It was a pretty solid opening week for the revived XFL. The football was decent, and there is some solid hype around the new XFL. DC and Houston look like the best teams after the first week, and I wonder if any teams that fell flat last week can rebound this week. Here are my picks for week two of the XFL season.
New York Guardians (1-0) @ Washington D.C. Defenders (1-0)
I was really impressed with the Defenders last week. They started off slow, but they really turned it on in the third quarter, scoring 19 points. The guy who I’m the most impressed with is Cardale Jones. He threw for 283 yards, 2 touchdowns, and had 28 yards on the ground. What I’m concerned with, is that the Defenders weren’t productive running the football. They had 28 running plays and only had 68 rushing yards, which averages out to almost 2.5 yards per carry. But, I will say that in terms of atmosphere, DC hit it on the head. It felt intimate, the crowd felt loud, if the XFL is going to capitalize on that intimate feeling, then the games should be in soccer stadiums like Audi Field. Back to the game preview, the Defenders could have a tough time against the New York Guardians, whose defense forced two fumbles last week against the Vipers. While forcing fumbles is impressive, the Guardians gave up almost 400 yards, yet only gave up three points. Looks like they’re taking the Matt Patricia Patriots defensive approach, in the old ‘bend don’t break’ philosophy. I think that this is going to be a back and forth game, and I’m taking the Defenders.
Prediction: Defenders
Tampa Bay Vipers (0-1) @ Seattle Dragons (0-1)
The Dragons didn’t look good last week. Quarterback Brandon Silvers threw two picks, and the Dragons had a punt that was blocked in the endzone. Despite that, the Dragons were able to keep it a two possession game, and put up 310 yards of offense, almost as much as DC. What cost them, were the turnovers. Now they play the Vipers, who despite only putting up three points, have the #1 offense in the XFL with 394 yards of total offense. Looking at the box score of their game last week, they dominated in every single category. Total plays, yards per play, time of possession, so what made them lose? Well, Aaron Murray completing less than 50% of his passes and throwing two picks is a factor. They couldn’t finish drives on offense, and they need to do so if they’re going to stand a chance in the XFL. I’ll be taking the Vipers this week. I think they’ll bounce back and get their first win.
Prediction: Vipers
Dallas Renegades (0-1) @ Los Angeles Wildcats (0-1)
Oof. Not a good start for the Wildcats. They got their teeth kicked in, losing 37-19. It wasn’t a good day, and one of their most hyped players, Shawn Oakman, only getting one total tackle and a sack, the only one they had on the day. Things won’t get any easier as they play the Renegades. It wasn’t exactly a great debut for the Renegades, who were forced to start Philip Nelson at quarterback after Landry Jones was injured. Statistically, Nelson didn’t play well. He may have had only nine incompletions, but throwing 42 passes and only getting 199 yards won’t cut it. For Dallas’ sake, I hope that Jones is back next week, because this could be a long year otherwise. This is going to be a close game not necessarily because it’ll be a shootout, but more of a defensive battle, like Dallas’s game last week. I’ll be taking the Renegades to win on the road.
Prediction: Renegades
St. Louis BattleHawks (1-0) @ Houston Roughnecks (1-0)
The Battlehawks are on the road once again, this time against who I think is the best team in the XFL after week 1, the Houston Roughnecks. They looked dominant, with Walker getting the ball out to his playmakers like Sammie Coates, Khalil Lewis, and Ryheem Malone. Their defense looks decent as well, and could honestly make a run as long as they keep up momentum. As for St. Louis, they beat the Renegades in a game that can simply be described as ‘Field Goal City, TX.’ The Battlehawks scored the only touchdown of the game, and managed to escape Globe Life Park with the win. I’m going with the Roughnecks to pick up the win by a serviceable margin.
Prediction: Roughnecks
Breaking It Down With DKown 