XFL power rankings: Houston Roughnecks, Arlington Renegades look like teams to beat after Week 1
The 2023 XFL season kicked off over the weekend, and the league’s second restart appeared to be generally well received.
The play was competitive. Three of the four games were one-possession contests where the final seconds were at stake. There was only one blowout, and even that included an impressive performance from the Houston Roughnecks’ high-octane offense.
The quarterback game was mixed. Signal callers across the league collectively completed 64.8 percent of their passes, but they also struggled with interceptions. The St. Louis BattleHawks were the only team not to throw, and the quarterbacks combined for just 11 touchdowns versus 12 interceptions.
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However, these were just small bumps. Most importantly for the XFL, the games were largely close and contested. Now they can focus on further improving the quality of the game as each team builds chemistry and gets used to each other on the pitch.
But which XFL teams are looking the best after Week 1? The Sporting News breaks down and ranks the eight teams as each prepares for their Week 2 matchup.
XFL Performance Ranking
1. Houston Roughnecks (1-0)
- Last game: Beat Orlando Guardians 33-12
- Next: v Arlington Renegades (Sunday)
The Roughnecks were the most dominant team in the 2020 XFL restart, and it looks like they’ll be similarly strong in 2023. Houston played a full game against the Orlando Guardians when his offense fell 353 total yards behind a strong display from big-armed quarterback Brandon Silvers (272 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions) and slippery running back Max Borghi (12 touches, 74 yards, a touchdown).
On the defensive, the team coached by Wade Phillips showed exactly what you would expect. The Roughnecks posted a whopping seven sacks, including four by Trent Harris, and forced the Guardians to three interceptions during the contest.
The Roughnecks certainly look like a contender, but it’s hard to tell if they were great or if Orlando was inept. Their Week 2 game against the Renegades will tell fans a lot more about where they rank among the top teams in the XFL.
2. Arlington Renegades (1-0)
- Last game: Beat Vegas Vipers 22-20
- Next: at the Houston Roughnecks (Sunday)
Speaking of Renegades, they pull off an impressive win over a talented team of Vipers. Sure, their offense didn’t do much, as Drew Plitt only led three field goal drives during the contest. Still, the defense played at a high level in the second half and managed to turn the game on a dime.
Arlington allowed the Vipers to gain just 16 yards in the first 14 games of the second half. The Renegades also managed to notch two pick-sixes against Luis Perez; It was ultimately what allowed them to beat the Vipers despite Perez’s blistering start.
The Renegades have some areas to clean up, as coach Bob Stoops noted after the contest, and offensive red-zone efficiency is probably #1 on this list. Still, their top-tier defense makes them one of the best teams in the XFL; and if they manage to beat the Roughnecks in Week 2, they’ll likely be considered the No. 1 team in the league.
MORE: Bob Stoop’s coaching timeline
3. Vegas Vipers (0-1)
- Last game: Lost to Arlington Renegades 22-20
- Next: vs. DC Defenders (Saturday)
Is that too high for a team that lost? Perhaps there are two reasons the Vipers still look like one of the top teams in the XFL.
For starters, Vegas has one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the Spring League in Luis Perez, and he has had intermittent good performances during his loss to Arlington. He completed 14 of 17 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, and looked like he was on his way to a massive outing before struggling with interceptions in the second half.
Second, the Vipers lost to the Renegades, but they still had a strong defensive performance throughout the competition. In fact, the defense only allowed nine total points during the game. Meanwhile, Perez and the Vegas offense accounted for 13 of the points scored against them.
If the Vipers can reduce turnovers — especially those that lead to points — then Rod Woodson’s roster should be competitive any week. Of course, if they continue to struggle with sales, they will fall precipitously.
So it’s safe to say that the Vipers are under a lot of pressure to win their Week 2 home fight against the Defenders.
MORE: NFL fans want to adopt XFL’s fourth-and-15 onside kick rule after it stole the show in Week 1
4. DC Defenders (1-0)
- Last game: Beat the Seattle Sea Dragons 22-18
- Next: at Vegas Vipers (Saturday)
The good news: The Defenders were able to pull off a win over the Sea Dragons to get their season off to a good start. The bad news: The DC offense wasn’t great, totaling 177 yards and averaging 3.3 yards per game, good for the worst mark in the XFL in Week 1.
The main problem for the defenders was that they couldn’t throw the ball too well. Jordan Ta’amu completed just 8 of 19 passes for 86 yards and one interception. In truth, DC was saved a little by a pick-six from Ben DiNucci that gave the team a lead they wouldn’t give up.
