We are now officially half way through this XFL season, and the playoff picture is starting to take shape. We had some upsets, we had some high scoring action, and we a rivalry live up the hype. Now it’s going to get good as we head into Week 6 and beyond, because these games are fixing to have the highest of stakes. So let’s see how these teams look heading into Week 6.
1. D.C. Defenders (5-0)
Last week: No. 2
Ladies and gentlemen there is a new king atop the XFL. They are the only unbeaten team left in the league, and they have not struggled much getting there. The D.C. Defenders have now swept their regular season series against the St. Louis Battlehawks, and this last game was played in the Dome in front of a raucous crowd who were silenced at the hands of one Abram Smith. Smith was a beast on the field Saturday night, finishing with a stat line of 23 carries for 218 yds and 3 TDs. His longest run of the day was a 70 yd TD to go along with a 62 yd TD he had earlier in the game. Abram Smith had the best individual performance out of any player this season, and he ain’t stopping anytime soon. D’Eriq King and Jordan Ta’amu were good as usual, though they didn’t have to much in this game, because Smith was just that dominant. The D.C. defense was good, though they did allow some big plays in the secondary, but for the most part, they did a good job holding St. Louis just to 20 points at home. They will host the Roughnecks this Monday night, which should be a good game, but I am expecting the Defenders to win this game.
2. Houston Roughnecks (4-1)
Last week: No. 1
For the first time this season the Roughnecks find themselves out of the number 1 spot. And for good reason. Because they got absolutely dominated Thursday night in Seattle. I had mentioned last week that one of the things that was tricky about the Roughnecks, was that they had yet to play against a North team, and the North division from top to bottom is easily better. Well, they finally had a game against a good team in the North, and boy oh boy, did they look BAD. For starters, losing Jontre Kirklin in this game did not help things whatsoever. And now with Kirklin being out for the rest of the season, the Roughnecks are going to have to adjust to life without easily their best receiver and offensive weapon around. Brandon Silvers wasn’t necessarily bad, but this was easily his worst game of the season. Not having that Kirklin security blanket kind of exposed Silvers here. A.J. Smith is going to have to get creative with his offense, and hopefully he can accomplish that. The defense was still good, and they definitely gave the offense opportunities to win, including at the end to make it interesting. But the offense just could not capitalize o any of these opportunities until it was too late. Houston better hope that this game was more an anomaly than what’s to come. But it ain’t going to get any easier, because next up is the undefeated D.C. Defenders Monday night.
3. St. Louis Battlehawks (3-2)
Last week: No. 3
The St. Louis Battlehawks could not get the job done Saturday night against the D.C. Defenders at home. A.J. McCarron was actually pretty good going for 22/34 for 236 yds and 2 TDs. But his 1 INT was a costly one, and he also lost a fumble that ended up being the difference in this game. 28-20 was the final score of this game, and in close games it usually comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes. D.C. did not have any turnovers, while McCarron’s 2 turnovers ended up making the difference. The defense was ok, but they got run on all, game long by Abram Smith. The defense could not stay off the field, which gave the offense fewer possessions to try and make something happen. In the end, they just weren’t good enough, and now they find themselves in a tight race with the Seattle Sea Dragons for that number 2 spot. I honestly don’t know who makes the playoffs between these two, but that next encounter between these two teams might be must win for both.
4. Seattle Sea Dragons (3-2)
Last week: No. 4
Seattle has now won 3 games in a row since starting 0-2, and I for one am not shocked one bit. I told you this was going to happen. I could see from Week 1, that this team had the talent to make something special. And while they still have their biggest issue, which is turnovers, they are making the critical plays when they need them. Ben DiNucci has been really good, and if he can just cut back on his INTs, he can easily become the MVP of the league. His 1328 yds for the season leads the league, but the only problem is his 7 INTs also leads the league. He has incredible weapons in Jahcour Pearson and Josh Gordon at receiver, and Morgan Ellison running the football has been outstanding. The defense has made opportunistic plays all season long. Their offense is starting to click on all cylinders. I believe in this team, and while I can’t really pick for sure yet between St. Louis and Seattle on who is going to make playoffs, and I can say that Seattle is on the right track to getting there. The Sea Dragons are coming and I believe they can beat anybody they play.
5. Arlington Renegades (3-2)
Last week: No. 5
Arlington should consider themselves lucky. Let’s look at why this team is 3-2. They beat the Vipers in Week 1, who we learned this week can’t stop anybody on defense. They barely beat Orlando, who is the worst team in the league. And they beat a San Antonio Brahmas team, whose offense is in disarray. The Renegades are lucky they play in the South. So they may still make the playoffs by default, but the facts are the facts. As of right now, midway through the season, they just aren’t very good. I think their defense is solid. I think Coach Stoops has done a great job of leading this team. But the offense stinks. Whether it was Kyle Sloter or Drew Plitt, they have a hard time getting into the endzone. Adding Victor Bolden should give a jolt to this offense, but man, something has got to change. What they are doing just isn’t working. The thing is, their offense does move the ball down field ok, but it’s as if the endzone is forbidden to them. If they can figure out the offense, the defense is ready to compete in the playoffs. But we shall see if that can happen.
