Guardians 37, Defenders 36: The biggest upset in XFL history was also one of its most entertaining games. Several lead changes, momentum shifts, and plenty of offense.
Battlehawks 24, Roughnecks 15: Two teams seemingly going in different directions. Houston needs to get Brandon Silvers healthy for the stretch run.
Sea Dragons 24, Renegades 15: Arlington’s defense showed some cracks, which doesn’t bode well if their offense can’t catch up. Looks like it’ll be Luis Perez’s turn this week.
Vipers 26, Brahmas 12: The surprise switch to Jalan McClendon at QB for Vegas may be Rod Woodson’s best decision this year as head coach. It would appear too little, too late for the Vipers, however.
And then there were none
By virtue of Orlando’s win over DC on Saturday, the XFL no longer has an undefeated team or a winless team (1972 Miami Dolphins, feel free to pop that bottle of champagne!). DC drops to 6-1, still a game up in the XFL North. Orlando, somehow, is still alive for a playoff spot in the XFL South and has more momentum than the two teams ahead of them for second place, Arlington and San Antonio. The upset certainly tightens the playoff races in both divisions, which should theoretically help interest in the local markets as well as television viewership.
All-Access Moment of the Week, Part One
XFL VP of Officiating Dean Blandino has taken it on the chin from just about every head coach in the league via the all-access pass fans get when watching the television broadcasts. Even when plays are challenged and Blandino walks fans at home through his decision-making, coaches, in the heat of the moment at least, are just as adamant that Blandino is wrong, and they’re not afraid to express it. On Sunday, it was Anthony Becht questioning Blandino during the game. “Unfortunately, Dean’s got a degree in officiating and we don’t,” he told one of his coaches over the headset after Becht made an unsuccessful challenge. Expect Blandino to continue to be a convenient punching bag as games take on added importance in the final weeks.
Welcome to the Jalan McClendon Show
Trading QB Luis Perez was a curious enough move for the 1-5 Vegas Vipers; handing the reigns to Jalan McClendon, who had been third-string at the position all year, over veteran Brett Hundley seemed like the Vipers waiving the white flag on the season. Not so fast, my friend: McClendon starred in Vegas’s second win of the season on Saturday, a 26-12 romp over San Antonio. McClendon finished 21-of-31 passing for 264 yards, two touchdowns and importantly, no turnovers. He also ran for 25 yards. Most impressively, he did his damage against the number one scoring defense in the league. McClendon will look to show he’s no flash in the pan when he takes on a St. Louis team that will be fighting for its playoff life this weekend.
Bucking the trend
More than any other aspect of his team’s struggles this year, the one that has seemed to stick in Orlando Head Coach Terrell Buckley’s craw has been the penalties. The Guardians are the most penalized team in the XFL and over the first half of the season, they simply weren’t good enough to overcome those shortcomings. In their win over DC, however, the roles were reversed: Orlando committed just six penalties, their fewest since week one and less than half of their previous week’s total. By contrast, the Defenders were flagged an uncharacteristic nine times, their most of the season, four of which resulted in Orlando first downs. There are many reasons why the Guardians were able to pull off the upset; their improved focus, exemplified by lack of penalties, is one of them.
— St. Louis Battlehawks (@XFLBattlehawks) March 29, 2023
Practice makes perfect
During the week leading up to St. Louis’s game against Houston, a video of kicker Donny Hageman hitting a 56-yard field goal at practice was posted on the team’s Twitter account. Hageman chimed in, writing that if his response received 50 retweets, he’d try from 70 yards out. After 111 retweets, Hageman tweeted a video of him hitting from 65 (he noted that 70 was out due to some light rain). As it turned out, this bit of mid-week social media fun was prescient: On Sunday, Hageman set an XFL record by connecting on a 59-yard field goal. Perhaps it was those kicks that gave Head Coach Anthony Becht the confidence to send Hageman out in that situation.
All-Access Moment of the Week, Part Two
With starting running back Morgan Ellison still sidelined, the Seattle Sea Dragons were lacking a strong running game heading into their Friday night encounter with the Arlington Renegades. Quarterback Ben DiNucci, however, has proven to be a more adept runner than people may have realized. He ended up leading the team in rushing on Friday night, totaling 52 yards for a 5.8 yard per carry average. That led to DiNucci jokingly telling his wide receivers on the sidelines during the first half, “I really might be faster than all you guys. I really might be.”
