Things went largely as expected during the XFL's fourth week, as every team that was favored took care of business in their respective games. While there were no upsets, Week 4 did feature plenty of big plays, exciting moments and strong individual efforts.
The week also saw the XFL's only two unbeaten teams stay that way, as both the D.C. Defenders and the Houston Roughnecks rolled to victories. In the final game of Week 4 on Sunday night, the Defenders rolled to a 32-18 win over the Vegas Vipers on the strength of quarterbacks Jordan Ta'amu and D'Eriq King. Ta'amu threw for 177 yards and led both teams with 89 rushing yards. King scored three touchdowns that included two on the ground.
Earlier Sunday, the St. Louis BattleHawks bounced back after suffering their first loss last week by taking care of business against the Arlington Renegades, as A.J. McCarron led the way.
The Roughnecks got off to a 4-0 start after crushing the winless Orlando Guardians on Saturday. Houston found multiple ways to score, whether it was on defense, having a wide receiver throw a touchdown pass, or getting in the end zone in the air or on the ground. In the other Saturday game, the Seattle Sea Dragons got back to .500 behind a dominating performance by their defense, holding the San Antonio Brahmas to six points.
Here's a look at all four results, followed by our takeaways from Week 4.
Week 4 results
Saturday
Houston Roughnecks 44, Orlando Guardians 16
Seattle Sea Dragons 15, San Antonio Brahmas 6
Sunday
St. Louis BattleHawks 24, Arlington Renegades 11
D.C. Defenders 32, Vegas Vipers 18
Guardians' improved passing game not enough to top Roughnecks
Orlando, who fell to Houston in a similar fashion back in Week 1, has had a lot of issues during its first four games. The quarterback position, which was one of the main issues early on, appears to be on steadier ground. For a second straight week, the Guardians received solid play from Paxton Lynch, who on Saturday threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns.
Lynch and the Guardians' success through the air kept things close until Houston pulled away by scoring three unanswered touchdowns. Orlando's defense was once again no match against quarterback Brandon Silvers and Houston's unrivaled receiving corps, led by Travell Harris, Deontay Burrnett, Jontre Kirklin and Cedric Byrd.
Surging in Seattle
Don't sleep on the Sea Dragons, who evened their record this weekend after winning a low-scoring game against San Antonio. After losing two close games to start the year, Seattle has won two straight while receiving solid play in both games from quarterback Ben DiNucci. The Sea Dragons' defense was the key to their second win, however, as the unit held San Antonio to under 200 total yards. The defense was led by former NFL linebacker Tuzar Skipper, who had two of Seattle's four sacks.
Seattle is surging, but San Antonio is slipping after losing its second straight game. One of the issues for the Brahmas as of late has been the lack of big plays on offense. Quarterback Jack Coan, after playing well earlier in the season, completed just over half of his 39 attempts against Seattle.
BattleHawks put on a show in front of record crowd
The BattleHawks were well-received by their home fans Sunday after starting the year with three straight road games. An XFL record 38,000 fans were on hand to watch St. Louis improve to 3-1 while recording arguably their most impressive win over the season so far.
A week after turning the ball over four times, St. Louis was much cleaner on Sunday. A.J. McCarron enjoyed a solid game that saw him go 20 of 27 for 214 with two touchdowns and an interception. He was complemented by running back Brian Hill, who ran for 89 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
Instead of beating themselves, St. Louis was creating its own fortune. The BattleHawks recorded three interceptions off of Renegades quarterback Kyle Sloter, who was making his second start of the season. Arlington, a team many thought would contend for the title, is in trouble after yet another underwhelming performance.
Snakebitten Vipers
Las Vegas suffered two bad breaks that played a key role in Sunday's outcome. The first occurred just before halftime when officials determined that Luis Perez did not score a touchdown when he appeared to cross the goal line before hitting the ground. The second miscue took place when the Vipers failed to take advantage of a recovered fumble on the second half kickoff. Vegas was turned over on downs when Fadol Brown stuffed DeAndre Toreey for a three-yard loss on fourth-and-1 from D.C.'s 15-yard line.
If there was a bright spot for Vegas, it was the play of Luis Perez, who relieved Brett Hundley early in the first half. Perez threw for 283 yards with two touchdowns and a pick while leading the Vipers on two fourth quarter scoring drives.
In victory, the Defenders continued to show that they may be the XFL's best team. Their quarterback position, which was initially a question mark, has now become a strength with Ta'amu and King feeding off of each other's success. The duo continue to be complemented by a tough defense and a dominant running game that on Sunday night churned out 173 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries.