We are now halfway through the XFL season and have a good feel for what each team is all about. There have been some surprises along the way, with certain players and teams defying expectations and it will be exciting to see which teams make the playoffs come Week 10. Here are my midseason power rankings.
8. Seattle Dragons
After Week 5 Seattle sit bottom of the XFL West with a 1-4 record, and they are easily the worst team in the league. They have struggled on both sides of the ball and rank last in both total offense and yards allowed and have scored over 20 points just once all season.
The Dragons benched their starting quarterback Brandon Silvers after a rough start to season, and whilst his replacement B.J. Daniels has brought a running threat to their offense, he has done little to make a difference over his two games under center. Daniels has managed just one passing touchdown in his two games and is averaging 107 yards per game, with a 59 per cent completion percentage.
Their defense has been marginally better, ranking third and fourth in takeaways and sacks respectively, but have offered little where it truly matters, giving up almost 24 points per game and allowing a league-high 15 touchdowns. They are not out of the running, but there is a lot of improvement needed if Seattle are to have a chance of making the playoffs.
7. Tampa Bay Vipers
Tampa Bay are a difficult team to figure out. After losing their first three games and averaging just 13 points per game, they have improved significantly over the past two weeks, with a 25-0 win against DC and running the Wildcats close in a 41-34 loss.
Despite their improvement they cannot escape the fact that they have managed just one win all season though and that is why they sit seventh on this list. They rank sixth in both points allowed and takeaways and eighth in sacks and this will clearly need to improve if they are going to start winning games.
The silver lining for the Vipers is that their offense appears to have finally clicked now that they have settled on Taylor Cornelius as their starting quarterback. The team ranks first in total offense and third in total points and they have scored seven of their 11 touchdowns in their past two outings. Don’t be surprised to see them shoot up this list by the time the season is over.
6. New York Guardians
This may be a controversial choice at No. 6 given their 3-2 record, but I am wary of overhyping the Guardians after their win against a depleted Dallas team. They seem to have settled on Luis Perez as their starting quarterback after the early-season debacle with Matt McGloin, but for all of the team’s defensive talent, their offense has been woeful.
The Guardians’ offense is averaging a league-worst 15.8 points per game and have scored just eight touchdowns in five games. They are averaging 258.6 yards per game, ranked seventh in the league and despite Perez leading the team to two back-to-back wins, they have not been convincing.
The fact that the team are still in the hunt for the playoffs is down to their defense, which has allowed just 17 points per game and is ranked second in sacks and fourth in takeaways. Their season has just been too erratic for them to be ranked any higher on this list and you really don’t know which Guardians team you will get from week-to-week. Unlike the two teams with 2-3 records ahead of them, I just can’t see this team winning a big game against either of the current division leaders.
5. Dallas Renegades
Dallas have been a frustrating team to watch all season. Landry Jones has generally moved the ball well, but has been plagued by turnovers, with seven interceptions already this season. The team clearly has the talent on both sides of the ball to improve and they weren’t ranked as the preseason favourites for nothing.
Their running game has been strong and Donald Parham has impressed at tight end. Their defense has been solid and bailed out their quarterback’s mistakes on several occasions, but there is no getting away from the fact that at the midway point of the season, Dallas are a middle-of-the-road team. They rank fifth in points scored and fourth in points allowed and sit fourth and fifth in total offense and yards allowed respectively.
Their inability to win at home so far has been concerning and Philip Nelson doesn’t offer much in the absence of Landry Jones, but they have faced the two best teams in the league and run them close both times. The Renegades are too good to struggle for much longer and I see far more potential from them than the teams ranked below them.
4. Los Angeles Wildcats
It may seem odd to rank the Wildcats above the Guardians given their loss in Week 4, but since Josh Johnson has been starting at quarterback, they have been a legitimately impressive team. With a 2-3 record they are clearly a team with flaws, but they have shown their talent and each of their losses since Week 2 have been one-score games.
Their offense is what sets them apart from the likes of the Guardians, averaging over 25 points per game, ranked second in the XFL. Josh Johnson ranks second in passing yards and touchdowns, and leads the league in both passer rating and touchdown/interception ratio.
What holds this team back is their defense, who are allowing a league-high 24.4 points per game. They will continue to struggle if they can’t fix this, but the fact that they have one of the league’s best quarterbacks counts for something here.
3. DC Defenders
DC are perhaps the most confusing and complicated team on this list. They exploded out of the blocks at the beginning of the season, winning their opening two games with impressive performances from Cardale Jones. They then looked horrendous in Weeks 3 and 4, managing to score just nine points.
It is however difficult to overlook their brilliant performance in Week 5 against the BattleHawks, and that is why they sit at No. 3 on this list. DC held a dominant St. Louis offense to just six points all game and looked like the team that started the season so well.
The only worry here is the quarterback situation. Cardale Jones looks to have lost the starting job but Tyree Jackson has shown very little in his outings so far and the team have scored just one passing touchdown in their last three games. Their running game and defense look to be dominant, but they need to offer more at quarterback if they want to seriously challenge the two best teams in the XFL.
2. St. Louis BattleHawks
The BattleHawks are living proof that a team’s record doesn’t tell the full story. After a surprise loss at the hands of DC in Week 5, they now sit at 3-2. They are now second in the XFL East behind the Defenders but are clearly the best team in their division.
St. Louis are quite clearly the most well-rounded team in the XFL. Their offense ranks second in total yards and whilst he may not put up the touchdowns like P.J. Walker, Jordan Ta’amu ranks third in passing yards and leads the league in completion percentage. Couple this with a defense ranked second in yards allowed and first in total points allowed and you begin to realise how big the gap is between them and the Defenders at No. 3
Given that their opponents for the rest of the season are the Vipers, the Wildcats, and the Guardians, St. Louis will be confident of putting last weekend’s poor performance behind them and taking the division.
1. Houston Roughnecks
This one really is a no-brainer. The league’s only unbeaten team, Houston have been electric on offense all season. They lead the XFL in touchdowns with 21, and in points scored, averaging 31.6 points per game. They have the league’s best quarterback in P.J. Walker and the best receiver in Cam Philips, whose nine receiving touchdowns is more than double the next best.
Their defense has admittedly given up a lot of points, but they rank first in both sacks (15) and takeaways (12). Despite shipping over 22 points per game, they also rank third in yards allowed. Their unbeaten run is likely to come to an end at some point this season, but there is no denying that the Roughnecks are the best team in the XFL this season.
