The Houston Roughnecks remain the lone unbeaten team heading into Week 5 of XFL action.
Houston beat Dallas 27-20 in an in-state battle that was the marquee matchup in Week 4. The Roughnecks have some competition in the top half of the league, however, that will be lurking heading into the final week of the first half of the season.
XFL WEEK 4: Saturday results, highlights | Sunday results, highlights
Here is a look at Sporting News' XFL rankings heading into Week 5:
XFL Rankings for Week 5
1. Houston Roughnecks (4-0)
P.J. Walker passed for 239 yards, two TDs and an interception in the victory against Dallas, and he did all that despite a quiet performance from Cam Phillips, who had one catch for nine yards. Walker has 987 passing yards, 12 TDs and two interceptions and remains the top quarterback in the league. Houston returns home to face Seattle in Week 5.
2. St. Louis BattleHawks (3-1)
Jordan Ta'amu is giving Walker a run for the title of best quarterback in the league. He showed that with 264 passing yards and 63 rushing yards in a 23-16 victory against Seattle. Will Hill led the defense with his second interception in as many weeks. Ta’amu is second in the league in passing yards (876) and fourth in rushing yards (186). St. Louis travels to D.C. in Week 5 for a big XFL East matchup that should have playoff implications.
3. Dallas Renegades (2-2)
The Renegades fell behind 15-0 before rallying against Houston, but the loss drops them two games behind in the XFL West. Donald Parham continues to be a matchup problem for defenses. He caught his fourth TD in Landry Jones' last three starts. Jones passed for 205 yards but also had three interceptions. Dallas averaged just 3.4 yards per play in the loss. The Renegades can bounce back at home next week against New York.
4. D.C. Defenders (2-2)
The Defenders are trending downward after another bad loss on the road. Tampa Bay blasted D.C. 25-0, and Cardale Jones struggled for the second straight game. Jones a 30.9 quarterback rating on 3.3 yards per attempt, and the running game managed 13 carries for 46 yards. D.C. is 2-0 at home and will look to end the slide against St. Louis.
5. New York Guardians (2-2)
The Guardians found their quarterback in former AAF star Luis Perez in a 17-14 victory against Los Angeles. Perez hit 18 of 26 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown. The passing totals are modest, but he didn’t turn the ball over. New York also has three players with a least two sacks. They remain in the playoff hunt in the XFL East despite the early-season struggles.
6. Los Angeles Wildcats (1-3)
Josh Johnson passed for 330 yards and two TDs and continues to improve at quarterback, but the Wildcats finished 2 of 11 on third down. New York hit the game-winning field goal with 10:54 remaining. Nelson Spruce (256 receiving yards) and Tre McBride (236) both rank in the top five in the league, so LA. will stay in games, but they need to finish. The Wildcats play Tampa Bay at home in Week 5.
7. Seattle Dragons (1-3)
The Dragons are the latest team to switch quarterbacks. Seattle benched Brandon Silvers for B.J. Daniels, a former star quarterback at South Florida, in the loss to St. Louis. Daniels was 5 of 10 for 50 yards, but he added seven carries for 84 yards. Seattle made it interesting after falling behind 17-3. Expect Daniels to take the snaps against Houston. That should be a better-than-expected matchup.
8. Tampa Bay Vipers (1-3)
Tampa Bay jumped out to a 16-0 halftime lead and outgained the Defenders 223-79 in the first two quarters. Taylor Cornelius was effective with 211 passing yards a TD and an interception. The running game was the story, however with De'Veon Smith (24 carries, 122 yards) and Jacques Patrick (21 carries, 108 yards) gashing the Defenders' defense. The Vipers got their first win, and they can build on it in Week 5 against LA.
