The D.C. Defenders face off against the Orlando Guardians in a battle between undefeated & defeated.
While the Defenders are coming off a huge 37-26 win over the Houston Roughnecks, the Guardians lost their last 26-19 heartbreakingly to the Seattle Sea Dragons. Nonetheless, they’ve shown some strides throughout the season, especially with Quinten Dormady at quarterback over the past two weeks.
Defenders
D.C. defended its undefeated title with its victory over the Roughnecks last week, in which its offense fired on all cylinders and its defense held its own. The Defenders enter this matchup as -9.5 favorites, regardless of the fact that they’re on the road.
Last week, Jordan Ta’amu had his best game yet, with 245 passing yards & two passing touchdowns. His top target Lucky Jackson also had quite the performance with five receptions for 136 yards & one touchdown. His speed & playmaking ability will surely be something the Guardians need to account for. Meanwhile, Abram Smith & Ryquell Armstead established the ground attack as usual for D.C., combining for 121 yards.
On defense, the Defenders’ physical secondary should pose problems for Guardians receivers like Cody Latimer & Charleston Rambo. To add, D.C.’s top-notch pass rush may also be an issue against Orlando’s offensive line, which has struggled.
Guardians
Orlando’s past two losses have been by one possession. In other words, they’ve been right there but just couldn’t close the deal. They’re looking to change that tonight.
Tight end Cody Latimer has put up the best numbers in the XFL for his position, with 395 receiving yards & three receiving touchdowns. No doubt Quinten Dormady is in for his biggest challenge yet, which is why the Guardians’ ground game ft. Devin Darrington & Jah-Maine Martin will need to be reliable.
Last week, the Orlando defense looked solid, as it held the Sea Dragons’ to just 26 points & 252 yards – compared to 391 yards from the Guardians. In the end, it was undisciplined play & failure to capitalize on opportunities in crunch time that handed the Guardians another loss.
Final thoughts
The contest has the potential to be high-scoring, whether it be the Defenders that score all the points or it turns into a shoutout. Bettors, don’t sleep on the Guardians, who have fought hard & could be due for a win after a pair of heart-wrenching losses.
