Week 3 of the XFL season gets started on Saturday night with a matchup of teams still seeking their first win. With the XFL going back to Las Vegas’s Cashman Field for the second week in a row, the Vegas Vipers will play host to the Seattle Sea Dragons.
It will be a battle between two teams that are in dire need of their first win, and each attempting to salvage a fledgling XFL season that is threatening to make them the 0-3 North Division basement dweller.
At their home opener on Thursday night, the St. Louis Battlehawks defeated the Seattle Sea Dragons by a score of 20-18, sending the Sea Dragons to their second consecutive defeat (0-2). The Sea Dragons were able to take a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but they were unable to hold it against St. Louis. On the very last play of the game, Donny Hageman kicked a field goal from 44 yards out, which won the game for the Battlehawks. The defense did a good job overall, as evidenced by the fact that they were able to record four sacks in the first half. Because Seattle’s offence didn’t find a great rhythm until the second half of the game, the offensive unit is still in the process of being developed. The passing game struggled throughout the game, with the exception of a touchdown pass from Ben DiNucci to Jahcour Pearson that went for 54 yards.
Last Sunday, the Vegas Vipers (0-2) were defeated at home by the D.C. Defenders by a score of 18-6. The Vipers offence was unable to get anything going. The conditions at Cashman Field were less than ideal, with the grass having been spray painted and rain falling throughout the game. In spite of this, both teams were required to play through it, and DC did a better job of adapting to the weather in the second half, which they used to their advantage by winning 18-0. Brett Hundley struggled mightily when it came to throwing the ball, completing just 11 of 18 passes for a total of 98 yards with only one play covering more than 20 yards. The Vegas defense was able to hold Jordan Ta’amu to only 93 yards passing, but they were unable to stop the DC running game, especially when the Defenders inserted D’Eriq King in at quarterback. On 42 carries, DC gained 229 yards and scored two touchdowns in their win.
What should we look for?
The Vipers offense needs to find better footing by maintaining drives in order to hold the Seattle offence at bay by minimizing possessions. Vegas must also figure out how to maximize the potential of its own running strategy. With just 115 running yards and a 3.3 yard average, the Vipers sit dead bottom in the XFL. Through the first two games, they have only gained two first downs on the ground. Rod Smith has only 39 yards on 11 carries to lead the team. Vegas needs to improve its run blocking in order to give Smith or John Lovett more chances. Both Brett Hundley and Luis Perez, the quarterbacks, can make plays with their legs, but they also need to locate receivers in the distance. Together, the two quarterbacks have completed 58 percent of their passes for 323 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions so far. There haven’t been many big plays in the air (the longest completion by the club is 39 yards), and it has been difficult to maintain drives in general. The Vipers are only converting 36% of their third-down chances. All of these factors contribute to the fact that they have only scored 26 points, which is second-to-last in the league (Orlando has 24); this must change if Vegas wants to enter the win column this week.
As for Seattle’s offense, they are probably looking at how bad DC’s ground game destroyed Vegas last week, which may lead to the Sea Dragons offensive coach June Jones calls for more running plays this week. This might result in more touches for Morgan Ellison, who last week in Seattle’s difficult loss to St. Louis had 50 yards on 10 carries. Effective ball-running could help relieve some of the load on the offensive line and quarterback Ben DiNucci. Although he has attempted the most throws (83) and has fumbled the ball over four times in the first two games, he leads the XFL in passing (478 yards). Last week, the Vipers did recover three fumbles, but some of that can be attributed to the flooded field and wet weather. If the weather has an impact on Saturday night, it will be the wind, which according to the prediction might reach 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 40. If that is the case, the Sea Dragons are more likely to rely on their running strategy.
Seattle is currently 0-2 and this is arguably the main factor. The Sea Dragons’ turnover margin of minus-five stands out even more when you consider that they have lost both games by a total of six points. Seattle must immediately improve this area, especially around DiNucci. On the other hand, despite winning the turnover war last week (3-1), Vegas’s offence was unable to capitalize on the additional possessions, and the defense continued to allow more than 200 rushing yards. Hence, one team has suffered because of turnovers while the other hasn’t been able to benefit from having more success in that area. Will either trend see a reversal this week?
Conclusion
Since all teams regularly practise together at the Arlington XFL headquarters, there isn’t much each team does not know about the other. Despite the offense’s turnover problems, the Sea Dragons may appear to be slightly stronger on both sides of the ball. If Seattle can strengthen its ball security, they may come out as a winner in this matchup.
