XFL Power Rankings: Houston Roughnecks Reign Supreme After Week One

The Houston Roughnecks dominated the Orlando Guardians en route to a 33-12 win in week one of the 2023 XFL season. (Thomas Campbell/XFL via Getty Images)

The XFL has entered a new era. Led by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dany Garcia, the 2023 XFL season kicked off on Saturday and the action did not stop until Sunday evening. Along the way, A.J. McCarron led the St. Louis BattleHawks to an impressive comeback, Paxton Lynch was benched and the fans in Washington, D.C. were ready to revolt.

Heading into week two, there are a number of things to look forward to. The Washington, D.C. Defenders will look to take their running game on the road and the Orlando Guardians will attempt to bounce back from a tough blowout loss against the Houston Roughnecks. As the weekend nears, here are the first round of XFL power rankings.

1. Houston Roughnecks (1-0)

Last Week: Roughnecks def. Guardians, 33-12

This Week: Roughnecks v. Renegades (7 p.m. EST | ESPN 2)

Few teams looked more dominant down the stretch than the Houston Roughnecks did on Saturday. After working their way through a three-play, five-yard drive that resulted in a punt to open the game, the Houston Roughnecks were able to get things going behind the play of Deontay Burnett, who caught eight passes for 90 yards and a touchdown on the day. In the first half, the Roughnecks scored on four of their five possessions and seemingly put the game out of reach for the Guardians.

While the Roughnecks were able to hold off the Guardians and extend their lead to 21 points in the second half, Houston did have its moments. Most notably, Silvers threw two interceptions. Also, Houston’s sole touchdown in the second half was the result of a shortened field due to a muffed punt by the Guardians. In week two, the Roughnecks will have to play more as they did in the first half to beat the Arlington Renegades.

2. Arlington Renegades (1-0)

Last Week: Renegades def. Vipers, 22-20

This Week: Renegades v. Roughnecks (7 p.m. EST | ESPN 2)

Throughout the opening weekend of the XFL season, no team delivered a performance quite like the Houston Roughnecks. Following behind the Roughnecks, there was no other definitive performance. The DC Defenders showed no resemblance of a passing game throughout much of their four-point win on Sunday and the St. Louis BattleHawks looked downright awful on offense through the first 55 minutes of their showdown with the San Antonio Brahmas. As a result, the Renegades have made their way into the second slot of this week’s power rankings.

Opening up the new-look XFL, the Renegades and Vipers traded scores in the first two drives of the first half. From there, the Renegades punted twice, turned the ball over on downs and threw an interception. Fortunately, they had an opportunity to come back and redeem themselves in the second half. Unfortunately, they did little to redeem themselves on offense. In fact, they didn’t score an offensive touchdown throughout the entire game. The two field goals that the Renegades’ offense did contribute were the result of drives that began within the opposing team’s 40-yard line. Like many other teams in the XFL, the Renegades relied on their defense to provide turnovers that would lead to points. Heading into week to, the Renegades will have to do a bit better on offense or they’ll end up like the Guardians and no one wants to be the Guardians right now.

3. DC Defenders (1-0)

Last Week: Defenders def. Sea Dragons, 22-18

This Week: Defenders v. Vipers (7 p.m. EST | FX)

In week one, no team enjoyed a greater home-field advantage than the DC Defenders. Through the first two quarters and change, it looked as if the DC Defenders would fall short in their season opener due to a lack of offensive power. Then, it all changed. In the third quarter, Ben DiNucci dropped back to pass on third down and threw it straight to Michael Joseph, who ran it in for six. From then on, the crowd at Audi Field was rocking and seemingly impacting the Sea Dragons composure. DiNucci threw another pick in the fourth quarter before being stripped on the goal line to close out the game.

While the DC Defenders lived up to their name, the team’s offensive unit struggled at times with Jordan Ta’amu at quarterback. In fact, the Defenders finished the game with only nine completed passes for less than 100 yards. Furthermore, the Defenders only racked up 177 yards in total for the entire game. Heading into week two, it appears that the Defenders have an identity on defense, but their offense has to pick it up if they expect to beat the Vipers on the road.

4. St. Louis Battlehawks (1-0)

Last Week: BattleHawks def. Brahmas, 18-15

This Week: BattleHawks def. Sea Dragons (9 p.m. EST | FX)

No team was harder to read in week one than the St. Louis BattleHawks. With A.J. McCarron throwing the ball and former four-star recruit Kareem Walker handling the running game, many expected St. Louis to have one of the most dynamic offenses in the XFL. Through the first 50 minutes of the game, it appeared that St. Louis looked better on paper than they did on the field. Fortunately, the BattleHawks showed just how explosive they could be in the final 10 minutes of the game.

