Roughnecks 32, Dragons 23
Roughnecks vs Dragons: Good, bad and ugly
Mar 7, 2020, 11:33 pm
Saturday's game between the Houston Roughnecks and the Seattle Dragons had everything you could have hoped for in an XFL game. It was close from start to finish and the Roughnecks ralied to defeat the Dragons in the fourth quarter. The Roughnecks' high-powered offense may have stalled coming out of the gate, but they stepped up when it mattered the most.
The Good
Welcome back Cam Phillips. After being held scoreless last week in Arlington, the star XFL receiver caught not one, but two touchdown passes Saturday afternoon. He still leads the league in touchdown receptions with nine total TD's. He had the catch of the game too when P.J. Walker threw him a 48-yard deep ball to set up a James Butler touchdown. He is just as important to this team as is Walker, and the two still make up the best dynamic duo in the XFL.
If Walker and Phillips are the top two players on the team, then James Butler is the 3rd best player right behind them. Butler has been a solid running back for the Roughnecks, and Saturday was one of his better performances of the season. Through the first 28 minutes of the game, Butler was only given one carry. But after halftime, Butler was much more efficient and was able to help the Roughnecks offense keep pace with the Dragons. He scored two touchdowns and was able to run all over the Dragons defense after halftime. His leaps into the stands after his touchdowns were legendary, and could possibly start a new scoring celebration trend in Houston, similar to the "Lambeau Leap".
After five weeks, the Roughnecks might have finally found their number two receiver. When Sammie Coates signed in the offseason, it was implied that he was supposed to be one of the top receivers on the team. He has been inconsistent this season and is now dealing with a nagging hamstring injury, limiting him even further. Enter Sam Mobley. He had his best game of the season with six receptions for 95 yards including a 42-yard bomb from Walker that set up the teams tying score to end the first half. Mobley has seen more balls thrown his way as the season has progressed, and looks to be Walker's second favorite receiver behind Cam Phillips. If he continues to play this way, he could surely be the number two receiver on this high-powered Roughnecks' offense.
This week, i'll add an extra point in the "good" category, for Houston's fans showed up to support their new favorite team. The total attendance at TDECU Stadium for Saturday's game was 19,733, a new record for a Roughnecks home game. The Roughnecks currently rank 3rd in total attendance behind only St. Louis and Seattle this inaugural season. The rise in attendance shows that fan support is apparent and the city of Houston can support a second football team.
The Bad
If the mighty Roughnecks have an Achilles' heel, it would be their linebacking core. To put it nicely, the defense was soft to start the game. B.J. Daniels and the Dragons were able to run the ball with ease. Running Back Trey Williams was a key factor for the Dragon's offense and was able to run all day on the Roughnecks defense. The Dragons implemented short screens that killed the linebackers and lead to incremental gains throughout the first half. Running plays and screens seemed to test the Roughnecks' zone coverage for the 3rd week in a row. Luckily, the Roughnecks' offense was able to keep pace and outscore the Dragons in the second half.
Walker was good not great for the Roughnecks Saturday. Although he wasn't "bad" by other XFL quarter back standards, he had his worst statistical performance of the season. He threw two interceptions and had one fumble. He wasn't awful though, for he was still able to throw for 351 yards and lead the Roughnecks to a comeback victory. These turnovers shouldn't affect his MVP case, for he is still one of if not the best quarterback in the XFL.
The offense was slow out of the gate. The Roughnecks were a no-show on offense through the first quarter and most of the second quarter. Seattle's defense was playing a tight man coverage to stop the Roughnecks opening drive. When the Roughnecks got the ball back, the Seattle defense forced a strip fumble on Walker which set up their first touchdown of the game. Seattle's defense was defending well against the pass heavy Run N Shot Roughnecks' offense to start the game as well. Their secondary played a two deep safety coverage that initially limited the Roughnecks offense. They were able to overcome this tight defense when Walker threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Nick Holley. The Roughnecks' passing game opened up and they saw little to no trouble moving the ball down the field after this initial score.
The Ugly
Although the Roughnecks won this game, there was a controversial play at the end of the 4th quarter. On 4th down and with four seconds left in the game, Walker took a knee on his own 21-yard line. By XFL rules this should have stopped the clock and given the ball back to the Dragons. However, the refs left the field with two seconds left. Officiating supervisor Wes Booker said on the broadcast the the call was botched but there wasn't much that could have been done as the game concluded and both teams left the field. Had the refs given the dragons the ball with two seconds left they possibly could have scored and tied the game with a 3-point conversion. The league released a statement that sated "The game should not have ended the way it did…" and that the "XFL sincerely regrets this error."
DeMarquis Gates was ejected after a game saving fumble recovery. Gates had the defensive play of the game when Seattle Quarterback B.J. Daniels was tackled and fumbled the ball. Gates recovered the ball, but was caught punching a player in the pile during the fumble recovery by the refs. This caused Gates to be ejected, but not before he signed a few autographs and was interviewed on his way out. Interviewing a player after he gets ejected is the most XFL thing and it's awesome.
The Roughnecks look to remain undefeated as they travel to New York to take on the Guardians who are riding a three game win streak. Both teams are coming off an impressive victories and this could be a preview of the XFL championship game.
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The Jets host the Texans and their scary defense on Halloween night! Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.
Houston (6-2) at New York Jets (2-6)
Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, Amazon Prime
BetMGM NFL odds: Jets by 2.
Against the spread: Texans 3-4-1; Jets 2-6.
Series record: Jets lead 7-3.
Last meeting: Jets beat Texans 30-6 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Dec. 10, 2023.
