The XFL’s DC Defenders and quarterback Jordan Ta’amu keep the top spot in this weeks’ power rankings.
The XFL playoffs are fast approaching. With just 2 weeks left in the regular season, we have 2 teams that have qualified, 2 teams that have been eliminated, and 4 teams that are fighting to get in. This upcoming Week 9 is going to be extremely crucial as far as the playoffs are concerned, and I for one am excited to see how it all shakes out. Let’s take a look at how all the teams stack as we head into Week 9.
1. D.C. Defenders (7-1)
Last week: No. 1
The D.C. Defenders are elite. The D.C. Defenders are exciting. The D.C. Defenders are them dawgs! I love this team! From Coach Barlow, to Jordan Ta’amu, to Abram Smith, to everyone in between. They are HIM! Their 34-33 shootout win against the Seattle Sea Dragons did not disappoint. Jordan Ta’amu, leading MVP candidate in my opinion, was on fire once again, throwing for 247 yds on 17/26, and tossing 4 more TDs while throwing no INTs. His emergence as of late has been incredible to watch, and it has catapulted this team into another stratosphere. Abram Smith continues to dominate the ground game, and this defense is still a force, especially when it comes to creating turnovers. The D.C. Defenders are my current favorite to win the championship right now, and I’m not sure anyone can stop this locomotive as they head into the playoffs.
2. St. Louis Battlehawks (6-2)
Last week: No. 2
St. Louis has lost 2 games all season. Both to the D.C. Defenders, the best team in the league. Everyone else, they have sat them up and knocked them down, and have looked great doing it. And this week, they showed they are a complete team. With A.J. McCarron sidelined with an injury this game, Nick Tiano had to step in and lead this team to victory. He did fine, but it was really Sterling Hoftrichter, with his fake punt TD pass, that allowed the Battlehawks to pick up the victory in the XFL’s very first OT game in history. The swept the OT shootout 2-0, and the crowd exploded. The atmosphere in the Dome was electric this weekend, as playoff implications weighed heavily in this game. The Battlehawks needed to win this game, to solidify themselves in a position to hold 2nd place in the North all to themselves. And they did just that. With Seattle losing to D.C., St. Louis now has a chance to clinch their spot in the playoffs with a win against Seattle this weekend. The Dome will be rocking for sure, and I can not wait for this game.
3. Seattle Sea Dragons (5-3)
Last week: No. 3
The Seattle Sea Dragons were right there. Right there. One point away. They played a hard fought game against the D.C. Defenders, and proved they really are an elite team. It’s a shame really, that either St. Louis or Seattle are going to miss the playoffs, because both of these teams are electric and extremely fun. Ben DiNucci has gotten better over these past few weeks of protecting the football, which is why Seattle has been on the run they have been on. He only had 1 INT this weekend compared to his 3 TDs that put Seattle in position to steal this game. The Sea Dragons have nothing to hang their head about, and all they should be focused on is this weekend. Because this weekend it’s put up or shut up time. They play the Battlehawks in the Dome, and if they can’t pull out the victory, their playoff hopes will be dashed. But if they win, it will come down to Week 10, to see who gets in between the Battlehawks and Sea Dragons. It should be an exciting game, and Seattle better bring their A game, because the Dome will loud as ever.
4. Houston Roughnecks (5-3)
Last week: No. 4
The Houston Roughnecks will be in the South Division Championship game. That is a fact. After their 17-15 OT win over the San Antonio Brahmas, they clinched their ticket to the playoffs. But instead of storming in, they are stumbling in, as they still have not quite reverted back to dominant form. Their offense continues to search for answers, and while they looked better this week, they still have problems getting into the end zone consistently. Brandon Silvers looks really good some drives and really bad others. The run game is pretty much a dud. And their defense is good, but definitely not great as they once were. They are still getting to the quarterback, but their secondary, especially against top competition, keep giving up big plays and allowing their opponents to get into the end zone fairly easy. But we know what this team is capable of, because we’ve seen it. If they find that form again, the Houston Roughnecks can win it all.
