The 2023 XFL season kicked off over the weekend, and the league's second reboot seemed to be generally well received.
The play was competitive. Three of the four games were one-possession contests that came down to the final seconds. There was just one blowout, and even that included within it an impressive performance from the high-octane Houston Roughnecks offense.
The quarterback play was mixed. Signal callers across the league combined to complete 64.8 percent of their passes, but they also struggled with interceptions. The St. Louis BattleHawks were the only team not to throw one and quarterbacks combined to throw just 11 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions.
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Still, those were just minor bumps. The most important thing for the XFL is that the games were largely close and competitive. Now, they can focus on continuing to improve the quality of play as each team builds chemistry and gets comfortable with one another on the field.
But which XFL teams are looking the best after Week 1? The Sporting News breaks down and ranks the eight teams as each prepares for its Week 2 matchup.
XFL power rankings
1. Houston Roughnecks (1-0)
- Last game: Beat Orlando Guardians 33-12
- Up next: vs. Arlington Renegades (Sunday)
The Roughnecks were the most dominant team in the 2020 XFL reboot, and it looks like they will be similarly strong in 2023. Houston played a complete game against the Orlando Guardians as its offense racked up 353 total yards behind a strong effort from big-armed quarterback Brandon Silvers (272 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions) and slippery running back Max Borghi (12 touches, 74 yards, one touchdown).
Defensively, the Wade Phillips-coached team performed exactly how you'd expect. The Roughnecks notched a whopping seven sacks, including four by Trent Harris, and forced the Guardians into three interceptions during the contest.
The Roughnecks certainly look like a competitor but it's hard to say whether they were great or whether Orlando was inept. Their Week 2 game against the Renegades will tell fans a lot more about where they stand among the XFL's best teams.
2. Arlington Renegades (1-0)
- Last game: Beat Vegas Vipers 22-20
- Up next: at Houston Roughnecks (Sunday)
Speaking of the Renegades, they are coming off an impressive win over a talented Vipers team. Sure, their offense didn't do much, as Drew Plitt led just three field goal drives during the contest. That said, their defense played at a high level in the second half and managed to turn the game on a dime.
Arlington allowed the Vipers to gain just 16 yards on the first 14 plays of the second half. The Renegades also managed to notch two pick-sixes against Luis Perez; that is ultimately what allowed them to beat the Vipers despite Perez's red-hot start.
The Renegades have some areas to clean up, as coach Bob Stoops noted after the contest, and the offense's red zone efficiency is probably No. 1 on that list. Still, their high-level defense makes them one of the best teams in the XFL; and if they manage to beat the Roughnecks in Week 2, they will likely be considered the No. 1 team in the league.
MORE: Bob Stoops coaching timeline
3. Vegas Vipers (0-1)
- Last game: Lost to Arlington Renegades 22-20
- Up next: vs. D.C. Defenders (Saturday)
Is this too high for a team that lost? Maybe, there are two reasons that the Vipers still look like one of the XFL's top teams.
First of all, Vegas has one of the most experienced spring-league quarterbacks in Luis Perez, and he performed well at times during their loss to Arlington. In the first half, he completed 14 of 17 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns, and it looked like he was en route to a massive outing before struggling with interceptions in the second half.
Second, the Vipers lost to the Renegades, but they still had a strong defensive performance during the contest. In fact, the defense allowed just nine total points to be scored during the game. Meanwhile, Perez and the Vegas offense were responsible for 13 of the points scored against them.
If the Vipers can cut down on turnovers — especially those that lead to scores — then Rod Woodson's squad should be competitive each week. Of course, if they continue to struggle with turnovers, they will drop precipitously.
So, it's safe to say that the Vipers are under a lot of pressure to win in their Week 2 home battle with the Defenders.
MORE: NFL fans want to adopt XFL's fourth-and-15 onside kick rule after it steals show in Week 1
4. D.C. Defenders (1-0)
- Last game: Beat Seattle Sea Dragons 22-18
- Up next: at Vegas Vipers (Saturday)
The good news: the Defenders were able to earn a win over the Sea Dragons to start their season the right way. The bad news: the D.C. offense wasn't all that great, totaling 177 yards and averaging 3.3 yards per play, good for the worst mark in the XFL in Week 1.
The main problem for the Defenders was that they couldn't throw the ball all too well. Jordan Ta'amu completed just 8 of 19 passes for 86 yards and an interception. In truth, D.C. was bailed out a bit by a Ben DiNucci pick-six that gave the team a lead that it would not relinquish.
