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XFL Week 1 Preview: Football with Flair

Eight-Team League Begins 2023 Play on Weekend

The NFL is over but football never disappears. You can get your fix with the XFL, which kicks off its season on Saturday. This will be the league’s third campaign since debuting in 2001, with the latest coming in 2020. The XFL has had more showmanship than the NFL due to its connection with Vince McMahon and the WWE.

The 2023 XFL season will feature some familiar faces, like former NFL wide receiver Josh Gordon. As always, BetUS Sportsbook has you covered with odds for the XFL. Let’s look over some key information and preview games ahead of the XFL’s first edition of the 2023 season.

Abram Smith #7 of the Baylor Bears during the second quarter in the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome on January 01, 2022
Abram Smith #7 of the Baylor Bears during the second quarter in the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Caesars Superdome on January 01, 2022 | Sean gardner/getty images/afp

Let’s check the latest XFL news, stats, injury reports, and XFL lines for XFL Week 1 Preview. We’ve got plenty of XFL picks for you to consider.

What to Know About the XFL

The XFL is an eight-league team featuring the Vegas Vipers, Arlington Renegades, Orlando Guardians, Houston Roughnecks, St. Louis Battlehawks, San Antonio Brahmas, Seattle Sea Dragons, and D.C. Defenders. Las Vegas, Orlando, and San Antonio are new host cities.

The spring season will include 40 regular-season games and three postseason battles, including semifinal clashes and the championship game. The XFL is expected to wrap up its season in mid-May.

The league will attempt to implement its own twist to differentiate itself from the NFL. The XFL will feature some interesting rules. Coaches can challenge anything at any time, like a holding call or a touchdown. The catch is they will only have one per game, but adding the ability to challenge penalties will be an interesting feature. We saw how challenging pass-interference calls worked out in the NFL – it rarely changed anything.

The XFL will also adopt a new fumble rule. If a player fumbles in the field of play and the ball exits the end zone, it will not be a turnover and touchback. This is something we would probably all love to see. Awarding opposing teams with a turnover has always seemed unfair.

Kickoffs will look different as well. Outside of the kicker and returner, no one else can move until the ball is received or it’s been on the ground for at least three seconds. This will promote more kickoff returns, but the three-second rule could be a disaster. In addition, instead of onside kicks, teams can attempt a fourth-and-15 to keep the ball. Once again, this is a rule that could be exciting.

Now that the parameters of the XFL are laid out, let’s look at the teams and this weekend’s matchups.

Vegas Vipers vs Arlington Renegades

  • Day/Time: Saturday, Feb. 18, 3 p.m. ET
  • Location: Choctaw Stadium, Arlington, TX
  • TV: ABC

The Vegas Vipers are led by coach Rod Woodson. He had a few coaching stints in the NFL from 2011-17, mostly as a defensive backs coach. The Vipers feature several notable players. Perhaps the biggest is wide receiver Martavis Bryant, the former Pittsburgh Steeler. Brett Hundley is the starting quarterback. He was a backup in the NFL for three seasons and started nine games with the Green Bay Packers in the 2017 season when Aaron Rodgers suffered an injury. Edge rusher Vic Beasley leads Vegas’ defense. Beasley earned All-Pro honors in the NFL with 15.5 sacks in the 2016 season.

Coach Bob Stoops will coach the Arlington Renegades. He’s a college football legend who coached at Oklahoma for 19 years, headlined by a national championship in 2000. Arlington’s roster doesn’t feature many notable players. Tight end Sal Cannella could be one of the best. He shined in last year’s USFL and had 154 receiving yards in a playoff game.

The Renegades are expected to be one of the best teams in the XFL. The sportsbook lists Arlington as a 3½-point favorite against the Vipers.

Orlando Guardians vs Houston Roughnecks

  • Day/Time: Saturday, Feb. 18, 8:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: TDECU Stadium, Houston, TX
  • TV: ESPN

The Orlando Guardians and Houston Roughnecks will cap Saturday’s doubleheader. The visiting Guardians are led by coach Terrell Buckley, who had a standout career at Florida State and played 14 years in the NFL. Buckley has worked his way through the college ranks as a defensive backs coach, with his most recent stay at Ole Miss. Quarterback Paxton Lynch headlines the roster. He was a first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and lasted only two seasons in the league.

The XFL managed to reel in several notable coaches. Roughnecks head coach Wade Phillips is another eye-grabbing name. He was a longtime defensive coordinator in the NFL and was the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 2007-10. Houston was 5-0 in the XFL’s 2020 season before it shut down due to COVID-19.

Per XFL odds, the Roughnecks are favored by 3½ points with the projected total at 35½.

St. Louis Battlehawks vs San Antonio Brahmas

  • Day/Time: Sunday, Feb. 19, 3 p.m. ET
  • Location: Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
  • TV: ABC

Sunday’s action starts with the St. Louis Battlehawks battling the San Antonio Brahmas. Anthony Becht is the headman of the Battlehawks. Becht played in the NFL from 2000-11 and has recently spent his time at IMG Academy – one of the nation’s premier high school football programs. A.J. McCarron, the two-time national champion at Alabama, is the starting signal-caller. McCarron also spent some time in the NFL as a backup and started in a playoff game for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016.

Do you remember Hines Ward? The Steelers legend who made four Pro Bowls won two Super Bowls and was Super Bowl 40 MVP. Ward has moved on to coaching. He was an offensive assistant with the New York Jets and was Florida Atlantic’s wide receivers coach. Now, Hines leads the Brahmas.

Will Hines lead San Antonio to an underdog victory in his head coaching debut? The Battlehawks are favored by 2½ points.

Seattle Sea Dragons vs D.C. Defenders

  • Day/Time: Sunday, Feb. 19, 8 p.m. ET
  • Location: Audi Field, Washington, DC
  • TV: ESPN

Week 1 ends with the Seattle Sea Dragons visiting the D.C. Defenders. Seattle has perhaps the most intriguing team in the XFL. Jim Haslett is a veteran coach leading the charge. He played linebacker with the Buffalo Bills in the 1980s and was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2000-05. Gordon could be the most prominent player in the entire league. Gordon flashed big-time potential with the Cleveland Browns in 2013, but he could not stay on the field due to substance abuse suspensions. Quarterback Ben DiNucci, who started one game for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, will lead the offense.

The Defenders pulled from the college ranks for their head coach. Reggie Barlow was the head honcho for Alabama State from 2007-14 and for Virginia State from 2016-21. D.C. is expected to be a contender in the XFL. Running back Abram Smith is a name to watch. He was a star for Baylor in the 2021 season. Smith went undrafted in 2022 and was cut by the Saints. Smith is poised for a huge season after being drafted No. 1 overall in the XFL Draft.

XFL lines predict this will be the closest matchup with the Defenders favored by one point.

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