The Arlington Renegades return home for a critical week six matchup against division rivals San Antonio Brahmas.
Both teams just played each other on Sunday night which resulted in a Renegades’ 12-10 win on the road. It was a defensive battle that saw Arlington create three turnovers and held the Brahmas offense under 200 yards in the win. One good thing the Renegades did was rush for over 100 yards in the game between De’Veon Smith, Kenneth Farrow, Rannell Hall, and Kyle Sloter.
Their road victory put the Renegades in the driver’s seat for second place in the south division now two games ahead of San Antonio. Not only that, but Arlington is only one game behind the Houston Roughnecks for the top spot in the division thanks to their loss to the Seattle Sea Dragons last Thursday.
Game Preview
Line: Renegades -3, O/U 33
Date/Location: Sunday, March 26th, 2023, at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Kickoff Time: 3 PM EST
Weather Forecast: 80 F, Wind 12 mph, Humidity 42%
TV/Streaming: ABC, ESPN+
Renegades Injury Report
Starting guard Jake Stetz has been a limited participant in practice with the knee injury that has kept him out of games. Stetz seems to be in a much better position to start this weekend at left guard than he was last week. Should he not go, it would be Brian Folkerts will step in again for the position.
The defense continues to face injuries and depth issues as three of the four players on the injury report are on the defense. It’s a good sign for linebacker Edmond Robinson to be practicing as he has not seen the field since the Orlando Guardians game. Starting cornerback Shakur Brown and backup cornerback Jordan Miller were also limited with injuries but hopefully will be able to play if they don’t, that would leave Arlington with only three cornerbacks.
Renegades Depth Chart
There was a shakeup with the wide receiver position as JaVonta Payton is stepping in as one of the starting receivers after the announcement of Jordan Smallwood being waived from the team. Newly signed Victor Bolden will be backing up Payton as it is not clear yet if he will play on Sunday with limited time with the team. The idea is to see Bolden eventually step in and be the starter on the team.
With Kenneth Farrow being placed on injured reserve, Leddie Brown moves up to the number two back behind De’Veon Smith, and recently signed Brian Herrien is the number three back. It’s also unclear whether Herrien will play this weekend.
The only real change to the defense is Edmond Robinson being added as a starter over Bunmi Rotimi and Ryan Mueller. Robinson’s injury has kept him out of a few games this season but has been limited in practice so he has a decent shot of starting this weekend.
Key Storylines for Renegades
What could be the biggest storyline is whether wide receiver Victor Bolden will play and how much of an impact he will have. The former All-USFL receiver can stretch the field and be the deep threat Arlington has been looking for all season. He could also make an impact on special teams so the hope from fans is he will step on the field. Kyle Sloter can only be excited to have someone like Bolden to throw to. Co-offensive coordinator Jon Hayes could also open the offense and be more creative with Bolden.
San Antonio has had some moves made themselves bringing in quarterback Kurt Benkert with the idea that he will eventually compete for the starting quarterback job. Jack Coan is expected to start this weekend, so it seems unlikely Benkert will play. That’s an advantage for Arlington after picking off Coan twice last week. Watch De’Vante Bausby, Will Hill, and Joe Powell have big games.
Renegades-Brahmas Preview
On paper, this seems like a game Arlington should be able to pull off after their impressive defensive performance against San Antonio. The Brahmas offense is struggling to have one of the worst passing and rushing attacks in the XFL. Arlington’s offense hasn’t faired any better despite last week having a season-high 253 yards of total offense.
It all comes down to which defense can create the most turnovers and which offense can possess the ball the longest. Last week, the Renegades won in both departments which resulted in the win. It’s similar this week as each offense needs to be creative in making big plays happen. Fans could be in for another defensive battle between these two teams.
Prediction: Arlington Renegades 18, San Antonio Brahmas 10
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