On Saturday, the Dallas Renegades (2-3) took on the New York Guardians (3-2) in another XFL matchup in Dallas, Texas. The Renegades were forced to start backup quarterback Phillip Nelson in place of starter Landry Jones, as Jones went down in last week’s game with a knee injury. Nelson struggled throughout the game, finishing 28-of-49 for 210 yards and two interceptions with no touchdowns thrown. In fact, the Dallas offense did not have a touchdown the entire game. The only touchdown scored by Dallas came off of a 92-yard kickoff return by Austin Walter in the third quarter. The Guardians would go on to win the game by a score of 30-12.
The first half of the game was a bit uneventful, with the only scores coming off the legs of the two teams’ kickers. The contest was all tied up at six points apiece going into halftime. Neither team seemed to be able to finish their drives once they go into the red zone. New York really found their stride in the second half, though, holding the Dallas offense to limited drives, forcing turnovers, and making big plays on offense to control the game.
As a whole, the game was not amazingly exciting. There was a 54-second period in which three touchdowns were scored, but other than that the two teams had serious trouble moving the ball effectively. The Guardians enjoyed almost complete control of the game for the majority of the time. To go along with quarterback Phillip Nelson’s poor performance, the Renegades only racked up 56 yards rushing as a team; a startling stat for a team which had enjoyed a lot of success on the ground throughout the season.
The Guardians, on the other hand, had a lot of success rushing the ball. They finished the game with 144 yards rushing. Perhaps more critical for New York were the big plays they made in the second half which really turned the tide and got the home crowd out of the game.
In the closing minutes of the third quarter, Guardian quarterback Luis Perez was able to hit wide receiver Colby Pearson for an 80-yard touchdown strike. Shortly after, edge rusher Ryan Mueller was able to make an incredibly athletic play; intercepting and returning for a touchdown a pass thrown by Phillip Nelson. These two plays broke the back of a Dallas team that was already struggling to move the ball and New York would go on to grind out a win.
For a Dallas team that was favored to win the championship before the XFL season started, these past two weeks have hopefully been a wakeup call. Phillip Nelson needs to get more comfortable with his receivers as it was evident Saturday that they have not developed the appropriate levels of chemistry needed to make an offense flourish.
Dallas will need to have a better offensive performance next week when they visit Audi Field to take on the DC Defenders (2-2). The Defenders have one of the most electric offenses in the league, having not had a game where they have scored less than 25 points. The Renegades certainly have their work cut out for them.
