The XFL came back to life with a flurry of action, and a full suite of games. Let’s take a look at where the teams rank after such a glorious opening weekend.
1. Houston Roughnecks (1-0)
Houston proved they are a scoring machine by putting up a league-best five touchdowns in their home opener against the LA Wildcats, and this was against a Wildcats defense that has been touted as being one of the best in the league. PJ Walker proved that starting him at QB was no mistake, coupled with a Jones’ offense that featured speedy receivers and a forceful running game. The Roughnecks may be riding the top spot of the the rankings for many weeks to come.
The Defenders showed off their offensive weaponry under head coach Pep Hamilton with an RPO-heavy offense that even featured a few tricks. Cardale Jones proved he is the class of the league when it comes to QBs, and the DC receiving corps Eli Rogers, Malachi Dupre and Rashad Ross proved they are a force to be reckoned with.
3. New York Guardians (1-0)
New York’s defense was all over the Vipers QB Aaron Murray in his opening match, showing the strength of the Guardian’s protectors. In fact, The Vipers went to the red zone four time, and only came away with three points. QB Matt McGloin and the Guardians offense showed good potential. They are working hard to build the most potent offense in the league.
4. St. Louis BattleHawks (1-0)
All the headlines say that the BattleHawks were the surprise winners over an anemically weak Dallas team, but we say there is something true to St. Louis’ power. QB Jordan Ta’amu completed 20/27 passes, the second-highest completion percentage in the league. Ta’amu also ran for 77 yards on the ground in nine carries, and was the best rusher in the league in week 1. The BattleHawks have a talented QB. If they can fine-tune their game they can easily rise in these rankings.
Jordan Ta’amu : 20/27 for 209 yards, 1 TD & a 108.4 QB Rating; 9 carries for 77 yards
Alonzo Russell : 3 catches for 49 yards & a TD on 5 targets pic.twitter.com/RPu7bznJnu
Despite an impressive effort against the Roughnecks, the Wildcats wound up in the losing column. QB Chad Kanoff was filling in for injured starter Josh Johnson, and he did an admirable job, especially getting the ball out to receiver Nelson Spruce. There seems to be so much potential here, and if the Wildcats can capitalize on getting Josh Johnson back next week, they may be able to rise up the rankings. The only problem is next week they host the Dallas Renegades, and their starting QB Landry Jones should be healthy. Kudos to Shawn Oakman for getting a much-needed sack, and looking like the dominant force he is touted to be.
6. Seattle Dragons (0-1)
The Dragons have been pretty high on their starting QB Brandon Silvers for what seems like months now. Unfortunately, when he finally got on the field, he was less than stellar against a stingy DC Defenders defense completing 21 of 40 passes for 217 yards and 3 interceptions. Still he completed three TD passes, two to stellar receiver Austin Proehl, showing potential in his inconsistent game. Next week, Tampa Bay comes to Seattle, giving Silvers and the Dragons a chance to redeem themselves.
7. Dallas Renegades (0-1)
We are sure Dallas is disappointed in their opening loss to the BattleHawks, a team the oddsmakers gave them the best chance of winning. Look to Dallas to make things better next week in LA when their starting QB Landry Jones is ready to start. QB Philip Nelson did have the highest completion rate of Week 1 in the XFL, completing 79-percent of his 42 passes. Unfortunately, the effort did not play well into the potential potency of Hal Mumme’s “Air Raid” offensive scheme. Poor Mumme will need more “sweating towels” if he doesn’t get Landry Jones back for good.
If the Vipers were highly rated prior to the season, they did not demonstrate their potential in the opening week of the XFL. Marquee quarterback Aaron Murray had a poor game with 16 of 34 passes completed for 231 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. In fact, the anemic offense had three turnovers and only scored three points despite being in the red zone four times. Head coach Marc Trestman inserted a versatile Quinton Flowers later in the game and the offense did show some life when he was running the ball effectively. Look for the Vipers to pick up their game when they visit Seattle next Saturday.
