The Return of the XFL

This weekend the third version of the XFL returned with four games in the return of the league.  The previous version of the XFL was forced to shut down in 2020 after five games due to COVID-19 but has now returned with a 10-game regular season schedule in 2023.

Here were the results from Week 1 of XFL 3.0:

DC Defenders 22, Seattle Sea Dragons 18

D.C. Defenders scored 14 straight points to drown Ben DiNucci and the Seattle Sea Dragons, 22-18. Gregg Williams' defense was playing on another level in that second half, and forced a fumble at the goal line with just seconds left on what could have been a Sea Dragons game-winning drive.

St. Louis BattleHawks 18, San Antonio Brahmas 15

St. Louis Quarterback A.J. McCarron shook off his early struggles and scored 15 straight points in the final 1:30 to defeat the Brahmas, 18-15. He hit Austin Proehl for the successful three-point conversion after the first touchdown, and then went right back to Proehl for the fourth-and-15 conversion -- which is the XFL's version of an onside kick. Five plays later, McCarron hit Proehl for the game-winning 13-yard touchdown.

Arlington Renegades 22, Vegas Vipers 20

On Saturday, the Arlington Renegades kicked off the XFL season with a wild comeback, utilizing a 19-6 run in the second half to defeat Luis Perez and the Vegas Vipers.

Houston Roughnecks 33, Orlando Guardians 12

After giving up a touchdown on the game's opening drive, Houston proceeded to score 33 of the game's final 39 points. Big plays on both sides of the ball led to the Roughnecks' season-opening win. Houston's biggest star on offense was former Eagles wideout Deontay Burnett, who caught eight passes for 90 yards that included a 46-yard touchdown catch that put the Roughnecks in front for good. Defensively, the Roughnecks roughed up the Guardians to the tune of seven sacks and three interceptions. Trent Harris, who started in several games for the Giants from 2019-21, led the way with four sacks. Houston, by the way, hasn't lost in the XFL, as it was the only perfect 5-0 team before the 2020 season was canceled.

Attendance for the opening games this week averaged 12,000 fans with San Antonio topping the list with 24,245 in the Alamodome.

Three of the four games were close and exciting at the end.  The rule changes on kickoffs, onside attempts and points after touchdowns made an impact on the games.  Personally, I like the PAT rules with teams choosing to go for 1, 2 or 3 points instead of kicking after scoring a touchdown.  Decisions on these had some bearing on the final scores.

Power Rankings after Week 1:

1. Houston Roughnecks (1-0)
2. Arlington Renegades (1-0)
3. St. Louis BattleHawks (1-0)
4. DC Defenders (1-0)
5. Vegas Vipers (0-1)
6. Seattle Sea Dragons (0-1)
7. San Antonio Brahmas (0-1)
8. Orlando Guardians (0-1)

Top Players:

• Josh Gordon (Seattle) had six catches for 74 yards and a touchdown.
• A.J. McCarron (St. Louis) was 11-of-14 with 133 passing yards and two touchdowns.
• Trent Harris (Houston) and Tim Ward (Houston) combined for six sacks
• Luis Perez (Arlington) was 22-of-36 passing for 249 yards and three touchdowns.

Week 2 schedule:

Thursday, February 23

St. Louis at Seattle

Saturday, February 25

DC at Vegas

San Antonio at Orlando

Sunday, February 26

Arlington at Houston