6. Vegas Vipers (1-4)
Last week: No. 7
Ok. I’ll admit it. I was wrong about Luis Perez. Since becoming the starter over Brett Hundley, he’s actually been pretty good. Maybe that’s what Perez needed. He needed to face that adversity of being benched to give him that push that he needed. Because since then, he has been really good for the Vipers. He had a terrific game Saturday night going for 20/28 for 269 yds and 3 TDs, while also protecting the football. Perez might be putting the Vipers in a position for a playoff hunt. They are only behind the Battlehawks and Sea Dragons by 2 games, and they play the Battlehawks at home this weekend. If they can knock off St. Louis, they are right in the thick of things when it comes to the North. I said to keep on eye on the Vipers, and after their 35-32 victory over the Guardians, they have reminded the league that they are not dead yet. However, it was the Guardians, and Orlando has shown that they can’t stop anybody. So we shall have to wait and see if this Vipers offense can keep up this momentum. Because they are going to have to rely on winning shootouts, because their defense ain’t really going to be stopping anybody.
7. San Antonio Brahmas (1-4)
Last week: No. 6
It’s disappointing seeing San Antonio in the number 7 spot, but I got to call ’em how I see ’em. The Brahmas offense just ain’t it. Which is a shame, because their defense is honestly championship material. Reid Sinnett, who got the start this week, actually looked pretty good, and he had this offense moving down the field well. He threw a TD to T.J. Vasher, and made some good throws on all of his drives. Unfortunately for the Brahmas, he ended up getting injured in this game, and he is now being ruled out for the rest of the season. Which means Coach Hines Ward will now have to rely on former starter Jack Coan to lead his offense, and at this point I believe we have enough evidence to know Jack Coan ain’t the answer. When he is under center, he just can’t seem to get this offense in any rhythm whatsoever. I don’t know what the Brahmas need to do. And being 1-4, they don’t have a lot of time to figure it out. Maybe call up the Vipers and see what they want for Brett Hundley. Or maybe call up the Guardians and ask what they want to Quinten Flowers or Paxton Lynch, because I am out of answers for the Brahmas.
8. Orlando Guardians (0-5)
Last week: No. 8
No surprise here. They are the only team to have yet to win a game this season, and their defense has been atrocious all season long. But perhaps they got a silver lining in their shootout loss this weekend against the Vipers. That silver lining was quarterback Quinten Dormady. He was actually really good Saturday night going for 22/25 for 256 yds, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs. I think they should roll with Dormady for the rest of the season and see what happens. Their defense can’t stop anybody, we know this as a fact, but if their offense can put up points like they did Saturday night, they could have a good shot at upsetting some teams this season. But at 0-5, I think we can pretty close the door on the Guardians’ playoff hopes. Though they do play in the South, and that second spot is up for grabs, so who knows.
Ladies and gentlemen there is a new king atop the XFL. They are the only unbeaten team left in the league, and they have not struggled much getting there. The D.C. Defenders have now swept their regular season series against the St. Louis Battlehawks, and this last game was played in the Dome in front of a raucous crowd who were silenced at the hands of one Abram Smith. Smith was a beast on the field Saturday night, finishing with a stat line of 23 carries for 218 yds and 3 TDs. His longest run of the day was a 70 yd TD to go along with a 62 yd TD he had earlier in the game. Abram Smith had the best individual performance out of any player this season, and he ain’t stopping anytime soon. D’Eriq King and Jordan Ta’amu were good as usual, though they didn’t have to much in this game, because Smith was just that dominant. The D.C. defense was good, though they did allow some big plays in the secondary, but for the most part, they did a good job holding St. Louis just to 20 points at home. They will host the Roughnecks this Monday night, which should be a good game, but I am expecting the Defenders to win this game.
For the first time this season the Roughnecks find themselves out of the number 1 spot. And for good reason. Because they got absolutely dominated Thursday night in Seattle. I had mentioned last week that one of the things that was tricky about the Roughnecks, was that they had yet to play against a North team, and the North division from top to bottom is easily better. Well, they finally had a game against a good team in the North, and boy oh boy, did they look BAD. For starters, losing Jontre Kirklin in this game did not help things whatsoever. And now with Kirklin being out for the rest of the season, the Roughnecks are going to have to adjust to life without easily their best receiver and offensive weapon around. Brandon Silvers wasn’t necessarily bad, but this was easily his worst game of the season. Not having that Kirklin security blanket kind of exposed Silvers here. A.J. Smith is going to have to get creative with his offense, and hopefully he can accomplish that. The defense was still good, and they definitely gave the offense opportunities to win, including at the end to make it interesting. But the offense just could not capitalize o any of these opportunities until it was too late. Houston better hope that this game was more an anomaly than what’s to come. But it ain’t going to get any easier, because next up is the undefeated D.C. Defenders Monday night.
