XFL playoff scenarios: How Battlehawks, Sea Dragons, Renegades can clinch in Week 10

Zac Al-Khateeb

XFL playoff scenarios: How Battlehawks, Sea Dragons, Renegades can clinch in Week 10 image

Welcome to the 10th and final week of the XFL regular season, where half of the league's teams are still in contention for a playoff spot.

Two playoff spots are still up for grabs: one each in the XFL's North and South divisions. The D.C. Defenders and Houston Roughnecks have already secured home-field advantage in their respective playoff races, while two more teams — the Vegas Vipers out of the North and Orlando Guardians out of the South — have been eliminated.

That leaves four teams that can still challenge for a spot in the XFL playoffs: The St. Louis Battlehawks and Seattle Sea Dragons in the North, and the Arlington Renegades and San Antonio Brahmas in the South. The latter is a somewhat cut-and-dried scenario, where an Arlington win OR San Antonio loss will send the Renegades to the all-Texas South division championship. The Brahmas could make the playoffs provided they win and Arlington loses to the Roughnecks.

The race between St. Louis and Seattle is a bit more convoluted. The Battlehawks can't simply beat the 1-8 Guardians and win their way into the playoffs: They need the Sea Dragons to lose against the 2-7 Vipers (even though St. Louis and Seattle have the same records).

MORE: XFL odds, picks, predictions for Week 10

If both teams lose, then St. Louis will make the playoffs by virtue of having one fewer divisional loss. If they both win, then the XFL's convoluted tiebreaker procedure will determine which team makes the playoffs.

How will the XFL's final week play out? And how will those games determine the final playoff standings? Only one way to find out. Regardless, The Sporting News has everything you need to know about potential playoff-clinching scenarios:

XFL playoff clinching scenarios for Week 10

North

D.C. Defenders (8-1)

Last game: at Brahmas

D.C. has already clinched homefield advantage in the XFL North championship game.

St. Louis Battlehawks (6-3)

Last game: vs. Guardians

St. Louis clinches playoff berth with:

  1. Sea Dragons loss

​Seattle Sea Dragons (6-3)

Last game: vs. Vipers

Seattle clinches playoff berth with:

  1. Sea Dragons win AND Battlehawks loss

MORE: Updated XFL standings, playoff picture heading into Week 10

South

Houston Roughnecks (6-3)

Last game: at Renegades

Houston has already clinched homefield advantage in the XFL South championship game.

Arlington Renegades (4-5)

Last game: vs. Roughnecks

Renegades clinch playoff berth with:

  1. Renegades win OR
  2. Brahmas loss

San Antonio Brahmas (3-6)

Remaining games: vs. Defenders

San Antonio clinches playoff berth with:

  1. Brahmas win AND Renegades loss

MORE: How much do XFL players get paid in 2023?

XFL playoff picture 2023

NORTH

Rank Team Record Clinched
1 Defenders 8-1 Homefield advantage
2 Battlehawks 6-3 N/A
3 Sea Dragons 6-3 N/A
4 Vipers* 2-7 N/A

* Out of playoff contention

SOUTH

Rank Team Record Clinched
1 Roughnecks 6-3 Homefield advantage
2 Renegades 4-5 N/A
3 Brahmas 3-6 N/A
4 Guardians* 1-8 N/A

* Out of playoff contention

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb Photo

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.