5. Arlington Renegades (4-4)
Last week: No. 5
The Arlington Renegades are team that could be on the verge of the playoffs, and they could possibly punch their ticket this week. With a win or a San Antonio loss, the Renegades will be playing the Roughnecks in the South Division Championship. But if San Antonio wins and the Renegades lose, it will come down to Week 10, and I’m not sure if I want to risk that if I’m Arlington. Luis Perez looked decent in his first action with the Renegades, and I have no doubt that he will look even better the more he gets acclimated with the offense, but even then, I still don’t believe this team is good enough to beat Houston. Their game against D.C. this weekend will tell us a lot.
6. San Antonio Brahmas (2-6)
Last week: No. 7
Much like Arlington, San Antonio has a lot riding on their game against Orlando this weekend. They have to win AND Arlington have to lose if they want to stay alive in the playoff hunt. This team has had question marks at the quarterback position all season long, and it has hurt this offense with their consistency. Jack Coan has not been good this season, but due to injuries, he’s the guy. This offense has not been good, but the defense has allowed this team to stay in games. If they can beat Orlando this weekend, they would then have to do the impossible and pull off a major upset against D.C. I just don’t see that happening, and with the way Orlando’s offense has been playing, I could see them losing this weekend as well. We shall what happens, but it is going to be an uphill battle.
7. Vegas Vipers (2-6)
Last week: No. 6
The Vegas Vipers have been eliminated from playoff contention. But this is a decent team that can definitely spoil somebody’s playoff hopes. Jalan McClendon has been really good since being announced as the starter for this team. He nearly led an upset of the Battlehawks, and I believe he is getting better every game. As for the rest of this team, they seem to have gotten it all together, but it’s just too late. And unfortunately for them, they play in the North, where the 3 teams in front of them are the 3 best teams in the league. But like I said, look out for this team to spoil somebody’s playoff hopes, because the Vipers should not be slept on.
8. Orlando Guardians (1-7)
Last week: No. 8
The Orlando Guardians have also been eliminated from playoff contention, after their 18-16 loss to the Arlington Renegades. Quinten Dormady was not very good, tossing 2 INTs and losing 3 fumbles, which was 5 turnovers in total. You aren’t going to win many games like that, and the Guardians, who had been looking like they were on the up, suffered their league worst, 7 loss of the season. We will see how the Guardians close out the season, but they are definitely going to be playing their hearts out, as they try to secure 2 more wins under their belt.
The D.C. Defenders are elite. The D.C. Defenders are exciting. The D.C. Defenders are them dawgs! I love this team! From Coach Barlow, to Jordan Ta’amu, to Abram Smith, to everyone in between. They are HIM! Their 34-33 shootout win against the Seattle Sea Dragons did not disappoint. Jordan Ta’amu, leading MVP candidate in my opinion, was on fire once again, throwing for 247 yds on 17/26, and tossing 4 more TDs while throwing no INTs. His emergence as of late has been incredible to watch, and it has catapulted this team into another stratosphere. Abram Smith continues to dominate the ground game, and this defense is still a force, especially when it comes to creating turnovers. The D.C. Defenders are my current favorite to win the championship right now, and I’m not sure anyone can stop this locomotive as they head into the playoffs.
St. Louis has lost 2 games all season. Both to the D.C. Defenders, the best team in the league. Everyone else, they have sat them up and knocked them down, and have looked great doing it. And this week, they showed they are a complete team. With A.J. McCarron sidelined with an injury this game, Nick Tiano had to step in and lead this team to victory. He did fine, but it was really Sterling Hoftrichter, with his fake punt TD pass, that allowed the Battlehawks to pick up the victory in the XFL’s very first OT game in history. The swept the OT shootout 2-0, and the crowd exploded. The atmosphere in the Dome was electric this weekend, as playoff implications weighed heavily in this game. The Battlehawks needed to win this game, to solidify themselves in a position to hold 2nd place in the North all to themselves. And they did just that. With Seattle losing to D.C., St. Louis now has a chance to clinch their spot in the playoffs with a win against Seattle this weekend. The Dome will be rocking for sure, and I can not wait for this game.