The St. Louis Battlehawks could not get the job done Saturday night against the D.C. Defenders at home. A.J. McCarron was actually pretty good going for 22/34 for 236 yds and 2 TDs. But his 1 INT was a costly one, and he also lost a fumble that ended up being the difference in this game. 28-20 was the final score of this game, and in close games it usually comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes. D.C. did not have any turnovers, while McCarron’s 2 turnovers ended up making the difference. The defense was ok, but they got run on all, game long by Abram Smith. The defense could not stay off the field, which gave the offense fewer possessions to try and make something happen. In the end, they just weren’t good enough, and now they find themselves in a tight race with the Seattle Sea Dragons for that number 2 spot. I honestly don’t know who makes the playoffs between these two, but that next encounter between these two teams might be must win for both.
Seattle has now won 3 games in a row since starting 0-2, and I for one am not shocked one bit. I told you this was going to happen. I could see from Week 1, that this team had the talent to make something special. And while they still have their biggest issue, which is turnovers, they are making the critical plays when they need them. Ben DiNucci has been really good, and if he can just cut back on his INTs, he can easily become the MVP of the league. His 1328 yds for the season leads the league, but the only problem is his 7 INTs also leads the league. He has incredible weapons in Jahcour Pearson and Josh Gordon at receiver, and Morgan Ellison running the football has been outstanding. The defense has made opportunistic plays all season long. Their offense is starting to click on all cylinders. I believe in this team, and while I can’t really pick for sure yet between St. Louis and Seattle on who is going to make playoffs, and I can say that Seattle is on the right track to getting there. The Sea Dragons are coming and I believe they can beat anybody they play.
Arlington should consider themselves lucky. Let’s look at why this team is 3-2. They beat the Vipers in Week 1, who we learned this week can’t stop anybody on defense. They barely beat Orlando, who is the worst team in the league. And they beat a San Antonio Brahmas team, whose offense is in disarray. The Renegades are lucky they play in the South. So they may still make the playoffs by default, but the facts are the facts. As of right now, midway through the season, they just aren’t very good. I think their defense is solid. I think Coach Stoops has done a great job of leading this team. But the offense stinks. Whether it was Kyle Sloter or Drew Plitt, they have a hard time getting into the endzone. Adding Victor Bolden should give a jolt to this offense, but man, something has got to change. What they are doing just isn’t working. The thing is, their offense does move the ball down field ok, but it’s as if the endzone is forbidden to them. If they can figure out the offense, the defense is ready to compete in the playoffs. But we shall see if that can happen.
Ok. I’ll admit it. I was wrong about Luis Perez. Since becoming the starter over Brett Hundley, he’s actually been pretty good. Maybe that’s what Perez needed. He needed to face that adversity of being benched to give him that push that he needed. Because since then, he has been really good for the Vipers. He had a terrific game Saturday night going for 20/28 for 269 yds and 3 TDs, while also protecting the football. Perez might be putting the Vipers in a position for a playoff hunt. They are only behind the Battlehawks and Sea Dragons by 2 games, and they play the Battlehawks at home this weekend. If they can knock off St. Louis, they are right in the thick of things when it comes to the North. I said to keep on eye on the Vipers, and after their 35-32 victory over the Guardians, they have reminded the league that they are not dead yet. However, it was the Guardians, and Orlando has shown that they can’t stop anybody. So we shall have to wait and see if this Vipers offense can keep up this momentum. Because they are going to have to rely on winning shootouts, because their defense ain’t really going to be stopping anybody.
It’s disappointing seeing San Antonio in the number 7 spot, but I got to call ’em how I see ’em. The Brahmas offense just ain’t it. Which is a shame, because their defense is honestly championship material. Reid Sinnett, who got the start this week, actually looked pretty good, and he had this offense moving down the field well. He threw a TD to T.J. Vasher, and made some good throws on all of his drives. Unfortunately for the Brahmas, he ended up getting injured in this game, and he is now being ruled out for the rest of the season. Which means Coach Hines Ward will now have to rely on former starter Jack Coan to lead his offense, and at this point I believe we have enough evidence to know Jack Coan ain’t the answer. When he is under center, he just can’t seem to get this offense in any rhythm whatsoever. I don’t know what the Brahmas need to do. And being 1-4, they don’t have a lot of time to figure it out. Maybe call up the Vipers and see what they want for Brett Hundley. Or maybe call up the Guardians and ask what they want to Quinten Flowers or Paxton Lynch, because I am out of answers for the Brahmas.
No surprise here. They are the only team to have yet to win a game this season, and their defense has been atrocious all season long. But perhaps they got a silver lining in their shootout loss this weekend against the Vipers. That silver lining was quarterback Quinten Dormady. He was actually really good Saturday night going for 22/25 for 256 yds, 2 TDs, and 0 INTs. I think they should roll with Dormady for the rest of the season and see what happens. Their defense can’t stop anybody, we know this as a fact, but if their offense can put up points like they did Saturday night, they could have a good shot at upsetting some teams this season. But at 0-5, I think we can pretty close the door on the Guardians’ playoff hopes. Though they do play in the South, and that second spot is up for grabs, so who knows.
