The XFL has cancelled the remainder of the 2020 regular season, in response to the coronavirus outbreak. With the exception of first-division soccer in Russia and Turkey, and some MMA promotions that will continue the action in smaller venues with no live audiences, much of the sports betting world is on pause right now. The top two teams from the XFL East and XFL West Conferences could advance to the playoffs, once play can safely resume. This week we are reviewing the seasons of the potentially playoff-bound XFL franchises, including the undefeated Houston Roughnecks and its XFL Odds.
XFL: Houston Roughnecks 2020 Season Analysis
Houston has been the dominant XFL team in 2020. The next-best record for any team in the league is the 3-2 mark that the St. Louis BattleHawks, the New York Guardians and the D.C. Defenders have put together. Houston has a +7 touchdown differential and a +47 point differential. They really only have one blowout win, the 37-17 shellacking of Los Angeles from the season opener. However, they have combined timely offense with defensive stops at the right time to grind out win after win.
Houston Roughnecks Offensive Analysis
When June Jones is running a team’s offense, you can never really count them out. Houston was down 14-0 and 23-14 in their win over Seattle in Week 5, but they came back to win the game by nine, scoring 18 unanswered points in the second half to seal the win. Quarterback P.J. Walker has thrived in Jones’ system, as he leads the XFL in passing yards, with 1,338. He has thrown 15 touchdown passes against just four picks with a season rating of 104.4. Cam Phillips leads the league in receptions (31), yards (455) and touchdown catches (nine).
On the ground, Houston has gotten enough out of tailback James Butler to keep defenses honest against the pass. Butler has carried the ball 46 times for 221 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry, scoring four touchdowns on the ground. That sort of balance has been what separates the Roughnecks from pass-only attacks.
Houston Roughnecks Defensive Analysis
Houston has not had the most suffocating defense, but they have gotten timely plays when they needed them. The Roughnecks picked off Landry Jones three times in the fourth quarter of Houston’s win over the Dallas Renegades; the points that Houston made off those turnovers helped give them enough of a margin to survive the comeback that Dallas staged in the second half.
Linebacker Beniquez Brown has been huge for the Roughnecks, leading the team with 36 tackles, tied for third in the league. Fellow backer DeMarquis Gates is right there with him, with 32 tackles. Having speed and physicality at the linebacker position has helped the Roughnecks foil opposing running games while adding to the pressure that the pass rush provides.
Houston Roughnecks Key Players / Key Numbers
P.J. Walker is in every conversation about top quarterback in the XFL, along with L.A.’s Josh Johnson and St. Louis’ Jordan Ta’amu. I would be surprised not to see Walker on an NFL roster this fall, given the numbers that he has put up. Garrett Gilbert, the top passer in last year’s brief run by the Alliance of American Football, was plucked up by the Cleveland Browns to back up Baker Mayfield.
I also expect to see Phillips running routes in the NFL this fall, given the way he has torched opposing defenses in XFL play. Some of that has to do with Jones’ system, but schemes don’t work without talented players working within them.
Houston Roughnecks Odds to Win the Championship
Currently, no odds are posted for the XFL Championship, as the league has not publicized a schedule for the semifinals and finals. Stay tuned for more information about XFL betting with respect to the title game. The league has committed to returning for a 2021 regular season; however, since the XFL has also allowed players to sign with NFL teams, it remains to be seen whether a playoff will even be viable, as the NFL’s league year begins on Wednesday.
