After five games, there is a three-team logjam atop the XFL East, as the D.C. Defenders, the St. Louis BattleHawks and the New York Guardians all have 3-2 records. The Defenders and the Guardians have negative touchdown differentials despite winning records. Tampa Bay sits in the East basement with a recore of 1-4. In the XFL West, Houston remains the league’s lone unbeaten team with a 5-0 record. Behind them, the sliding Dallas Renegades, losers of two in a row, have slipped into a tie with the Los Angeles Wildcats, with identical 2-3 records, while Seattle is in last with a 1-4 record. Can Houston keep up their winning ways? Can D.C. get back to their earlier dominance? Can Dallas reverse their slide? Take a look at our XFL betting preview of this weekend’s action.
XFL Week 6 2020 Games Previews & Odds
Saturday, March 14
Houston Roughnecks at N.Y. Guardians (2:00 pm ET, ABC)
It looked like Houston was headed to defeat last week, as Seattle jumped out to a 14-0 lead. However, P.J. Walker led the Roughnecks on two touchdown drives before halftime and then pushed them to 18 unanswered points in the second half. Walker threw for 351 yards and three scores, giving him a 15:4 TD:INT ratio at the halfway mark of the season. Cam Phillips caught ten passes for 122 yards and two scores.
Luis Perez looks like the starter at quarterback for New York now. He threw for 229 yards and an interception — but he also had an 80-yard bomb to Colby Pearson that pushed the Guardians to their 30-12 won over Dallas. Special teams provided a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Austin Walter, and Ryan Mueller added a pick-six.
Final Score Prediction: Houston 24, New York 20
St. Louis BattleHawks at Tampa Bay Vipers (5:00 pm ET, FS2)
St. Louis took a tough road loss last week. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu went 15 for 25 for 175 yards, and Matt Jones and Christine Michael combined for 139 rushing yards on 25 attempts, but the BattleHawks went in the red zone three times and did not score once. The offense wasted a strong defensive effort from Terence Garvin, who had 16 tackles.
Tampa Bay had a 17-0 lead over the Wildcats but frittered it away. Taylor Cornelius threw for 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns — but also had a pair of picks. Jalen Tolliver, Reece Horn and Dan Williams combined for 18 catches and had at least 86 yards apiece. In three of Tampa Bay’s losses, the margin has been by eight points or fewer.
Final Score Prediction: St. Louis 30, Tampa Bay 27
Sunday, March 15
Dallas Renegades at D.C. Defenders (4:00 pm ET, FS1)
Cardale Jones was sent to the bench for D.C., as he had followed up two dominant passing performances with two abysmal ones. Tyree Jackson came on and went 9 for 14…for just 39 yards. However, Jhurell Presley keyed the offense with 107 rushing yards on 15 carries, and the Defender defense lived up to its name, getting stops in the red zone. D.C. has not lost at home.
Dallas is missing Landry Jones (knee) at quarterback. Backup Philip Nelson went 28 for 49 for 210 yards and a pair of interceptions, including a pick-six, at New York last week. The running game did not help much as the Renegades carried the ball 14 times for just 56 yards. Jones is expected to miss the D.C. game as well.
Final Score Prediction: D.C. 23, Dallas 10
L.A. Wildcats at Seattle Dragons (7:00 pm ET, ESPN2)
The Wildcats got into a track meet with Tampa Bay and held on for a 41-34 win. Tampa Bay had a 17-0 lead, but then Josh Johnson threw four touchdowns to lead the comeback. Johnson has posted an 11:2 TD:INT ratio in his last two games. The Wildcats scored all five times they made it into the red zone. Can they keep things going in Seattle?
Seattle emphasized the running game last week, but they needed 32 carries to eke out 100 yards. P.J. Daniels picked up 30 of those rushing yards, and he also went 14 for 22 for 114 yards. He has a hard time getting the ball down the field, though. Seattle had the lead on Houston at two different times, so can they hold on against the Wildcats?
Final Score Prediction: Seattle 20, Los Angeles 16
