Four Downs: DC Defenders vs. New York Guardians Post-Game Recap

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 8: Fans celebrate during the game between the Seattle Dragons and the DC Defenders on February 8, 2020 at Audi Field in Washington, DC. (Photo by Shawn Hubbard/XFL)

The Defenders did everything they were supposed to do this week. While their defense was outstanding, they didn’t rely on defensive touchdowns to carry their offense. Instead, Cardale Jones completed over 60% of his passes for nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Jhurrel Pressley and Donnel Pumphrey showed their big play ability with runs of 17 yards and 23 yards respectively. Not to mention, the Defenders were absolutely dominant on the defensive end of the ball. The Guardians were held to under 150 yards of total offense. Furthermore, Matt McGloin was benched during the fourth quarter after posting a QBR of 10.1. It was an all out blowout. More importantly, it sets the stage for their two game road trip to end the month. After eight quarters of football, here are the four big takeaways of DC’s 2-0 start.

First Down: The Defenders running game is showing signs of life.

There weren’t too many nice things said about the Defenders run game last week. Despite winning by two touchdowns, their quarterback, Cardale Jones, led the team in rushing yards for the majority of the game. While Jones is a dual threat quarterback, he should not be outperforming Donnel Pumphrey and Jhurrel Pressley on the ground. In week two, the Defenders run game struggled at times, but it showed glimpses of what it could be as the season goes on. Pressley and Pumphrey each had runs for over 15 yards during the game. Moreover, Pumphrey averaged over four yards per carry on each of his twelve rushes. As Pep Hamilton said after the game, their run game still needs improvement. However, that doesn’t mean there weren’t bright spots on Saturday.

Second Down: Anthony Johnson is who we thought he was.

Late last week, Brandon Sylve learned that he would no longer would be playing for the Defenders after recording a pick six in week one’s win against the Seattle Dragons. In exchange for Sylve, the Defenders gained a valuable force on the defensive line, Anthony Johnson. After flying to the nation’s capital the day before, Johnson was able to record 1.5 sacks. If he can do that without really practicing with his team, I’m excited to see what he can do in week three when he returns to Los Angeles to play against his former team.

Third Down: DeAndre Thompkins is Cardale Jones’s new favorite weapon.

After an impressive performance in week one, Cardale Jones came up big again in week two. The former Ohio State quarterback threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite weapon this week was DeAndre Thompkins. After being sidelined in the season opener, Thompkins caught six passes for 92 yards and a touchdown against the Guardians.

Fourth Down: The Defenders have the best defense in the league.

Last week, the Defenders scored twelve points on defense. This week, they only scored six points, but that was all they needed to do to outscore the Guardians on Saturday. As mentioned previously, Johnson came up big with 1.5 sacks, Matt Elam had an interception, Rahim Moore Sr. forced a fumble and Jameer Thurman had a pick six. All in all, the Defenders held the Guardians to five first downs and 137 total yards.

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