This will be a battle of two teams who are trying to keep pace with the South Division leading Houston Roughnecks. Keep in mind this is week five of the ten week XFL season, a midway point, but also a time when teams need to look toward locking up a playoff spot, a situation where these two teams are in direct competition.
Both teams share the fact they are coming off week four road losses. Against the surging Seattle Sea Dragons, San Antonio only managed six points. Meanwhile, Arlington didn’t stand a chance in an electrically fan-charged Dome in St. Louis. First and foremost, both of these teams are looking to get back to a winning way.
What should we look for?
While San Antonio’s defense is relatively strong against the pass, ranking 3rd, it is weaker against the run, ranking 6th among XFL teams. The Brahmas lead the XFL in plays behind the line of scrimmage, leading the way in tackles for a loss with 28, and ranking third in sacks with 10. Despite the loss to Seattle in the previous week, they did hold the Sea Dragons to only 15 points. Look to Brahmas defensive linemen Mike Tverdov, Mike Scott, and Delontae Scott, to get to the quarterback in this game, as all have multiple sacks in the season so far.
The Arlington Renegades are also accomplished on defense. Notably, they have been strong against the run allowing only 73 yards per game, ranked 2nd in the league. They are much weaker against the pass, ranking 6th with an average of 201.5 yards allowed per game. Arlington has shown they can force turnovers, recovering six fumbles and notching up three interceptions, including two of the pick-six variety. Look to linebacker Willie Taylor, the team leader in sacks, to try and up his total. Defensive lineman Tomasi Lauliel and defensive back De’Vante Bausby will also be looking to contribute by picking off Brahama passes.
Both teams will be looking to improve their offensive output in this game. San Antonio and Arlington are ranked in the bottom two when it comes to yards per game and in the bottom three when it comes to scoring. San Antonio quarterback Jack Coan is currently fifth in passing yards with 625, and tied for fourth in touchdown passes with five, but the team is ranked seventh in passing offense with an abysmal average of 142.2 yards per game. Running back Kalen Ballage has shown sparks of brilliance, but his average is only 2.9 yards per carry. Overall, San Antonio is sixth in rushing offense with 79.5 yards per game.
In comparison, Arlington is worse on the ground with only 59.8 yards per game. Running back De’Veon Smith is averaging only 2.7 yards per carry. As for quarterback, Arlington’s duo of Drew Plitt and Kyle Sloter have combined for 621 passing yards with five interceptions against three touchdowns. Arlington’s passers have also been sacked a combined 11 times, a statistic that indicates how difficult things have been for the Renegades’ pivots.
The future playoff race implications of this game cannot be overstated. The Renegades have a chance to get within one game of the division-leading Roughnecks. Meanwhile, the Brahmas do not want their playoff chances to slip away by handing Arlington the win. To make things worse, this is the first game of a home-and-home as these two rivals will play again next week in Arlington.
Conclusion
The last time the Brahmas had a home game, they gave up 15 points in the final 90 seconds of the game and lost. This time they want to give the home crowd the win they deserved the last time around. Look for the Brahmas to come out punching high in this game. As for Arlington, they have unfinished business this season in that they have not gained the offensive performance they desire. Look for the Renegades to attempt to improve on offense.