Last week: Texans beat Colts 23-20; Jets lost to Patriots 25-22.
Texans offense: overall (9t), rush (18), pass (8), scoring (14).
Texans defense: overall (2), rush (13), pass (3), scoring (15t).
Jets offense: overall (24), rush (30), pass (13), scoring (25).
Jets defense: overall (4), rush (17), pass (2), scoring (11t).
Turnover differential: Texans plus-4; Jets minus-3.
Texans player to watch
RB Joe Mixon. He has carried Houston's offense in the three games since he returned from an injury and could be even more important this week after wide receiver Stefon Diggs tore the ACL in his right knee last Sunday and is out for the season. Mixon ranks third in the NFL by averaging 100.6 yards rushing a game and has had at least 100 yards rushing and a TD run in three straight games.
Jets player to watch
Edge rusher Haason Reddick. After ending his lengthy contract holdout early last week, Reddick made his Jets debut and played 26 snaps on defense with two quarterback pressures while working mostly on third downs. His snaps might increase a bit Thursday and he could help the Jets get after C.J. Stroud, who has been sacked 22 times this season — tied for third most in the NFL.
Key matchup
Jets offensive line vs. Texans' pass rush. New York has had issues this season with injuries, consistency and protecting Aaron Rodgers. The Jets will face a tough test Thursday night against the Texans, whose 27 sacks are third in the NFL. DE Will Anderson Jr. is tied for third in the league with a career-high 7 1/2 sacks, including at least one in his past three games. DE Danielle Hunter has 5 1/2 sacks and DT Tim Settle has four, powering a formidable defensive front for Houston. Hunter leads the league with 51 quarterback pressures and Anderson is fourth with 39, the only teammates in the top 15, according to Next Gen Stats.
Key injuries
Diggs' injury leaves Houston without its top two receivers. Nico Collins, who leads the Texans with 567 yards receiving, is out for at least one more game after being placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. ... S Calen Bullock was limited in practice Monday and Tuesday after injuring his shoulder Sunday. … LBs Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and Henry To’oTo’o (concussion) both missed the Colts game, but could return this week. … S Jimmie Ward could miss a fifth straight game with a groin injury. … LG Jarrett Patterson is in the concussion protocol and is likely out. … RB Dameon Pierce missed practice this week with a groin injury. ... Jets LB C.J. Mosley suffered a stinger in his neck during pregame warmups at New England and was meeting with neck and spine specialists this week. ... RG Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle), WR Allen Lazard (chest), DL Leki Fotu (knee) and safeties Tony Adams (hamstring) and Ashtyn Davis (concussion) all missed the game vs. the Patriots and their availability for this week was uncertain. ... K Greg Zuerlein was placed on IR. Riley Patterson and Spencer Shrader were signed to the practice squad, and one will be promoted for the game.
Series notes
The Jets have won the past two meetings. ... New York won the first five meetings, including the first game between the franchises in 2003, when LaMont Jordan's late 8-yard touchdown run helped lift the Jets to a 19-14 victory. ... Zach Wilson threw two touchdown passes in the most recent meeting, a 30-6 rout by New York during which Stroud left with a concussion.
Stats and stuff
The AFC South-leading Texans have won four of their past five. ... Stroud is 2-0 with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in two career starts in prime time. He had 285 yards passing last week for his ninth career game with at least that many yards passing, which is tied for second most in the NFL since 2023. ... WR Tank Dell had a touchdown reception last week and has a TD catch in two of his past three games. ... TE Dalton Schultz had a season-high 52 yards receiving against the Colts. He has two TD receptions in each of his past two Thursday night games. ... Hunter has 10½ sacks in eight career Thursday night games. … LB Neville Hewitt, who spent the 2018-21 seasons with the Jets, forced a fumble last week. … Rookie CB Kamari Lassiter had a career-high three passes defended last week. … S Jalen Pitre had his first interception of the season last week. ... S Eric Murray had seven tackles and a season-high three passes defended last week. ... New York is trying to snap a five-game skid. ... Jeff Ulbrich is 0-3 as the Jets’ interim head coach since replacing the fired Robert Saleh on Oct. 8. Ulbrich, also the team's defensive coordinator, said earlier this week he'll continue to call plays on defense. … Rodgers snapped a streak of three consecutive games with an interception. He has seven in eight games, six shy of his single-season career high set in 2008 in his first year as Green Bay’s starting quarterback. ... Rodgers hasn't passed for 300 yards since throwing for 341 against Chicago on Dec. 12, 2021 — a span of 30 regular-season games and 31 overall, including one playoff game. ... WR Garrett Wilson leads the NFL with 84 targets, 11 more than the Giants’ Malik Nabers. Wilson’s 51 receptions are second in the league behind Las Vegas’ Brock Bowers, who has 52. ... WR Davante Adams had four catches for 54 yards, giving him seven receptions for 84 yards in two games since being acquired from the Raiders. ... Second-year WR Xavier Gipson caught his first career TD pass last Sunday. ... TE Tyler Conklin has a TD catch in consecutive games after not having one since catching two TD passes in Week 8 of the 2022 season against New England. ... RB Breece Hall has 316 yards receiving, the most among NFL running backs. ... Edge rusher Will McDonald has eight sacks, second in the NFL to the Giants’ Dexter Lawrence (nine). … The Jets have only six takeaways, ranking among the fewest in the league. Backup CB Brandin Echols has New York's only two interceptions.
Fantasy tip
Houston wide receiver John Metchie is coming off a career-best three-catch game and could see more targets — and perhaps his first NFL touchdown — with both Diggs and Collins out. Might be worth a stash as a potential WR3.
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