On the bright side, the Defenders only turned the ball over once while forcing three of their own, including making DiNucci fumble with 19 seconds left and the ball on the D.C. 1-yard line to seal the game. If they can stay clean in the turnover column once again, then they will have a chance to pull off the upset against the Vipers.
5. St. Louis BattleHawks (1-0)
- Last game: Beat San Antonio Brahmas 18-15
- Up next: at Seattle Sea Dragons (Thursday)
The BattleHawks presently rank the lowest among teams to have earned a Week 1 victory. Why is that? Well, for most of their game against the Brahmas, they trailed and were unable to do much on offense. In the first 58:35 of the game, the team scored a measly three points.
Things changed rapidly for St. Louis at the end of the contest. The BattleHawks scored 15 points in a 1:25 span to play spoiler to the San Antonio crowd that had come to see the Brahmas play for the first time. Quarterback A.J. McCarron finished the game strong by tossing two touchdown passes during that span, and his performance in crunch time could help spark him moving forward.
Elsewhere, the BattleHawks' defense was far from perfect, but their bend-don't-break style of defense ultimately worked; Jack Coan and the Brahmas logged just one touchdown drive during the game.
Still, the BattleHawks have some holes on that side of the ball. Meanwhile, the team's offensive play-calling left a lot to be desired — at least until the final couple of series.
That said, it's also possible St. Louis just got off to a sluggish start and got into a rhythm at the right time. The BattleHawks can prove that was the case with a quicker opening against the Sea Dragons on Thursday. That appears to be coach Anthony Becht's plan with an experienced quarterback helming the offense.
MORE: Why A.J. McCarron is playing in the XFL after long career as NFL backup
6. Seattle Sea Dragons (0-1)
- Last game: Lost to D.C. Defenders 22-18
- Up next: vs. St. Louis BattleHawks (Thursday)
You could make the case that the Sea Dragons should be higher on this list. After all, they were just one yard away from beating the Defenders on the road to start the season. They just couldn't pull it off thanks to a Ben DiNucci fumble on the second-to-last play of the game.
That drive was a microcosm of the game for the Seattle offense. The Sea Dragons largely moved the ball well through the air, as DiNucci racked up 282 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions on 35 of 54 passing. However, they were undone by three turnovers, all by DiNucci. That included a pick-six that gave D.C. a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
Still, Seattle has the makings of a complete team. Its defense played well and that allowed the Sea Dragons to outgain the Defenders 331 to 177 during the contest.
Now, Seattle just needs to get a bit more out of its running game to avoid putting too much on DiNucci's shoulders. The Sea Dragons can seek to do that against the BattleHawks on Thursday.
7. San Antonio Brahmas (0-1)
- Last game: Lost to St. Louis BattleHawks 18-15
- Up next: at Orlando Guardians (Sunday)
This ranking may be unfair to the Brahmas, who played a rock-solid game on Sunday until the final two minutes. However, that defensive collapse plus the team's inability to consistently score points under the microscope and shows that San Antonio still has some kinks to iron out.
The Brahmas' run-dominant offense and grinding defense approach appeared to be working for most of the afternoon. They limited the BattleHawks to just three points for most of the game while San Antonio ran for 133 yards with Kalen Ballage (24 carries, 84 yards) getting a bulk of the work.
Still, San Antonio's late-game collapse on defense should leave a bad taste in the mouths of XFL fans. They allowed 15 points in less than 90 seconds, as they couldn't stop McCarron from throwing two touchdowns, a 3-point conversion and a 22-yard completion on a fourth-and-15 onside kick attempt to effectively blow the game.
Hines Ward will have some work to do as he looks to pick up his squad after a deflating loss.
8. Orlando Guardians (0-1)
- Last game: Lost to Houston Roughnecks 33-12
- Up next: vs. San Antonio Brahmas (Sunday)
The Guardians certainly had the worst season opener among the XFL's eight teams. Not only were they blown out by Houston, it also became clear that they don't have a solid starting quarterback.
Paxton Lynch threw a controversial touchdown on his first drive of the game and then did little after that. He was replaced by Quinten Dormady, who led Orlando on another touchdown drive but threw two interceptions while playing from behind.
Orlando also fell behind early and was forced to largely abandon the run as a result. They had found success with Jah-Maine Martin and Kelvin Taylor, but had just 16 carries total compared to 39 attempted passes.
The Guardians have some solid receiving weapons and a good-looking running game, so they could prove tough for some teams to beat. But until they figure things out at quarterback and play a bit better on the back end of their defense, they will be considered the worst team in the XFL.
