Sea Dragons 24, Renegades 15: A fantastic five!

Apr 1, 2023 - 3:00 PM

The winning continues for the Seattle Sea Dragons (5-2) in the 2023 XFL season.

For once, the Sea Dragons didn’t have a game that came down to the final possession with a chance to tie or take the lead. They were able to get multiple clock-killing, timeout-using first downs in the final two minutes to take a 24-15 win over the Arlington Renegades (3-4) down in Texas.

Both offenses had success moving the ball up and down the field, but they were settling for field goals through the 2nd quarter. An interception by Qwynnterrio Cole with the score at 6-3 Seattle helped spark Seattle’s offense into life, as Ben DiNucci found Jordan Veasy on a long catch-and-run on the very next play. Darius Bradwell scored in short yardage and converted the 1-point attempt to put the Sea Dragons up 13-3.

A touchdown by De’Veon Smith closed the gap to 13-9, but just before halftime DiNucci ran a quality two-minute drill that ended in a fantastic touchdown catch by Josh Gordon. Only one foot is needed in the XFL, and Gordon got that foot down to give Seattle an eventual 21-9 halftime lead.

After a turnover on downs on a short-hopped 4th and short throw by Arlington quarterback Drew Plitt, the Sea Dragons had a chance to really blow the game wide open. Naturally, DiNucci got intercepted in the end zone by Will Hill.

In the XFL, you are allowed to challenge pretty much anything. Seattle kicker Dominik Eberle appeared to make a 43-yard field goal to give his team a 24-9 lead in the 4th quarter, but a challenge for a false start was made by Arlington, which was successful. No problem, as Eberle made from 48. A Dallas touchdown by Smith for a second time cut it to 24-15 with two minutes left, but they would get no closer.

DiNucci was 21/32 for 266 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, and he led the team with 52 yards rushing. Gordon had 3 catches for 43 yards, but Blake Jackson had 4 catches for 68 yards and Veasy led all receivers with 79 yards.

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Highlights

Next week the Sea Dragons host the undefeated DC Defenders (6-0) in a rematch of their Week 1 thriller, which Seattle lost on a fumble on a botched running play at the 1-yard line. Kickoff time at Lumen Field is 4 PM PT on Sunday, Apr. 9 on ESPN2 and ESPN+. Be there because this could be massive! They also need the St. Louis Battlehawks (4-2) to drop a game in order to move into a playoff spot, but Seattle could very well do that themselves when they play St. Louis in a couple of weeks.

Buckle up! There will be another Seattle football team making a playoff push.