Week seven was the second week in a row that McCarron threw for three touchdowns and no interceptions. He briefly left the game due to injury, the first time he has ceded snaps to backup Nick Tiano all season. His durability has been an underrated trait given the turnover at the position elsewhere around the league this year. While McCarron is building a strong resume on the field, the XFL is also leaning into his story on social media and television broadcasts, making his family and specifically his children a frequent part of their presentation.
Smith was able to pad his stats thanks to some shoddy tackling by the Guardians. He could’ve done even bigger numbers had the Defenders not needed to throw the ball as many times as they ran it, which is not how they’d prefer to operate their offense. Smith lost a fumble late in the fourth quarter while DC was approaching the red zone, effectively ending their comeback chances. Despite the Defenders suffering their first loss, Smith expanded his season rushing lead over second place to 284 yards, with a chance of reaching the 1,000-yard mark by the end of the year.
Arlington’s defense did not put up as much of a challenge as expected against DiNucci and the Seattle offense. DiNucci led the team in rushing in addition to his passing prowess. He also threw another red zone interception, and the pick once again occurred in the end zone. Thus far, Seattle has been able to overcome the weekly DiNucci turnovers. The Sea Dragons have now won five in a row and are within a game of first-place DC in the XFL North. They play DC in week eight, meaning they could find themselves at the top of the division with a win, or on the outside of the playoff picture with a loss.
Season stats: 123-199, 61.8%, 1,300 yards, 11 TD, 5 INT
This is the first week all season the top four MVP candidates stay in the same spots as the previous week. Silvers missed the week seven game against St. Louis due to a triceps injury. Cole McDonald struggled in his place, completing less than 50% of his passes for just over 100 yards. Houston is hanging on to first place in the XFL South by a hair; they need Silvers to return to full-strength and quickly in order to gain some offensive momentum heading into the playoffs. The Roughnecks will take on the Brahmas in a key divisional contest in week eight. Silvers’s status, at this point, is still up in the air.
Ta’amu had his best statistical output in terms of passing on the season against Orlando in week six, allowing him to jump into the MVP fray. Ta’amu started the season slow but has really put it together of late. He’s not generally asked to do a lot throwing the ball given DC’s strong run game. Ta’amu shines as a runner: He’s the eighth-leading rusher in the XFL and the top rushing quarterback. DC plays Seattle in week eight, another game in which Ta’amu may need to use his arm more than his legs.
