XFL WEEK 2 POWER RANKINGS
1. HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (2-0)
LAST WEEK: RANKED 1
LAST GAME: DEF. ARLINGTON RENEGADES 23-14
NEXT WEEK: VS SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (1-1)
Here’s a question. Have you watched this team play? While the game was within a score at the day’s end. Houston just felt like the better team and looked like the best team for the second week in a row. Brandon Silvers is likely to lead the early on MVP race. He finished the evening 13-26 (meh), 155 yards, 2 TDs. A win against the Brahmas this week will put them in a great position at 3-0, in a ten-week season.
I don’t have much more to say about them, as their game play says it all.
2. D.C. DEFENDERS (2-0)
LAST WEEK: RANKED 4
LAST GAME: DEF. VEGAS VIPERS 18-6
NEXT WEEK: VS ST LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (2-0)
Gregg Williams, has this defense absolutely ballin’. This is just old school hard nose football that the Defenders are playing. They gave up a touchdown early on, and that was due to a fumble by DC QB, Ta’amu on the two-yard line.
The Defenders offense continued to struggle under the command of Ta’amu. Former Miami Hurricane QB, D’Eriq King came in and The Defenders scored 18 unanswered points with the help of their rushing game which accumulated a total of 229 yards.
RB Abram Smith (11/71/1) and Ryquell Armstead (15/58) were complemented by signal-callers Jordan Ta’amu (12/68) and D’Eriq King (4/32/1).
I think this is King’s job to lose now. I’m really excited to see how they will look with a full week of practice with him in command.
3. ST LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (2-0
LAST WEEK: RANKED 5
LAST GAME: DEF. SEATTLE SEA DRAGONS 20-18
NEXT WEEK: AT D.C. DEFENDERS (2-0)
Can I just say this? Well, I will. A.J. McCarron for MVP. Is he the current MVP? I don’t know, it’s week 2. What I do know is he’s in the running, but I just love this guy. He ended the night with 184 passing yards and 41 rushing.
He’s not blowing anything out of the water, but this is week 2? This is the second time he’s led his team down the field late to win the game. It’s not how you start, but how you finish.
We’re about to find out how much “Battle” these “Hawks” have next week against D.C. The offensive line has given up nine sacks in two games. That needs to be fixed immediately before playing the best defense in the league.
4. ARLINGTON RENEGADES (1-1)
LAST WEEK: RANKED 2
LAST GAME: LOSS TO HOUSTON RENEGADES
NEXT WEEK: AT ORLANDO GUARDIANS (0-2)
Can I be honest here? Renegades QB Drew Plitt frustrates me the most out of all the quarterbacks, including DiNucci (Seattle). This team has fight and stayed in a game that they really had no business being in. LaJuan Winningham had himself a night, with a four yard touchdown catch and two fumble recovers to help Arlington get a lead at 14-11, but again it was Plitt who hurt his team late.
Bob Stoops will rebound his team and they will be ready to go next week. My biggest concern still is the offense. We did see a little more glimpse of hope this week, but nothing that makes me feel I can trust them. Thankfully, they have Orlando this week, so it’s time to get some frustration out.
5. SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (1-1)
LAST WEEK: RANKED 3
LAST GAME: DEF. ORLANDO GUARDIANS 30-12
NEXT WEEK: AT HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (2-0)
San Antonio’s Jack Coan had a decent day behind center with two touchdown passes on the day. The problem? Orlando is bad, so which offense is real for San Antonio? Week 1 against the Battlehawks they led the league in rushing yards. This week, they adjusted and were slinging the ball like a hot potato all over the field. But again, it was…Orlando.
The Brahmas get a really good Houston team next week. Let’s see if they can put everything together and play a solid four quarters.
6. SEATTLE SEA DRAGONS (0-2)
LAST WEEK: RANKED 6
LAST GAME: LOSS TO ST LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS 20-18
NEXT WEEK: AT VEGAS VIPERS (0-2)
I’m absolutely torn with this team. I like them kinda… They’re fun, exciting, can score, but their quarterback… *Sigh* If I’m a Sea Dragons fan and I know DiNucci is starting, I know for three quarters he’s going to do his thing and then when the game matters, he’s going to do something and cost you the game. Thankfully, they have Vegas next week, but I have Vegas trending up because of their switch at QB.
Overall, I don’t know what to expect from the Sea Dragons, besides a heart check.
7. VEGAS VIPERS (0-2)
LAST WEEK: RANKED 3
LAST GAME: LOSS TO D.C. DEFENDERS 18-6
NEXT WEEK: VS SEATTLE SEA DRAGONS (0-2)
Similar to D.C., the Vipers felt a switch at QB was needed, and Brett Hundley I believe, is the answer. While the offense didn’t score with him under center, it ran a lot smoother for me. I think Hundley should be the man under center moving forward, but regardless, the offense needs work. Their defense is not bad at all. In fact, they are impressive. They just need to work on making it all mesh together.
Let’s see what happens with a week of Hundley leading practice.
8. ORLANDO GUARDIANS (0-2)
LAST WEEK: RANKED 8
LAST GAME: LOSS TO SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS 30-12
NEXT WEEK: VS ARLINGTON RENEGADES
Let’s start with the positive. The Guardians were looking to clean up the offensive line after giving up 7 sacks in Week 1. This week they only gave up two. That’s a positive.
Outside of that? There’s not many great things to talk about this team overall. Defensively, it’s all over the place. There seems to be no direction from anyone, and the same can be said offensively. Unfortunately, in their current state, there’s not much to be excited about, especially with an angry Arlington team coming to town.
Editor: Bobby Autin