In the final minutes of Sunday’s showdown, McCarron was able to pilot two touchdown drives of 71 yards and 75 yards, respectively. To put that into perspective, the BattleHawks had generated 89 yards of offense and three points prior to those two drives. Heading into week two, McCarron, Walker and Austin Proehl have to be mindful about getting things going so late in the game. Otherwise, Seattle may get going and never look back.

5. San Antonio Brahmas (0-1)

Last Week: BattleHawks def. Brahmas, 18-15

This Week: Brahmas v. Guardians (4 p.m. EST | ESPN)

If anyone were to look at a stat sheet from Sunday’s game featuring the BattleHawks and the Brahmas, they would assume that San Antonio won handily. After all, the Brahmas ran 31 more plays, generated 89 more yards of offense, converted more third downs and possessed the ball for 17 more minutes than St. Louis. With all of that said, games aren’t played on box scores or stat sheets. Instead, they’re played in person. For all the good things that San Antonio did on Sunday, they only scored 15 points they lost the turnover battle. Not to mention, their defense fell flat on its face in the game’s biggest moments.

Heading into week two, the Brahmas will either play like a team that is motivated to make up for Sunday’s meltdown or fall short in a big moment yet again. Fortunately, they’ll share the field that many observers believe is the worst team in the league, the Orlando Guardians.

6. Seattle Sea Dragons (0-1)

Last Week: Defenders def. Sea Dragons, 22-18

This Week: BattleHawks v. Sea Dragons (9 p.m. EST | FX)

For more than two quarters, the Sea Dragons appeared to be the better team at Audi Field. Unfortunately, the XFL, like many other football leagues, plays four-quarter games. In the final 25 minutes of football on Sunday night, the Sea Dragons turned the ball over three times. Making matters worse, two of those turnovers led to points for the other team and the third turnover occurred at the goal line with the game hanging in the balance.

On the bright side, the stats from Sunday night’s game lean heavily in their favor. Seattle outperformed the Defenders in virtually every category, total yards gained, fourth-down efficiency, yards per play and yards per rush. Heading into week two, the Sea Dragons have to avoid turning the ball over in key moments and they need to establish the run. On Sunday night, Ben DiNucci dropped back 54 times. At certain points, their offense became entirely too predictable.

7. Vegas Vipers (0-1)

Last Week: Renegades def. Vipers, 22-20

This Week: Vipers v. Defenders (7 p.m. EST | FX)

Early Saturday afternoon, the Vegas Vipers appeared to be one of the best teams in the XFL. By the time the clock struck zero, several new concerns about Rod Woodson’s squad had emerged. Most notably, his veteran quarterback, Luis Perez, threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. In addition, Woodson’s Vipers relied heavily on the pass, running the ball just 15 times in their 54 offensive snaps. To top it all off, the Perez are working with an offensive line that is not nearly at full strength. While the Vipers appear to have a complete team with a lot of upside, there are a number of red flags about the Vipers when it comes to their offensive line, decision-making at quarterback and play calling. With that said, they were still within reach of the Renegades on Saturday. If the Vipers can make some changes on the offensive side of the ball, they have a shot at turning things around in the near future.

8. Orlando Guardians (0-1)

Last Week: Roughnecks def. Guardians, 33-12

This Week: Guardians v. Brahmas (4 p.m. EST | ESPN)

In week one, no team had a more disappointing performance than the Orlando Guardians. Despite running only three fewer plays, gaining 23 fewer yards and earning two fewer first downs, the Guardians suffered a three-touchdown loss at the hands of the Houston Roughnecks.

At different points throughout the game, the Guardians showed flashes of promise. In fact, Paxton Lynch and company opened up the game with a 10-play, 77-yard touchdown drive. They also put together an eight-play, 76-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, those drives were dampened by inconsistent play through much of the second and third quarters. Between those two touchdown drives, the Guardians punted the ball five times, missed a field goal turned it over on down twice and switched quarterbacks. After their final touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, they threw two interceptions.

Heading into week two, it’s hard to imagine what the Guardians will look like. Will they display the same level of efficiency and creativity they put forth on those two touchdown drives or will they look like the team that needed to switch quarterbacks?

 

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