This game marks the second official match up between the Seattle Sea Dragons and the Arlington Renegades in the history of the XFL, as the then-Dallas Renegades defeated the then-Seattle Dragons by a 24-12 score on Feb. 22, 2020 in Seattle.
Seattle Sea Dragons
Seattle’s powerhouse run-and-shoot offense ranks 1st in the league in pass attempts (230), completions (147), passing yards (1486) and total first downs (75). Much of the offense’s success is due to QB Ben DiNucci who became the first player of the 2023 XFL season to pass the 1,000 passing yard mark during Seattle’s Week 4 victory over the San Antonio Brahmas. He currently leads the league in passing yards (1505) and completions (146) and ranks second in touchdowns (11) behind St. Louis’ A.J. McCarron (14). DiNucci also tallied one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver, Jahcour Pearson, has proven to be DiNucci’s favorite target as he leads the league in total receptions (40) and receiving yards (448). Pearson is also second in the league behind Guardians tight end, Cody Latimer, and Defenders wide receiver, Lucky Jackson, in most catches over 20 yards (6). Comeback kid, Josh Gordon, is tied for third in receiving touchdowns (3), and Blake Jackson is fourth in the league in receptions (30).
Morgan Ellison ranks third in the league in total rushing yards (254) and is tied for first with Defenders running back, Abram Smith, in runs of 10+ yards (10). He has also racked up one touchdown and 38 receiving yards this season.
Arlington Renegades
In a matchup featuring two of the top-three scoring defenses in the XFL, both teams were held under 250 yards as San Antonio (2-4) handed Arlington (3-3) a 15-9 loss on Sunday at Choctaw Stadium, the team’s first defeat on home turf in 2023.
The Renegades’ only touchdown came on a 16-yard pass from QB Drew Plitt to WR LuJuan Winningham, who acrobatically stretched back across his body to pull in his team-leading second receiving TD of the season at 8:39 of the 3rd quarter. The teams remained tied into the 4th quarter before San Antonio re-gained a three-point edge, 12-9, on a 45-yard field goal from K Parker Romo with 8:56 to play. Later in the 4th, K Taylor Russolino’s right-footed kick from the right hash sailed right of the goal post from 36 yards which would have re-knotted the game with 4:05 showing.
The Renegades defense has forced a turnover in all 6 games this season, this after LB Donald Payne picked off San Antonio QB Kurt Benkert in the 3rd quarter on Sunday, which led to the team’s only touchdown 4 plays later. Arlington has allowed just 25 points in the last 2 games (both against San Antonio) after allowing a season-high 24 points on March 12 at St. Louis.
Arlington Renegades LB Donald Payne (48 tackles) is the XFL’s second-leading tackler through 6 weeks, trailing only San Antonio LB Jordan Williams (54). Rounding out the top 5 are Houston LB Emmanuel Ellerbee (45), St. Louis LB Willie Harvey (36), and Vegas DB Deontay Anderson (34). Payne racked up 12 tackles on March 12 at St. Louis, most by any Renegade in a single game this season.
Prediction
The O/U total of 37.5 may seem low, but the last four Renegades games have been low scoring and this game could be the same. With ongoing quarterback issues, Arlington may be unable to put together more than a couple scoring drives, combined with Seattle’s injuries and DiNucci’s inconsistent play, which may limit the Sea Dragons.
Seattle possesses too many offensive weapons to be shut down, and they have the weapons to hit at least a few big plays in this game. This should be enough for them to pull away and the spread of 5 should not be too hard for them to overcome.
