XFL scores Week 1: Full results, highlights from Saturday, Sunday games

Edward Sutelan

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XFL scores Week 1: Full results, highlights from Saturday, Sunday games image

The XFL finally returned on Saturday, getting started with an entertaining comeback win for the Arlington Renegades and an impressive performance by the Houston Roughnecks later on.

The relaunch of the spring football league was long-awaited for spring football fans. The XFL appeared to be a strong alternative league when it returned in 2020 after a two-decade hiatus. However, the pandemic and Vince McMahon's bankruptcy filing  ended the second edition of the league and raised questions about its future.

On Saturday, the league returned hoping the third time is the charm. The XFL is now owned by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, and its first week of games will take place. The league is similar to the last edition, with even several of the teams' cities and names remaining the same. All games will be carried on the ESPN family of networks.

MORE: Watch the XFL live with fuboTV (free trial)

The Sporting News is tracking the action from Week 1 of the 2023 XFL season. Follow along for the latest news, updates and highlights from Saturday's and Sunday's games.

XFL COVERAGE:

XFL scores

Saturday, Feb. 18

Game Time (ET) Score
Vegas Vipers at Arlington Renegades 3 p.m. ET Renegades 22, Vipers 20
Orlando Guardians at Houston Roughnecks 8:30 p.m. ET Roughnecks 33, Guardians 12

Sunday, Feb. 19

Game Time (ET) Score
St. Louis Battlehawks at San Antonio Brahmas 3 p.m. ET Battlehawks 18, Brahmas 15
Seattle Sea Dragons at D.C. Defenders 8 p.m. ET Defenders 22, Sea Dragons 18

Vegas Vipers at Arlington Renegades highlights

(All times Eastern)

The Renegades rode a strong defensive to a 22-20 victory over the Vipers. Arlington scored 19 unanswered points in the second half after trailing 14-3 at halftime to earn the victory. Their defense accounted for two touchdowns on two pick-sixes against Luis Perez.

3:16 p.m. — Luis Perez finds Jeff Badet for the third time of the opening drive for a 5-yard touchdown.

3:23 p.m. — Tyler Vaughns makes a spectacular toe-tap catch to keep an Arlington drive alive. 

 3:37 p.m. — Colin Schooler logs the XFL's first sack of the 2023 campaign to force a Vipers punt.

4:02 p.m. — Renegades QB Drew Plitt threads the needle on a pass to Tyler Vaughns for a first down.

4:05 p.m. — P.J. Dawson fires through the gap on fourth down to force a turnover on downs. 

4:42 p.m. — Max Roberts gets a fourth-down stop via a strip sack. 

4:44 p.m. — The Renegades get their first touchdown of the game thanks to a pick-six by defensive tackle Tomasi Laulile.

5:02 p.m. — Jordan Smallwood makes an excellent one-handed catch. 

5:31 p.m. — De'Vante Bausby logs Arlington's second pick-six in the second half. 

5:50 p.m. — Cinque Sweeting of the Vipers scores a touchdown with eight seconds left but Vegas can't convert the 2-point try to tie the game.

Orlando Guardians at Houston Roughnecks highlights

The Roughnecks rolled past the Guardians in their season opener, scoring on three second quarter drives and holding on in the second half despite a pair of turnovers. Paxton Lynch and Quinten Dormady combined for three interceptions in Orlando's loss, while Brandon Silvers threw for 265 yards in Houston's big win. 

(All times Eastern)

8:45 p.m. — Paxton Lynch throws a pass to Cody Latimer in the end zone. The play is ruled a touchdown on the field and it couldn't be overturned on review.

9:10 p.m. — Brandon Silvers fires a back-shoulder touchdown pass to Jontre Kirklin to tie the game at six.

9:28 p.m. — Deontay Burnett makes a one-handed catch on a deep ball from Brandon Silvers. He makes his way into the end zone to give the Roughnecks a 12-6 lead.

9:40 p.m. — Houston scores again, this time on a 27-yard scamper from running back Max Borghi, who showed great speed and elusiveness on the carry.

10:16 p.m. — Former Ravens first-round pick Matt Elam gives the Guardians a chance to get back into the game with an interception of Brandon Silvers.

10:36 p.m. — The Guardians are still trailing by 15, but they now have two second half interceptions of Silvers.

10:53 p.m. — Quinten Dormady is in the game for Paxton Lynch and has the Guardians moving down the field.

10:58 p.m. — How about Dormady? The former Tennessee quarterback finds Andrew Jamiel for a big touchdown to give Orlando some life. Quarterback controversy!

11:15 p.m. — After a touchdown by Cole McDonald, former Steelers safety Sean Davis seals this one with an interception.

11:24 p.m. — The game ends with another interception of Dormady, this one by Ajene Harris. Roughnecks win 33-12.

St. Louis Battlehawks at San Antonio Brahmas highlights

(All times Eastern)

3:52 p.m. — A 43-yard field goal by Parker Romo gives the Brahmas the 3-0 lead late in the first quarter.

