Quarterback Philip Nelson started for the injured Landry Jones and led the Renegades to their first loss of the season.
XFL Week 1 Quarterback Rankings – Statistical Recap
Dallas Renegades, Philip Nelson Come Up Short against the St.Louis Battlehawks, Lose 15-9
First Quarter
The first quarter was relatively uneventful, with both teams failing to score any points. The Renegades threw the ball early and often in the first quarter which was surprising considering that second-string quarterback Phillip Nelson was making the start. Head Coach Bob Stoops called a lot of short and quick passes early for the inexperienced quarterback to help get relax him and get his feet wet.
The Battlehawks took a different approach and came out with the purpose of running the football. Despite the strong effort to establish the ground game in the first quarter, running back Matt Jones was never really able to break into the second and third levels of the defense on a consistent basis.
Second Quarter
After a mostly uneventful first quarter, the Renegades were finally able to break into the redzone of the Battlehawks, but sadly had to settle for a 32-yard field goal from kicker Austin MacGinnis. The Renegades wouldn’t score again until the end of the second quarter, where they once again had to settle for a 42-yard field goal.
The second quarter went much better for the Battlehawks, as head coach Jonathan Hayes made a conscious effort to heighten the pace of his offense. The Renegades switched to no-huddle at various points throughout the second quarter and were rewarded with a long, 62-yard drive that ended with a 16-yard touchdown run by former Texas A&M running back Keith Ford. The Renegades were unable to convert their conversion attempt and thus were left with just six points.
Third Quarter
With the game all tied up heading into the third quarter, both teams hopped that they were a few halftime adjustments away from taking over this game. Philip Nelson and the Renegades struggled heavily on offense in the first half. Despite scoring twice, they failed to be able to execute any plans past 10 yards. Everything was coming from short gains on the ground and dump-off passes within five yards of the line of scrimmage. Sadly none of that changed in the third quarter, but the Renegades did manage to score the only points of the quarter; once again settling for a field goal, this time from 23 yards.
The Battlehawks failed to score any points in the third quarter. Penalties played a major factor in that, as their two lone drives of the quarter were both killed by gut-wrenching penalties. Clearly not what Coach Hayes had in mind as he was making his adjustments at halftime.
Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter is where things went downhill quickly for the Renegades. They had three drives, all which resulted in zero points. Their inability to run the ball, and stretch the field with the passing game, finally caught up to them. The first drive of the quarter, for the Renegades, went for seven plays and just 29 yards. Their following two drives only went three plays, with the last one ending in an interception.
The Battlehawks were finally able to find their groove in the fourth quarter, as quarterback Jordan Ta’amu was able to orchestrate two 10-plus play drives, one resulting in a touchdown and the other resulting in a field goal. This managed to be enough for the Battlehawks, as they were able to win the game with a final score of 15-9.
XFL Week 1 Quarterback Rankings – Statistical Recap
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