will be their starting quarterback going forward.
