Thursday night football is officially coming to the XFL. Well, it is for at least a week, anyway.
The Seattle Sea Dragons and St. Louis Battlehawks are set to start Week 2 of the 2023 XFL season early. The two North Division teams will do battle at Lumen Field in Seattle as the Battlehawks look to build on a win while the Sea Dragons look to bounce back after a loss.
Both the Sea Dragons and Battlehawks were in action on Sunday and will be asked to play on just a few days of rest. NFL teams do this once per season, so this will be a good test to see how the players fare with minimal preparation.
MORE: Watch the XFL with fuboTV (free trial)
Of course, it will also be of the utmost importance for coaches Anthony Becht (Battlehawks) and Jim Haslett (Sea Dragons) to have a plan to keep their teams healthy. Playing on a short week can often prove problematic from an injury standpoint, so the XFL's performance here — and whether it can succeed in preventing severe injuries — will determine whether this initiative is successful.
The quarterback matchup between AJ McCarron and Ben DiNucci should be a good one. So, too, should the battle of top receivers, as Josh Gordon leads the Sea Dragons' passing attack while Marcel Ateman, Darrius Shepherd and Austin Proehl round out a solid three-man receiving corps for McCarron and the Battlehawks.
Here's everything to know about how to watch Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons, including the channel its on, the start time and more.
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What channel is the Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons on today?
The Battlehawks and Sea Dragons game will be broadcast on FX. This represents one of the 15 XFL games that will be broadcast on the ESPN offshoot during the 2023 season.
ESPN's parent company, Disney, now owns FX. Disney acquired the network as part of its $71.3 billion purchase of 21st Century Fox, which was completed in 2019. For more information about FX, click here.
Those that don't have cable will still be able to stream the St. Louis vs. Seattle game. It will be live-streamed on ESPN+ and can also be seen using fuboTV, which offers a free trial for new subscribers.
MORE: What channel is FX? How to watch XFL games in 2023
Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons start time
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 23
- Kickoff: 9 p.m. ET
The Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons game is set to begin at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 23. That kickoff will be late for those on the East Coast, but the kickoff in Seattle will occur at roughly 6 p.m. local time.
The XFL Week 2 premiere will be played at Lumen Field, the home of the Sea Dragons in Seattle. They share a home with the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders, and the latter's weekend matchup against the Colorado Rapids may be part of the reason that the Sea Dragons game is being played on Thursday night.
POWER RANKINGS: Where BattleHawks, Sea Dragons rank among XFL's best
XFL schedule Week 2
Week 2 of the XFL season will be played over a span of four days with games being played on three of them. The week will start when the Battlehawks and Sea Dragons play on Thursday. Then, the D.C. Defenders and Vegas Vipers will play a stand-alone Saturday night game.
The week will then close with a two-game Sunday slate. The Guardians and Brahmas will fight to avoid an 0-2 start while the Renegades and Roughnecks do battle to see which team is the XFL's best to start the 2023 season.
Here's a look at the full schedule and how to watch each matchup.
Week 2
Thursday, Feb. 23
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel | Live stream |
| St. Louis Battlehawks at Seattle Sea Dragons | 9 p.m. ET | FX | ESPN+, fuboTV |
Saturday, Feb. 25
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel | Live stream |
| D.C. Defenders at Vegas Vipers | 7 p.m. ET | FX | ESPN+, fuboTV |
Sunday, Feb. 26
| Game | Kickoff time | TV channel | Live stream |
| San Antonio Brahmas at Orlando Guardians | 4 p.m. ET | ESPN | ESPN+, fuboTV |
| Arlington Renegades at Houston Roughnecks | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN2 | ESPN+, fuboTV |
To see the full 10-week schedule for the 2023 XFL season, click here.
