Tag: Seattle Sea Dragons

XFL Week 9 preview

The Sea Dragons need a win in the worst way

We’re officially down to the final two-week stretch of the XFL season. The playoffs are inching ever closer, but unfortunately, the Seattle Sea Dragons no longer control their own destiny.

In the XFL, there are two divisions and the top two teams from each division qualify for a one-game semifinal playoff showdown. The Sea Dragons are currently sitting in 3rd place, thanks to a narrow 34-33 loss to the division-leading DC Defenders. Losing last week really put Seattle behind the 8-ball, as the St. Louis Battlehawks came back and won 21-17 in double overtime – thanks to former Seahawk draft pick Gary Jennings.

Now the Sea Dragons have their rematch St. Louis on Sunday afternoon. The Battlehawks already took one at Lumen Field in Week 2, winning 20-18 on a last second field goal. If Seattle wants any slim chance of the playoffs, winning on Sunday is a necessity.

The Sea Dragons kick off at 12:00 pm Pacific on Sunday, airing on ESPN and ESPN+.

WATCH: Former Dolphins RB Phillip Lindsay scores in XFL debut

He found the end zone for the Sea Dragons.

Last week, former Miami Dolphins running back Phillip Lindsay joined the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons, becoming the latest NFL player to make the switch to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s football league.

Just days later, Lindsay was on the field for his first action since November. The 28-year-old got opportunities in the Sea Dragons’ weekend clash with the D.C. Defenders, rushing for 23 yards on eight carries.

While those numbers aren’t overly impressive, Lindsay did find the end zone in his debut.

Unfortunately, the rushing touchdown wasn’t enough, and the Defenders walked away with a victory.

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XFL: Sea Dragons fall 34-33 to DC Defenders

It was a costly defeat for Seattle

The Seattle Sea Dragons’ reign of terror over the XFL has come to an end. On Sunday night, Seattle narrowly lost to the first place DC Defenders at Lumen Field by a score of 34-33. It was a game the Sea Dragons desperately needed to win. Alas, no cigar.

Seattle fought valiantly after their 16-6 halftime deficit, but could not overcome the Defenders. On the Sea Dragons’ final possession, they did score a touchdown. Unfortunately, the ensuing two-point conversion was unsuccessful, as was the 4th-and-15 “onside” conversion attempt to gain one final possession.

The Seattle defense that was so stout the week prior struggled to contain DC, and allowed two touchdown drives in the 4th quarter alone.

Sunday was a costly defeat for the Sea Dragons, especially since the St. Louis Battlehawks won this weekend as well. Now the Battlehawks are a full game and a half ahead of Seattle.

The Sea Dragons head to the Gateway to the West next week for a rematch with the Battlehawks. A win is required if they want to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

Defenders survive despite 25-yard, 3-point conversion by Sea Dragons

The Defenders outlasted the Sea Dragons in a stellar XFL game

Arguably, the best XFL game of this incarnation took place Sunday in Seattle as the D.C. Defenders downed the Sea Dragons, 34-33.

Plenty of big plays in the contest but none were more improbable than the 3-point conversion the Sea Dragons pulled off in the second half.

They had to snap the ball from the 25 after a penalty, so Ben DiNucci had to get the ball into the end zone from there rather than starting at the 10-yard line.

DiNucci threw a pass into the end zone, where it was batted around. Ben Gordon got a hand on it and directed the football to Blair Jackson, who corraled it for the three points.

 

XFL: Pressure continues to mount for the Seattle Sea Dragons

A win over the DC Defenders is crucial for the standings and to keep pace with St. Louis

Time is running out on this XFL season, and the margin of error continues to shrink for the Seattle Sea Dragons. Despite being the hottest team in the league, winners of five-straight, the Sea Dragons remain on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture.

In the XFL, there are two divisions of four teams, with the top two qualifying for the postseason. Unfortunately, thanks to their Week 2 loss to the St. Louis Battlehawks, the Sea Dragons remain a half-game behind them. This means they remain 3rd in the standings.

Now they host the first place DC Defenders. DC is tough, but they showed some cracks in the armor last week by losing 37-36 to the previously winless Orlando Guardians.

It is critical they bring the Defenders down into a three-way tie at 6-2 between Seattle, DC and St. Louis. It will be a rematch of Week 1, and the Sea Dragons won’t get another crack at them unless they face off in the playoffs. More important than simply getting a win is keeping pace with the Battlehawks, who Seattle will take on in Week 9.

XFL: Former Seahawk Gary Jennings scores TD on fake punt in STL win

The Battlehawks win, thanks to a former Seahawks 2019 draft pick

Much to the dismay of the Seattle Sea Dragons, their division rivals the St. Louis Battlehawks prevailed once more… thanks, in part, to a former Seattle Seahawk draft pick.

In one of the more exciting comebacks of the XFL season, the Battlehawks outlasted the Las Vegas Vipers – who put up stiff resistance – by a score of 21-17 in two rounds of overtime. In the XFL, overtime is alternating 2-point conversion attempts. Each team gets at least three attempts, and St. Louis capitalized on their first two while Vegas did not.

However, it was a long process to even force overtime. Things did not look good for the Battlehawks, who trailed 17-8 with a little over five minutes left in the game. Facing a 4th-and-6, St. Louis dug deep in the playbook dialed up the right call.

