The XFL is officially back and roaring for 2023.

The 2020 XFL revival had promise, but was prematurely shut down due to pandemic forces. Three years later, with a change in ownership from Vince McMahon to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the XFL is back in action.

Personally, I consider it the XFL 2.5: not quite 3.0, as it’s largely a continuation of the 2020 iteration, with about half the teams staying the same in both name and location, while a couple teams changed markets.

There’s still just eight teams, which will make Power Ranking each week them much easier than keeping up with all 32 teams in the NFL on a weekly basis.

However, these Power Rankings represent a small sample size, especially when we don’t have years of information on teams and players as we do in the NFL.

Nonetheless, I’ll count down all eight teams from best to worst based on their Week 1 performances. Read on for my Post-Week 1 XFL Power Rankings and if you’d like to debate or discuss any rankings, or want to follow for more NFL and XFL content, be sure to connect with Sak Sports Blog on Twitter or on Facebook!

XFL Post-Week 1 Power Rankings

  1. Houston Roughnecks (1-0)
    • The Wade Phillips-led Houston Roughnecks beat up on the Orlando Guardians 33-12 for the biggest win of Week 1. Brandon Silvers had a so-so day, completing 26-of-42 passes for two touchdowns and two interceptions. But Houston’s defense came up big, forcing three interceptions and a fumble recovery. The Roughnecks improve to 6-0 dating back to 2020, as Houston was the league’s sole undefeated team left when the league suspended play.
  2. D.C Defenders (1-0)
    • The D.C. Defenders scored the only points of the fourth quarter to outlast the Seattle Sea Dragons 22-18 at Audi Field in Washington D.C. The passing game was almost non-existent for D.C., with starter and 2020 XFL standout Jordan Ta’amu completing 8-of-19 passes for 86 yards and an interception. Running the ball wasn’t much better, with five carriers averaging 2.5 yards per carry, but both Defenders touchdowns were on the ground. Winning the turnover battle three-to-one was the difference, making up for a poor offensive performance. The biggest turnover was the second-to-last play of the game: with Jamal Brooks forcing and recovering a fumble to seal the victory for D.C.
  3. St. Louis Battlehawks (1-0)
    • The St. Louis Battlehawks showcased just how fun the XFL can be in Week 1, receiving the ball down 15-3 with 2:52 left, and coming out on top 18-15 over the San Antonio Brahmas thanks to the XFL’s three-point conversion and fourth-and-15 onside-kick rules. A.J. McCarron completed 18-of-26 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns, with late connections with Austin Proehl (4 catches, 49 yards, TD, onside kick conversion) coming up clutch. Running back Brian Hill had an explosive 40-yard run to give himself a nice 9.2 yards per carry on 6 rushes.
  4. Arlington Renegades (1-0)
    • Drew Plitt and the Dallas Renegades battled back from a 14-3 halftime deficit to win 22-20 at home in Texas over the LAs Vegas Vipers. Plitt was accurate, completing 19-of-25 passes for 172 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception. Arlington’s defense came up with three turnovers: interceptions from De Vante Bausby and Tomasi Laulile, as well as a Jamal Carter forced fumble and recovery.
  5. Las Vegas Vipers (0-1)
    • After blowing a 14-3 halftime lead, Luis Perez and the Las Vegas Vipers had a chance to at least send the game to overtime, but couldn’t convert on a last-minute two-point conversion. Perez had a big passing day: 22-of-36 for 249 yards and three touchdowns, but threw two costly picks. Jeff Badet caught six passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
  6. Seattle Sea Dragons (0-1)
    • The Seattle Sea Dragons played a pretty decent football game, and were in position to win it late in the fourth quarter. Former Dallas Cowboy Ben DiNucci completed 35-of-54 passes for 282 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. DiNucci turned the ball over a third time at the goal line going in for a game-winning score: ultimately losing the game for the Sea Dragons. Josh Gordon had a huge first XFL game, hauling in six passes for 74 yards and a touchdown.
  7. San Antonio Brahmas (0-1)
    • Coach Hines Ward and the San Antonio Brahmas blew a 12-point lead with less than three minutes to play, blowing an alright offensive day with a late defensive breakdown. Brahmas quarterback Jack Coan completed 25-of-36 passes for 207 yards, tossing a touchdown and a pick. San Antonio’s rushing offense was actually the league’s best in Week 1, totaling 133 yards, with Kalen Ballage leading the way with 84 yards in 24 carries.
  8. Orlando Guardians (0-1)
    • Paxton Lynch completed 15-of-21 passes for a measly 136 yards, with a touchdown and a pick, as the Orlando Guardians starter before Quinten Dormady came in and took bigger risks (7.9 YPC vs. 6.5 YPC) but also tossed two picks. Together, Lynch and Dormady were sacked seven times in the 21-point loss.
SEE ALSO: XFL Re-Launches for 2023 with 15 Quarterbacks Drafted

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Posted on 0 By Billy Sakmann Sak Sports Blog Posted in Sak Sports Blog, XFL Tagged #, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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