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The XFL is six weeks into its season, and the Orlando Guardians have yet to win a game. With an 0-6 record, Orlando has the worst record out of all eight teams, and is the only team still without a win.
final. pic.twitter.com/l60gl52Oq9
— Orlando Guardians (@XFLGuardians) March 25, 2023
What’s going wrong for Orlando?
The Guardians are tied for fifth in scoring this season with 14 total touchdowns. They have only scored more than 20 points in a game one time this season, in a 35-32 shootout loss to the then-winless Vegas Vipers. In the first three weeks of the season, Orlando’s opponents outscored them 73-33. They struggled in the first two games, allowing Houston and San Antonio 33 and 30 points, respectively. Their defense showed up in week three, but their offense did not in an exciting 10-9 loss to Arlington.
On the season as a whole, the Guardians have been outscored by their opponents 175-90. While Orlando has a hard time scoring the ball, it has a hard time on the defensive end as well. San Antonio has scored the second fewest amount of touchdowns this season with eight, and still managed to put up 30 against Orlando.
However, the Guardians showed some life in their week six matchup against Seattle. The Sea Dragons are 4-2 on the season and are tied for third in touchdowns. Orlando put up a fight in the 26-19 loss. It’s offense outperformed Seattle, but couldn’t make enough stops defensively.
What’s next?
The XFL only has a 10-game season. With four teams in each division, only the top two make the playoffs. The good thing is that despite being winless, Orlando isn’t completely out of the playoff race yet as they chase 3-3 Arlington and 2-4 San Antonio. They match up with those two teams in two of their remaining four games, with the chance to steal some wins and put them into a better position in their division. However, the other two remaining games are against the league-best D.C. Defenders, sitting undefeated at the opposite end of the spectrum, and the 4-2 St. Louis Battlehawks. Both of these teams sit in playoff positions in their division.
Orlando must focus on securing a win this season much before they think about playoff implications. The Guardians take on the Defenders on Saturday and will look for an upset to get in the win column.