The receiver who caught the pass was none other than former Seattle Seahawks draft pick Gary Jennings. Originally selected by the Seahawks in the 4th round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Jennings did not play for Seattle in a regular season game. He then bounced around the league from practice squad to practice squad, unable to find a permanent home.

Now, he is helping his XFL team win games. Unfortunately, at the expense of Seattle, who truly needs to win against the DC Defenders on Sunday evening.

XFL Week 8: weekend preview

A win is crucial for the Sea Dragons and their playoff hopes

Oh XFL, it feels like we hardly got to know thee this year. We are officially in Week 8 of the 10 week re-rebooted XFL season, and action kicks off Saturday morning.

It’s a crucial week for the Seattle Sea Dragons, as well as the other teams in a division with razor-thin margins. Seattle is coming off their 5th straight win last week, defeating the Arlington Renegades 24-15. Unfortunately, due to their narrow Week 2 loss to the St. Louis Battlehawks, they remain in third place since St. Louis – similarly 5-2 – hold the tiebreaker for now. As a result, the Sea Dragons are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.

Seattle will host the DC Defenders in a Week 1 rematch, where the Sea Dragons narrowly fell 22-18 on the road. The Defenders are coming off their first loss of the season last week, losing 37-36 to the previously winless Orlando Guardians.

Meanwhile, the Battlehawks are taking on the Vegas Vipers, last place in their division. With only two teams from each division qualifying for the playoffs, a win and/or a St. Louis loss is important for Seattle, especially since the two teams rematch next week.

St. Louis takes on the Vipers at 10:00 am Pacific Saturday morning, whole the Sea Dragons will look to defend Lumen Field against the Defenders on Sunday evening, 4:00 pm Pacific.

XFL Weekend Recap

How did the Sea Dragons do in comparison to the rest of the league?

It was yet another exciting weekend for the re-rebooted XFL, as Week 7 in the new spring league has concluded. It was a bit of a mixed bag for the Seattle Sea Dragons, who remain viable for the postseason, but did not receive much outside help.

The Good – After their 0-2 start, the Sea Dragons won their 5th straight game after defeating the Arlington Renegades 24-15 on Friday afternoon. Seattle’s defense looks ferocious, and quarterback Ben DiNucci is one of the better in the XFL.

The Bad – Unfortunately, the Sea Dragons remain mired in third place in their division thanks to being on the losing end of a tie breaker with the St. Louis BattleHawks. Seattle fell 20-18 to St. Louis in Week 2, and it is still haunting them. The BattleHawks defeated the Houston Roughnecks by a similar 24-15 margin

The Neutral – First place in the North Division are the DC Defenders. Going into the game they were 6-0 facing the 0-6 Orlando Guardians. Neither team left with a 0 in the standings. Orlando defeated the Roughnecks 37-36. While this doesn’t necessarily help Seattle right now, them losing ground in the long run could. DC defeated the Sea Dragons 22-18 in Week 1, and they will rematch Sunday, April 9th at Lumen Field, 4:00 pm Pacific.

Ex-Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay to continue pro football career in the XFL

In an effort to get back on the radar of NFL teams, Phillip Lindsay is taking his talents to the XFL.

In an effort to get back on the radar of NFL teams, running back Phillip Lindsay is taking his talents to the XFL.

Lindsay has signed with the Seattle Sea Dragons, who are second in the XFL’s North division this season with a 5-2 record. Seattle currently ranks second in the league with a team average of 4.5 yards per rushing attempt this spring.

Lindsay, 28, was born and raised in Denver before playing college football with the Colorado Buffaloes. After signing with the Broncos as a college free agent in 2018, Lindsay quickly became a fan favorite in Denver.

Lindsay made the Pro Bowl as a rookie after rushing for 1,037 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns. After another 1,000-yard season in 2019, Lindsay became the first undrafted running back in NFL history to start his career with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

After seeing his role with the Broncos reduced in 2020, Lindsay left in 2021 and he has bounced between the Texans, Dolphins and Colts over the last two years. He’ll now aim to get his career back on track in the XFL.

The Sea Dragons have three more regular-season games before the playoffs begin on April 29. If his time in the XFL goes well, Lindsay might get another opportunity in the NFL after the draft later this month.

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D.C. Defenders suffer their first loss of the XFL season

The Defenders still sit atop the XFL with a 6-1 record and have a huge game next week.

The D.C. Defenders will not finish the 2023 XFL season undefeated after Saturday night’s 36-35 loss to the Orlando Guardians. It was also Orlando’s first win of the season.

Behind six touchdowns from quarterback Quinten Dormady, the Guardians held off for an upset win over the Defenders. D.C. had entered the game as massive 9.5-point favorites. The Defenders had a chance late, but kicker Matthew McCrane missed a 63-yard attempt to seal the game for Orlando.

It was the best offensive performance of the season against what had been a stingy D.C. defense led by Gregg Williams. However, Dormany passed for 328 yards and three touchdowns while also scoring three rushing touchdowns.

D.C. running back — and the XFL’s leading rusher — Abram Smith rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown. Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta’amu had one of his better games, completing 21 of 29 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Chris Blair caught five passes for 139 yards and a touchdown.

While the loss was a disappointing one for the Defenders, next week is another big week. The Defenders face the Seattle Sea Dragons, who now have the XFL’s longest winning streak at five games. Seattle sits at 5-2 on the season. It’s the second meeting of the season between the XFL’s current top teams, with D.C. opening the season with a 22-18 win over the Sea Dragons.

The game kicks off Sunday evening at 7 p.m. ET in Seattle.