If the Houston Roughnecks play a full 60 minutes, the rest of the XFL is going to be in trouble.
Wade Phillips’ team played a sloppy second quarter, plagued by turnovers, before righting itself Sunday in a 23-14 victory over the Arlington Renegades.
The Roughnecks were cruising after a quarter, leading 11-0. Then, they started to lose their handle on the football.
Arlington forced a pair of turnovers on special teams and converted it into 14 points before the break.
Lujuan Winningham has been balling out for the @XFLRenegades tonight.
First, he forces a fumble on the punt, to give Arlington a fresh set of downs. Then, he catches a dart from Drew Plitt, pulling the Renegades back within one score. #XFL | @XFL2023pic.twitter.com/HbuKLTk2se
— James Larsen (@JamesLarsenPFN) February 27, 2023
WHAT A THROW FOR THE 2-POINT CONVERSION 😧@XFL2023 | @XFLRenegades pic.twitter.com/8jmvDWSXly
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 27, 2023
Halftime settled the Roughnecks, who have yet to lose in incarnation II or III of the fledgling league.
They got a Brandon Silvers TD pass in the third quarter to Cedric Byrd and a Max Borghi score on a 4-yard run in the fourth to open the nine-point margin of victory.
"We've got a good 4th quarter for ya."@XFLRoughnecks #2 Cedric Byrd (@cb4six) says YUP#XFL2023 pic.twitter.com/V7v7U5xev3
— XFL (@XFL2023) February 27, 2023
Just a little surprise from MAD MAX ðŸ¤âœ‹ pic.twitter.com/Lcv1TjvQpy
— Houston Roughnecks (@XFLRoughnecks) February 27, 2023