The Houston Roughnecks 3 game losing streak has finally come to an end. And it was in the most dramatic way possible. It what was a crazy Week 8 in the XFL, the Houston Roughnecks became the first team to clinch a playoff spot, punching their ticket to the South Division Championship. With 2 games left to go, we will see if Houston can secure that game to be at home, and we will see if it will be against the Brahmas or the Renegades. It was not a pretty win, far from it, but a win is a win, and when you’re on a 3 game losing streak, you will take any win however you can get it. It was the second OT game in XFL history, with the Roughnecks winning the shootout 1-0.
Let’s start with the offense. It is still not what it was before Jontre Kirklin went down for the season, but they did get in the end zone twice this game, so that was definitely promising. Brandon Silvers was back after missing last week with an injury, and he was decent, but still not what he was in the first 4 weeks of the season. His stat line of 17/36 for 146 yds, 2 TDs and 2 INTs, is not something that is going to be good enough to win a Championship, let alone a playoff game. With quarterbacks like Jordan Ta’amu, Ben DiNucci, and A.J. McCarron waiting on the other side, Silvers is going to have to dig down deep and find that dawg again, because he has been an average to below average quarterback these last 4 weeks. As for the rest of the offense, it’s been pretty middling. Their running game is pretty much non existent, their receivers aren’t really helping Silvers any, and the offensive line has been decent, but will give up big time sacks. A.J. Smith is going to have to get creative with this offense if they are going to have a chance.
The defense was the standout in this game. The Roughnecks sack machine was back in full force. They had 6 total sacks in this game, with Jack Heflin, Trent Harris, C.J. Brewer, William Likely, Chauncey Rivers, and Glen Logan all pitching in. Trevon Mason and William Likely also pitched in with a couple of INTs, and they only allowed 1 TD all game long. They didn’t allow San Antonio to score at all in the OT shootout, and pressured Jack Coan all day long. If the defense can keep this trajectory, they will be back to being an elite defense in this league.
The Houston Roughnecks have clinched a playoff spot, but they still have a lot of work to do if they want to make any noise in the playoffs. The Defenders, Battlehawks, and Sea Dragons are all elite, and if I had to pick the Roughnecks against any of them right now, I ain’t picking Houston 9 times out of 10. But if Houston can even resemble the team that they were in the beginning of the season, with this defense, they do have a shot.