3:57 p.m. — Massive play by Travis Feeney with a forced fumble and recovery against Brahmas QB Jack Coan to help set up the Battlehawks in prime position.

4:16 p.m. — Battlehawks kicker Donny Hogeman evens up the score with a game-tying, 32-yard field goal after Feeney's fumble recovery to even the score at three in the second quarter.

4:27 p.m. — Romo misses a 34-yard field goal try at the end of the half to send the teams to the locker rooms even in a 3-3 contest.

4:51 p.m. — Romo drills the 29-yard attempt to give San Antonio the 6-3 lead with 9:16 left in the third quarter.

5:16 p.m. — The first touchdown of the game comes with 10:42 left in the contest as Coan finds Fred Brown in the end zone for a score. The extra-point attempt is no good, but the Brahmas are up 12-3 over the Battlehawks.

5:24 p.m. — Hageman's field-goal try from 43 yards out is wide left, and St. Louis' drive comes up empty. The Battlehawks trail the Brahmas by nine with 8:10 remaining.

5:33 p.m. — Romo's 48-yard field goal is good to push the Brahmas' lead up to 15-3 with 3:02 left, officially giving San Antonio a two-score lead. The road to a comeback gets tougher for the Battlehawks.

5:44 p.m. — St. Louis isn't going away just yet. A.J. McCarron hits Hakeem Butler with an 18-yard touchdown to bring the Battlehawks closer. They convert on the 3-point, extra-point conversion with a pass to Austin Proehl to bring the score to 15-12 with 1:25 left. The Battlehawks will try for the 4th-and-15 conversion to retain possession.

5:46 p.m. — The try is good, and St. Louis will retain possession. McCarron finds Proehl for a 22-yard pass to stay alive. The Battlehawks have 1:17 and two timeouts to try and even the score or take the lead.

5:52 p.m. — An unbelievable comeback from the Battlehawks. McCarron connects with Proehl on a 14-yard pass to give St. Louis an 18-15 lead with 16 seconds left. The one-point conversion is no good as McCarron tries to run it in himself.

5:56 p.m. — Coan is sacked, and that will do it. The Battlehawks climb back from a 15-3 deficit with 3:02 left to win 18-15.

Seattle Sea Dragons at D.C. Defenders highlights

(All times Eastern)

8:16 p.m. — The Sea Dragons score on their first drive of the game as Ben DiNucci finds Josh Gordon in the end zone for a 6-yard score. The team's 3-point conversion is no good.

8:29 p.m. — Seattle adds to its lead as Dominik Eberle makes a 36-yard field goal to make it a 9-0 Sea Dragons lead with 1:36 left in the first quarter.

8:50 p.m. — The Defenders are on the board as Jordan Ta'amu punches it in from a yard out. D.C. adds two points on the conversion with a pass to Lucky Jackson to make it a 9-8 game.

9:31 p.m. — The Sea Dragons add to their advantage as Brenden Knox rushes in from 13 yards out to push Seattle's lead to 15-8. DiNucci adds three more points to make it a two-score contest with a 3-point conversion.

9:47 p.m. — The Defenders live up to their name. D.C.'s defense picks off DiNucci and returns it 15 yards for a touchdown. The 2-point try is good to make it a 18-16 game with 6:28 left in the third quarter.

10:10 p.m. — The Defenders taker their first lead of the day as D'Eriq King rushes it in from 5 yards out. The 2-point conversion try from Ta'amu is no good, but D.C. still leads 22-18 with 14:14 left.

10:49 p.m. — Disaster for the Sea Dragons. Seattle marched all the way down to D.C.'s 1-yard line with seconds left, but DiNucci fumbles it at the 4 and the Defenders come up with the ball. That will seal the 22-18 win for the Defenders.

What time are the XFL games today?

Here is a look at the full schedule for the first weekend of XFL games. The first game starts at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, and the final game will kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday.

All games are available on the ESPN family of networks and streaming services, including ABC, FX, ESPN and ESPN+. The contests can also be streamed live with fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

Saturday, Feb. 18

Game Time (ET) TV channel
Vegas Vipers at Arlington Renegades 3 p.m. ET ABC, ESPN+, fuboTV
Orlando Guardians at Houston Roughnecks 8:30 p.m.. ET ESPN/FX, ESPN+, fuboTV

Sunday, Feb. 19

Game Time (ET) TV channel
St. Louis Battlehawks at San Antonio Brahmas 3 p.m. ET ABC, ESPN+, fuboTV
Seattle Sea Dragons at D.C. Defenders 8 p.m. ET ESPN, ESPN+, fuboTV

Edward Sutelan

Edward Sutelan Photo

Edward Sutelan joined The Sporting News in 2021 after covering high school sports for PennLive. Edward graduated from The Ohio State University in 2019, where he gained experience covering the baseball, football and basketball teams. Edward also spent time working for The Columbus Dispatch and Cape Cod Times.