XFL Week 4: Highlights, game recaps, top players, news
By ESPN staff
It’s Week 4 of the XFL season — already? It has been nearly one month of fun (especially in Houston).
The undefeated Houston Roughnecks continued their hot start, beating the Orlando Guardians 44-16 and improving to 4-0 on the season. The Seattle Sea Dragons improved to 2-2, holding the Brahmas to no touchdowns.
But the big story of the weekend is the 38,310 fans who showed up in St. Louis to root on the Battlehawks for the first time this year. That’s an XFL record, and they even treated that crowd to a win! We love to see it.
To close out the weekend, the D.C. Defenders also improved to 4-0 with a 32-18 win over the Vegas Vipers. The infamous beer tower also made an appearance.
This weekend’s games
Houston Roughnecks 44, Orlando Guardians 16
Wade Phillips’ Roughnecks (4-0) got off to a quick start scoring 20 unanswered points in the first quarter — which included a 42-yard fumble return by William Likely. Quarterback Brandon Silvers completed 24 of 30 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions. Receiver Travell Harris scored a 21-yard touchdown and a 59-yard touchdown. Running back Dejoun Lee added two 1-yard touchdown runs to seal the Roughnecks’ fourth win in as many weeks.
The highlight of the Guardians’ (0-4) night was an 81-yard touchdown pass from Paxton Lynch to Charleston Rambo.
Jontre Kirklin catches a pass, then slings the ball down the field to Deontay Burnett
Seattle Sea Dragons 15, San Antonio Brahmas 6
Photo via The San Antonio Express News
It was all the Sea Dragons (2-2) in the second half of Saturday’s game. After the lone touchdown pass from Ben DiNucci to Juwan Green in the first half, the Sea Dragons took the lead with a 35-yard field goal and sealed the deal with a 1-yard touchdown run by Morgan Ellison in the fourth quarter.
DiNucci became the first XFL player to throw for 1,000 yards on the season. The Brahmas QB Jack Coan went 20-for-39 and 189 yards with no touchdowns as San Antonio falls to 1-3 on the season.
Morgan Ellison takes a 1-yard touchdown up and over the pile to extend the Sea Dragons’ lead.
St. Louis Battlehawks 24, Arlington Renegades 11
The Battlehawks (3-1) put on a show for all 38,310 in attendance for their first home game of the season. Quarterback AJ McCarron completed 20 of 27 passes for 214 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Darius Shepard scored on a 27-yard pass from McCarron before halftime to take an 11-3 lead. Brian Hill added a 15-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter to make the score 17-3. The Renegades (2-2) came back with a 1-yard rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter to put them within a touchdown, but the Battlehawks’ Hakeem Butler scored a 25-yard touchdown minutes later to secure St Louis’ 24-11 lead.
Renegades QB Kyle Sloter completed 23 for 29 passes for 205 yards but threw three interceptions with no touchdown passes.
A.J. McCarron finds Darrius Shepherd on the 27-yard touchdown as the Battlehawks lead 11-3 vs. the Renegades.
D.C. Defenders 32, Vegas Vipers 18
The St Louis Battlehawks against the D.C. Defenders at Audi Field on March 5th, 2023, in Washington, DC. (© Abigail Dean/XFL)
Defenders running back D’Eriq King stole the show on Sunday night, recording two rushing touchdowns and a touchdown PASS to Jequez Ezzard for a 32-yard score. The rushing scores came in the first half and had the Defenders leading 14-6 at half.
The teams traded scores in the fourth quarter, but the Vipers (0-4) were unable to overcome the Defenders (4-0) and remain winless on the season.
Vipers QB Luis Perez went 23-for-32 for 283 yards with two touchdown passes and one interception. Defenders QB Jordan Ta’amu completed 14 of 19 passes for 177 yards and no touchdowns.
