Orlando Guardians Suffer Tough Loss in XFL Week 1

XFL Week 1 kicked off less than a week after the closing of the NFL season. The eight-team league is in service for the first time since their rebooted season in 2020 was cut short by Covid-19.

Orlando Guardians vs. Houston Roughnecks

Paxton Lynch put up the first points of the game with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Cody Latimer for the Guardians. This is not the first time this passing-catching duo has hit the field together. The two played together on the Denver Broncos in 2017.

Although the Guardians had an early lead, the Roughnecks responded accordingly.

Houston’s defense shut down Lynch very early on and registered seven sacks. Linebacker Trent Harris racked up four sacks alone.

The roughnecks put up 24 unanswered points following Latimer’s early touchdown reception. Lynch was eventually benched for Quentin Dormady after an interception in the third quarter.

Brandon Silver threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns for the Roughnecks. Also, Houston running back Max Borghi ran the ball in for a 27-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Houston dominated the contest with a final score of 33-12 in their favor.

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Vegas Vipers vs. Arlington Renegades

The Vipers played the Renegades in a close matchup.

The Vipers held a lead through the first half but fell short early in the second half.

The Renegades capitalized off two turnovers in the third quarter including a 4-yard pick-six by Renegades cornerback De’Vante Bausby. Arlington’s strong second-half performance was enough to get them a 22-20 win over Vegas.

Other Highlights

The Seattle Sea Dragons played the DC Defenders on Sunday.

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci scored on the first drive with a six-yard flick to wide receiver Josh Gordon. Gordan was an All-Pro wide receiver with the Cleveland Browns.

The Sea Dragons had a lead throughout the game but lost control after the Defenders forced three turnovers in the second half.

DC took the 22-18 win late in the second half over Seattle.

The St. Louis BattleHawks made an outstanding comeback effort against the San Antonio Brahmas. Former NFL quarterback AJ McCarron led a 15-point comeback with only 3:02 left in the game.

The BattleHawks took an improbable lead with a final touchdown connection to Austin Proehl with 16 seconds left in the game. St. Louis won the game 18-15 over the Brahmas.

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