On the plus side, the defenders turned the ball over just once while forcing three of their own, including DiNucci with 19 seconds remaining and fumbling the ball on the DC 1-yard line to seal the game. If they can stay clean again in the turnover column, then they have a chance to pull off the surprise against the Vipers.
5. St Louis Battle Hawks (1-0)
- Last game: Beat San Antonio Brahmas 18-15
- Next: at the Seattle Sea Dragons (Thursday)
BattleHawks are currently the lowest among teams to have achieved a Week 1 win. Why this? Well, they were behind for most of their game against the Brahmas and couldn’t do much on offense. At the first 58:35 of the game, the team got a meager three points.
By the end of the competition, things were changing quickly for St. Louis. The BattleHawks scored 15 points in a time span of 1:25 to play spoilers for the San Antonio viewers who came to see the Brahmas play for the first time. Quarterback AJ McCarron finished the game strong, throwing two touchdown passes in that span, and his performance in crunch time could help him move forward.
Elsewhere, the BattleHawks’ defenses were far from perfect, but their bend-don’t-break style of defense ultimately worked; Jack Coan and the Brahmas recorded just one touchdown drive during the game.
Even so, the BattleHawks have some holes on this side of the ball. Meanwhile, the team’s offensive play-calling left a lot to be desired — at least until the last couple of series.
However, it’s also possible that St. Louis got off to a slow start and picked up a rhythm at the right time. The BattleHawks can prove it with a faster opener against the Sea Dragons on Thursday. That appears to be coach Anthony Becht’s plan, with a seasoned quarterback leading the offense.
MORE: Why AJ McCarron is playing in the XFL after a long career as an NFL backup
6.Seattle Sea Dragons (0-1)
- Last game: Lost to DC Defenders 22-18
- Next: vs. St. Louis BattleHawks (Thursday)
You could argue that the Sea Dragons should be higher on this list. After all, they were within yards of beating the Defenders on the season-opening road. They just couldn’t make it thanks to a Ben DiNucci fumble on the penultimate turn of the game.
That drive was a microcosm of the game for Seattle’s offense. The Sea Dragons mostly moved the ball well through the air as DiNucci had 282 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on 35 of 54 passes. However, they were reversed by three turnovers, all by DiNucci. That included a pick-six that gave DC a lead it wouldn’t give up.
Still, Seattle has what it takes to be a complete team. His defense played well and that allowed the Sea Dragons to beat the Defenders 331 to 177 during the contest.
Now Seattle just needs to get a little more out of its running game so as not to put too much on DiNucci’s shoulders. The Sea Dragons can try that against the BattleHawks on Thursday.
7. San Antonio Brahmas (0-1)
- Last game: Lost to St Louis BattleHawks 18-15
- Next: at the Orlando Guardians (Sunday)
That placement may be unfair to the Brahmas, who played a rock solid game until the final two minutes on Sunday. That defensive collapse and the team’s inability to consistently score points under the microscope, however, show that San Antonio still has weaknesses to iron out.
The Brahmas’ run-dominated offense and grueling defense seemed to be working for most of the afternoon. They limited the BattleHawks to just three points for most of the game while San Antonio rushed for 133 yards, with Kalen Ballage (24 carries, 84 yards) getting much of the work.
Still, San Antonio’s late-game collapse on defense should leave a bad taste in the mouths of XFL fans. They allowed 15 points in under 90 seconds as they couldn’t stop McCarron from throwing two touchdowns, a 3-point conversion and a 22-yard completion on a fourth and 15 onside kick attempt to effectively destroying the game.
Hines Ward will have work to do as he tries to restart his squad after a draining defeat.
8.Orlando Guardians (0-1)
- Last game: Lost to the Houston Roughnecks 33-12
- Next: vs. San Antonio Brahmas (Sunday)
The Guardians certainly had the worst start to the season of the eight teams in the XFL. Not only were they blown away by Houston, it became clear they don’t have a solid starting quarterback.
Paxton Lynch threw a controversial touchdown on his first drive of the game and did little after that. He was replaced by Quinten Dormady, who led Orlando on another touchdown drive but threw two interceptions while playing from behind.
Orlando also fell behind early on and had to largely give up the run as a result. They had success with Jah-Maine Martin and Kelvin Taylor but only had 16 carries overall compared to 39 attempted passes.
The Guardians have some solid reception weapons and a nice looking running game, so some teams might have a hard time beating them. But until they figure things out at quarterback and play a little bit better at the back end of their defense, they’re considered the worst team in the XFL.