Week 4 of the XFL was overall one of the best ones thus far, because with the exception that shutout that ended the weekend, every game was more closely contested – within seven points or less. Hopefully, we see more of that level of mutual competitiveness going forward. In the meantime, let’s get onto the XFL Power Rankings for Week 4, and see where everybody stands after some of this weekend’s madness.
Week 4 XFL Power Rankings
1. Houston Roughnecks (4-0) [Last Week: 1]
After scoring seven touchdowns in the first three games and having 194 receiving yards last week, Cam Phillips only had one reception for nine yards. This is telling of just how much of a problem Phillip “PJ” Walker and the Roughnecks are to stop in general. Their defense is still inconsistent, their running game is still utilized very little, and yet they keep winning and scoring more points than anyone else.
Obviously, Houston’s passing attack is pretty insane and has been consistently superb week in and week out. As long as that remains the case, they’ll probably continue to play well and score a lot of points. Their one-sided nature is normally not the best formula for success, but it’s working for them right now.
2. St. Louis BattleHawks (3-1) [Last Week: 2]
The BattleHawks are the only other team with a winning record right now in the XFL besides Houston. They’ve taken the lead firmly in the East Division, and unless the DC Defenders get their act together, that’s probably not going to change any time soon. They’ve been the most well-rounded team – an efficient offense both running and passing, as well as a good defense, which helped them jump out to a big early lead against Seattle.
Even when the running game struggled to do anything this week for once, Jordan Ta’amu did a lot of the work himself and ended up being their leading rusher. Based on prior weeks with Matt Jones and Christine Michael, this probably won’t normally be the case. But it’s also good to see that Ta’amu can carry the offense by himself if necessary.
3. Dallas Renegades (2-2) [Last Week: 4]
Earlier it was said that only two XFL teams have winning records. Furthermore, only three teams currently have positive point differentials… and this is the third one. Despite a horrific start from Landry Jones in the first quarter, the Renegades fought their way back into a pretty good game against the last undefeated team.
It’s unusual to lose and still jump up a spot in the XFL Power Rankings, but aside from Jones’ interceptions early on, the team played fairly well. Their running game helped them out again – Lance Dunbar had a good touchdown run. And the defense deserves credit for bottling up Cam Phillips, even if Walker was still able to defeat them otherwise. They’ve still got an iffy situation at quarterback, but their two losses have also come to the currently best two teams in the league. They may not be usurping the Roughnecks in the West Division, but they definitely look like the best bet for second place there right now.
4. DC Defenders (2-2) [Last Week: 3]
The Defenders are lucky they aren’t lower on the Rankings right now because they have played like absolute garbage in the last two weeks. They got blanked on the scoreboard this week, and have been outscored 64-9 the last two weeks. And both of their opponents were previously winless going into the game. Cardale Jones has gone from being an MVP contender to playing very poorly as well. If this continues next week, benching could be possible.
Their defense deserves just as much blame as their offense, though. They gave up over 250 rushing yards to the Vipers. Not to mention giving up 39 points to the 1-3 Wildcats last week. They need to do some serious regrouping if they’re going to get back to playing good football.
5. New York Guardians (2-2) [Last Week: 8]
Maybe starting Luis Perez was just what this offense needed? The Guardians still didn’t look particularly superb against the Wildcats. They essentially won because of two botched field goals on the Wildcats side. But they were more efficient, and they did run the ball better. And they avoided turnovers. And despite two weeks where they didn’t score a touchdown at all, they’re suddenly at 2-2.
Sometimes football does just involve being good at the right time. The Guardians still have work to do, but they’re tied for second place in the East Division right now. If they can find a way to keep the momentum going, they’ll be in good shape on the win-loss column. Leaning on the running game may be key going forward.
6. Los Angeles Wildcats (1-3) [Last Week: 5]
This team went from blowing out a previously 2-0 squad by 30 points to losing to a team that couldn’t score a touchdown for two weeks. They still seem to be on the right track; Josh Johnson played another good game even with Nelson Spruce injured. And they were two failed kicks away from getting another win. But they’re still 1-3.
The biggest problem with this team is a lack of a running game, but they’ve got most of the other issues right. They’ve got a strong passing attack and their defense isn’t that bad. But they’ve still been unable to finish the deal twice since Josh Johnson started playing. They’ve got to be able to finish games if they’re going to have a chance.
7. Tampa Bay Vipers (1-3) [Last Week: 7]
The Tampa Bay Vipers have a win! And thus the last winless team left the ultimate cellar. And in pretty impressive fashion too. They had two 100-yard rushers in De’Veon Smith and Jacques Patrick. Taylor Cornelius played decently again too. It’s their second well-played game in a row, and even though they’re 1-3, they’re definitely trending upwards.
And of course, we can’t forget that their defense pitched a shutout. The Vipers defense has been quite inconsistent, but they showed up against the Defenders. If they can continue to keep all these good things going, they might be able to make a turnaround. A battle up next with the Los Angeles Wildcats – another 1-3 team that really needs a win – will be telling for both squads.
8. Seattle Dragons (1-3) [Last Week: 6]
While other teams in bad win-loss positions are starting to get it together at the right time, this team just keeps falling downward on the XFL Power Rankings. On the plus side, benching Brandon Silvers and bringing in B.J. Daniels seemed to help, as they almost came back from a 17-3 deficit against St. Louis.
Still, they’ve definitely been struggling to get everything together for one good game. Even their one win occurred despite themselves and a poor passing attack. Then last week the passing attack improved but they still couldn’t win and collapsed in the second half – for the second time this season. Maybe they’ll turn things around next game like the Guardians did with a new quarterback. But unfortunately for them, they have to play the 4-0 Roughnecks next.
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