Around the XFL: Week 3

Story posted February 25, 2020 in

P.J. Walker is officially an XFL legend. Through the first three weeks of play, Walker has easily been the league’s best and most marketable player. He’s led the Houston Roughnecks to a perfect 3-0 start, including a tight 34-27 win over the winless Tampa Bay Vipers. In the contest, Walker threw for just over 300 yards and three touchdowns, also rushing for an additional score. On the season, Walker now has 11 total touchdowns and just one interception. For the Vipers, at least they can finally say they’ve scored an offensive touchdown, as they scored three times against Houston in arguably the best game they’ve ever played.

The second game that took place that Saturday saw the Dallas Renegades travel to Seattle to take on the Dragons. Both teams were 1-1 heading into the game but the storyline in this one was all about Cameron Artis-Payne. The Renegades running back ran for 80 yards on the ground and was second on the team in receptions, only behind Lance Dunbar. The Renegades overcame a two-interception performance from Landry Jones, pulling out a 24-12 win in Seattle. The Renegades scored 18 of their 24 points in the second half while Brandon Silvers and the Dragons offense went cold, not scoring a single point in that frame.

Sunday’s slate of games started in St. Louis, as the BattleHawks welcomed the New York Guardians. Whatever happened last week in D.C. for the Guardians definitely affected their offense, as once again, they went cold. Matt McGloin was benched for the second week in a row in favor of Marquise Williams and Luis Perez. None of the three quarterbacks could get any offense going, as the Battlehawks rolled to a 29-9 victory. Not only did the Battlehawks move to 2-1 with the win, but they also recorded the first ever kickoff return touchdown in the XFL, as Joe Powell ran it back 84 yards in the second quarter after receiving a lateral.

The final game of the weekend featured the undefeated DC Defenders and the winless Los Angeles Wildcats. This would end up being the week’s biggest upset. The normally dominant Defenders completely fell apart, as the normally dominant Cardale Jones threw a whopping four interceptions, two of which went to Matthew Stevens. Josh Johnson fully assumed the starting quarterback role for the Wildcats, throwing three touchdowns as the Los Angeles offense finally woke up, earning an impressive 39-9 victory.

 

Logan Bourandas is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.