In a game where McCarron could’ve solidified his MVP status, he instead had one of his worst games of the season. Against Seattle, he threw one-third of his total interceptions on the year. Seattle’s defense kept him off-balance all game and he was sacked an uncharacteristic four times. He didn’t look fully recovered from the shoulder injury that kept him out in week eight. Worst of all, the Battlehawks went from being in the driver’s seat for the second playoff spot in the XFL North to potentially losing out on the spot based on tiebreakers, pending week ten’s results. To pour salt into the wound, McCarron was going up against another MVP candidate in Ben DiNucci, who gained a lot of ground with his performance. I still give McCarron the edge based on his completion percentage and TD/INT ratio, but it’s tenuous at this point. The team that gets in the playoffs from the North may tilt the balance of the MVP race.
DiNucci jumped two spots thanks to the convincing win he engineered over XFL North rival St. Louis. He outperformed McCarron at the QB spot, even with his now-weekly end zone interception. DiNucci will end the regular season as the league’s leader in passing yards (he’s more than 600 ahead of McCarron in second). Seattle gets Vegas in week ten as they attempt to leap St. Louis to nab the final playoff spot. The playoff scenarios get wonky, but even with a St. Louis loss, Seattle still needs to win to get in so DiNucci is not at risk of being rested (The Battlehawks play Saturday, the Sea Dragons Sunday). The Vipers’ defense is not their strength, so if DiNucci can both pad his stats and get the Sea Dragons into the playoffs, he could very well be number one on this list one week from now. It’s that close.
It took overtime for DC to put away Arlington last weekend, and it was Ta’amu’s connection to WR Josh Hammond in extra time that got it done. Despite his modest counting numbers, Ta’amu averaged 9.4 yards per attempt, which is exceptional. His 14 completions went to nine different receivers, showing an ability to spread the ball around that will make it difficult for defenses to key in on one player. The Defenders draw the Brahmas for a week ten date. Given San Antonio’s desperation to make the playoffs and the hard-hitting ability of their defense, it has to cross DC Head Coach Reggie Barlow’s mind to rest some of his starters like Ta’amu. There’s nothing for the Defenders to gain in this game, as they’ve already secured the XFL North title.
Smith was kept in check for the second game in a row against a stout Renegades defense. His longest run was 16 yards, meaning his other nine carries went for just 11 yards. DC playing without starting center Mike Maietti may be an underrated reason for Smith’s down performance the last two weeks. He’s still 331 yards up on the second-leading rusher in the league, and has 33 more carries than the player behind him on the list. The 1,000-yard plateau is unattainable at this point, especially if Smith is held out this weekend or at the very least has his workload decreased in preparation for the playoffs.
Last week: 7 receptions, 115 yards, 16.4 avg., 1 TD
Season stats: 57 receptions, 628 yards, 11.0 avg., 3 TD
After two weeks out of the top five, Pearson reenters after a strong game against St. Louis. Pearson showed his tackle-breaking ability and tremendous balance that could be assets at the next level. He is the league leader in receptions by 10 catches, and receiving yardage by 70 yards. His yards per catch and TD production is wanting but in a league predicated on passing, the top receiver in the league – by a clear margin – deserves a top five spot.
