The XFL came back this past weekend and, overall, I think it was a smashing success! Before we get to the games, let’s take a look at our betting strategy. If you missed it, you can check that here. Not only did we GUARANTEE that you’ll make money or we would reimburse you….but we indeed DID IT!!! I went 5-3 in my picks and was an amazing 4-0 ATS. My only downfall was the O/U where I miscalculated that they have a 25 second play clock and A LOT of plays. But, my home run said that Marc Trestman STILL sucked, and he DID! IT was great. A great weekend of football….and, and….THE ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS WON! As 9.5 point underdogs, they actually won the damn game. And then celebrated with Bud Light Seltzer in the locker room!
Decent weekend, guys. But let’s look at the overall picture and discuss some of the winners and losers of the first weekend of the XFL.
Winner – Rule changes
Overall, the rule changes are a positive thing, they got people talking, and they’re a little safer than the traditional NFL. From the kickoffs to the extra points (or lack thereof), it was a nice change of pace. The timing rules in the last 2 minutes of a half took some getting used to and I was super confused why people wouldn’t just run out of bounds, but maybe I’ll figure that out eventually. The only downside is no one attempted a 3 point PAT.
Loser – Ricky Walker
In the game between the Vipers and the Guardians, DT Ricky Walker was ejected for punching another player right under the helmet. Essentially punching their throat. Then, seemed shocked he was getting thrown out before “soaking it up” and holding up some hand signal as he walked to the locker room. Let’s make sure this guy gets cut and is never on a professional football field again.
Winner(s) – QBs Matt McGloin, Phillip Walker, and Cardele Jones
Cardele Jones is now 13-0 as a starting quarterback. That’s 12-0 at Ohio State and 1-0 in the XFL. I’m not sure, but you’d think he would be on an NFL team SOMEWHERE. He didn’t look amazing, by any stretch but he was 16-26 for 235 yard and 2 TDs. He also added 28 rush yards with no turnovers. That’s solid enough to get you some wins.
Phillip Walker of the Houston Roughnecks went 23-39 for 272 yard and four (4!!) TDs in his debut. He did have an interception, but looked good hitting 8 different receivers and a TD pass to 4 different receivers.
Matt McGloin was 15-29 for 182 yards and a TD while also scampering in for a 1 yard TD for the New York Guardians. The Guardians were home dogs and absolutely trounced the Marc Trestman led Vipers (sorry, just love hating on Trestman).
Loser– Aaron Murray
Speaking of the Vipers, Aaron Murray, former Georgia standout, reminded people why he’s NOT in the NFL. He went 16-34 with 2 picks and it looked a couple times like he might be benched in favor of Flowers. He ultimately always came back in but this was not a good performance in week 1 for Murray.
Winner – TV Networks
Apparently the first XFL game of the weekend drew 3.3 million viewers and peaked at 4.0 million. That’s pretty solid. Attendance at games, in case you were wondering was between 17,000 and 18,000 for every game.
Loser(s) – Cameron Artis-Payne, Cristine Michael, and all running backs
Cameron Artis-Payne rushed twice for 6 yards. I don’t really understand this? He was one of the bigger names coming into the season and he was a non-factor. He did throw and complete one pass for 10 yards, so there’s that? The other guy I’ve been bragging about? Christine Michael? 7 rushes, 0 yards. What’s going on with the run games? The leading rusher for the weekend was former NFL player (and BattleHawk) Matt Jones who had 85 yards. The next closest had 79 and then 43. There were only two XFL teams who rushed for more than 100 yards. I’m not sure if this is a style thing or if this will even out as the season moves on.
Winner – Sports Gambling
Not only did I win some money (and you should have, too, if you listened!) but one thing I LOVED was the fact that the betting lines were displayed on TV the entire game.
This shows (blurry so I’m sorry) that the O/U was 51.5 and DC was favored by 5.5. This is cool to keep in mind as you watch the game and remind you of what you bet. Pretty cool thing that I think will become more and more popular as time moves on.
So there you have it! That’s week 1 in a nutshell. What did you think of week 1 of the XFL? Drop down and let us know in the comments!