Thanks to a shocking rout, the D.C. Defenders have taken their first loss of the season, leaving the Houston Roughnecks as the lone unbeaten team after three games. They lead the XFL West by a game over Dallas, who won in Seattle in a defensive struggle in Week 3. Los Angeles sits in third in the West, tied with Seattle at 1-2 but holding the edge in touchdown differential, with a +1 as opposed to -1 for Seattle. In the XFL East, St. Louis and D.C. both have a 2-1 record, but D.C. now has a -1 touchdown differential and sits in second place. New York is 1-2, while Tampa Bay is still awaiting their first win. We have the Week 4 schedule as well as XFL betting thoughts for each matchup.
2020 XFL Week 4 Odds & Preview
Saturday, February 29
Los Angeles Wildcats at New York Guardians (2:00 pm ET, ABC)
There is a saying in the NFL that if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have any, and that might be even more true if you have three quarterbacks. Marquise Williams, Matt McGloin and Luis Perez all played against St. Louis, and Perez showed the most promise, particularly after a successful AAF campaign last year. The running game looked better, but you can’t run your way out of a deficit.
Next up for the Guardians is a visit from the Los Angeles Wildcats. They got their first win of the season in emphatic fashion, shellacking D.C. 39-9. Josh Johnson had three touchdown passes for the Wildcats, including a 40-yard bomb to Tre McBride. Along with Nelson Spruce, McBride makes one of the better pairs of wide receivers in the league. It helped that the Los Angeles defense grabbed four interceptions, two by Mike Stevens. That sort of effort will add confidence heading into Gotham.
Final Prediction: Los Angeles 27, New York 16
Seattle Dragons at St. Louis BattleHawks (5:00 pm ET, FOX)
Seattle got a pair of touchdown passes in the first half against Dallas from Brandon Silvers, but the Dallas defense got going in the second half. Austen Proehl had a solid game at receiver, but the Dragons just couldn’t run the ball.
St. Louis got the first kickoff return in XFL history on a play that featured a verse. St. Louis got off to the races and rolled over New York, 29-9. Matt Jones carried the ball 14 times for 95 yards and a score, and Christine Michael added 44 yards and a score on 13 carries. That running game gave Jordan Ta’amu some time in the pocket, and the defense also kicked in, giving New York just a pair of third down conversion in 10 chances.
Final Prediction: St. Louis 31, Seattle 16
Sunday, March 1
Houston Roughnecks at Dallas Renegades (4:00 pm ET, FS1)
The two Texas teams in the XFL meet in the former home of MLB’s Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon. Houston beat Tampa Bay, 34-27, last week, getting 306 yards and three touchdown passes from P.J. Walker, who threw the game-wining pass with 10:32 left, finding Cam Phillips. This is the best quarterback-receiver combo in the XFL right now. Through three games, Walker leads the XFL with 748 passing yards.
Dallas lost their opener thanks in part to missing quarterback Landry Jones to injury. Jones went 30 for 41 for 274 yards and three scores against Seattle, but he also threw a pair of picks. Tight end Donald Parham caught five balls for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He is putting up numbers right now that will get him an NFL chance if he doesn’t fall off.
Final Prediction: Dallas 27, Houston 24
DC Defenders at Tampa Bay Vipers (7:00 pm ET, ESPN2)
Tampa Bay’s offense finally got a little bit of traction after just scoring 24 points over the first two weeks. Quinton Flowers and Taylor Cornelius took turns at quarterback again, and they found Jalen Tolliver eight times for 104 yards. However, their defensive line could not mount pressure on the Houston quarterback, and all that pocket time ended up torching the Vipers.
The Defenders come to town ready to take out some frustrations after that rout last week. The D.C. offense ran for 200 yards, but Cardale Jones throwing those four interceptions might give some insight as to why he is here instead of on an NFL roster. D.C. also went just 2 for 13 on third down. The Defenders should regroup, given their talent, and deliver a lesson this weekend.
Final Prediction: D.C. 30, Tampa Bay 16