The Seattle Sea Dragons were right there. Right there. One point away. They played a hard fought game against the D.C. Defenders, and proved they really are an elite team. It’s a shame really, that either St. Louis or Seattle are going to miss the playoffs, because both of these teams are electric and extremely fun. Ben DiNucci has gotten better over these past few weeks of protecting the football, which is why Seattle has been on the run they have been on. He only had 1 INT this weekend compared to his 3 TDs that put Seattle in position to steal this game. The Sea Dragons have nothing to hang their head about, and all they should be focused on is this weekend. Because this weekend it’s put up or shut up time. They play the Battlehawks in the Dome, and if they can’t pull out the victory, their playoff hopes will be dashed. But if they win, it will come down to Week 10, to see who gets in between the Battlehawks and Sea Dragons. It should be an exciting game, and Seattle better bring their A game, because the Dome will loud as ever.
The Houston Roughnecks will be in the South Division Championship game. That is a fact. After their 17-15 OT win over the San Antonio Brahmas, they clinched their ticket to the playoffs. But instead of storming in, they are stumbling in, as they still have not quite reverted back to dominant form. Their offense continues to search for answers, and while they looked better this week, they still have problems getting into the end zone consistently. Brandon Silvers looks really good some drives and really bad others. The run game is pretty much a dud. And their defense is good, but definitely not great as they once were. They are still getting to the quarterback, but their secondary, especially against top competition, keep giving up big plays and allowing their opponents to get into the end zone fairly easy. But we know what this team is capable of, because we’ve seen it. If they find that form again, the Houston Roughnecks can win it all.
The Arlington Renegades are team that could be on the verge of the playoffs, and they could possibly punch their ticket this week. With a win or a San Antonio loss, the Renegades will be playing the Roughnecks in the South Division Championship. But if San Antonio wins and the Renegades lose, it will come down to Week 10, and I’m not sure if I want to risk that if I’m Arlington. Luis Perez looked decent in his first action with the Renegades, and I have no doubt that he will look even better the more he gets acclimated with the offense, but even then, I still don’t believe this team is good enough to beat Houston. Their game against D.C. this weekend will tell us a lot.
Much like Arlington, San Antonio has a lot riding on their game against Orlando this weekend. They have to win AND Arlington have to lose if they want to stay alive in the playoff hunt. This team has had question marks at the quarterback position all season long, and it has hurt this offense with their consistency. Jack Coan has not been good this season, but due to injuries, he’s the guy. This offense has not been good, but the defense has allowed this team to stay in games. If they can beat Orlando this weekend, they would then have to do the impossible and pull off a major upset against D.C. I just don’t see that happening, and with the way Orlando’s offense has been playing, I could see them losing this weekend as well. We shall what happens, but it is going to be an uphill battle. 
The Vegas Vipers have been eliminated from playoff contention. But this is a decent team that can definitely spoil somebody’s playoff hopes. Jalan McClendon has been really good since being announced as the starter for this team. He nearly led an upset of the Battlehawks, and I believe he is getting better every game. As for the rest of this team, they seem to have gotten it all together, but it’s just too late. And unfortunately for them, they play in the North, where the 3 teams in front of them are the 3 best teams in the league. But like I said, look out for this team to spoil somebody’s playoff hopes, because the Vipers should not be slept on. 
The Orlando Guardians have also been eliminated from playoff contention, after their 18-16 loss to the Arlington Renegades. Quinten Dormady was not very good, tossing 2 INTs and losing 3 fumbles, which was 5 turnovers in total. You aren’t going to win many games like that, and the Guardians, who had been looking like they were on the up, suffered their league worst, 7 loss of the season. We will see how the Guardians close out the season, but they are definitely going to be playing their hearts out, as they try to secure 2 more wins under their belt.
