Roughnecks 34, Vipers 27
5 Take Aways From The Roughnecks 1st Road Win
Feb 22, 2020, 3:57 pm
QB Talk: PJ Walker will forever be the first name to start off any Roughnecks XFL article. The Houston MVP is a master at escaping pressure with ease and airing the ball all over. A play gone wrong late in the second quarter was turned into a TD by Walker.
On the flip side, Taylor Cornelius is really BAD. I'm pretty sure him and Jameis Winston not only stink it up for Tampa QB reps, but they also share the same eyesight. Accuracy is rare. The Vipers finally decided it was time to put Flowers in. I mean… at least he throws to an actual target, right? The back and forth QB switch up did manage to throw off the Roughnecks D though, I'll give them that.
Defense: Well, Houston officially gave the Tampa Bay Vipers their first TD of the season. Unfortunately, that wasn't their first or worst mistake. The Roughnecks defense looked shaky the entire first half. Okay, that was me being nice. They looked like sh—. Penalties were an issue along with the huge concern when it comes to stopping the run. Quentin Flowers ran all over them. The outside also got burned by the blind QB1/2? A gain of 24 on a 4th down set the Vipers back up for another TD to finish off the third quarter and ice the cake on this defensive performance from Houston.
Lookout: The run game. This has been a struggle for June Jones and the Roughnecks offense all season. There was concern the first quarter but it finally took off. I expected a lot from James Butler this week and that's exactly what we got. I look forward to seeing a lot more of Butler as the season progresses.
Road Games: I don't think traveling on the road was a disadvantage to this team. If anything it was motivation. Going into Tampa against a team that started the season 0-2 was a plot twist. Even for me. We all knew the Vipers would come out playing their best game if they wanted to stay alive at all, we just didn't know they would put on such a good show. This is exactly why the XFL is so fun.
If you're looking for my fifth take away from this game, its simple. Uniforms. Let's take a moment of silence for the disgusting Tampa Bay uni's. Come on.
Your Houston Roughnecks are on the road again next Sunday against the Dallas Renegades at 4pm. We all know how much Houston loves Dallas.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
Christian Walker and Yainer Diaz homered, Jesús Sánchez ended a lengthy slump with five hits and the Houston Astros beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-2 Thursday night to snap a four-game losing streak.
The Astros scored early and often against Baltimore rookie Brandon Young, who six days earlier in Houston had a perfect game ruined with two outs in the eighth inning. In the rematch, the AL West leaders built a 7-1 lead in the third and coasted.
Walker hit a two-run homer in the first, Carlos Correa singled in two runs in the second and Diaz connected in the third with a runner on after Sánchez delivered an RBI single.
Sánchez broke an 0-for-29 skid with a first-inning single and finished 5 for 5, his most productive day with Houston since being acquired from Miami in a July 31 trade. The five hits tied a career high.
Young (1-7) gave up seven runs and nine hits before leaving with one out in the sixth after hurting his left hamstring while covering first base on a grounder.
Jason Alexander (4-1) allowed two runs and eight hits in 5 1/3 innings for Houston. Since being claimed off waivers from the Athletics on May 18, the right-hander is 4-1 with a save in eight appearances.
Dylan Beavers hit his first major league homer for Baltimore in the second inning and added a run-scoring groundout in the sixth.
The Orioles had won three straight and six of seven.
Key moment
Walker’s 17th home run with two outs in the first got the Astros rolling against Young, who yielded only one hit in Houston on Aug. 15.
Key stat
Not only did Sánchez end his slump, but Houston C Victor Caratini broke an 0-for-17 run with a second-inning single.
Up next
Astros RHP Lance McCullers Jr. (2-4, 6.90 ERA) faces Baltimore lefty Cade Povich (2-6, 4.98) on Friday.