Houston Roughnecks (2-0) vs St. Louis Battlehawks (1-1) @ TDECU Stadium
Houston does not cover -7.5 Over 50.5 covers
XFL Scoring Recap: Houston Roughnecks Beat STL BattleHawks 24 – 28
This game started off with Sergio Castillo drilling a 44-yard field goal to give Houston a 3-0 lead. St. Louis answered back on the next drive with a screen pass to Matt Jones on 3rd and 15 that went for a 25-yard touchdown. The Roughnecks would answer back with a spectacular side throw from P.J. Walker to Cam Phillips to put the Roughnecks up 9-6 at the end of the first quarter.
The Second Quarter belonged to Houston. Thanks to an interception by Cody Brown, Houston was knocking at the door of the endzone and finished the drive off with a 1 yard run by James Butler. With 1:59 left in the half, P.J. Walker threw a 9-yard pass to Cam Phillips to give the Roughnecks a 21-6 lead going into the second half.
THe Battlehawks however, would not go down without a fight. They shut down the Houston offence in the third quarter and scored 12 unanswered points the first 6 of which being a 1-yard pass from Jordan Ta’amu to Pierson-El. Ta’amu, however, was not done there. With 1:37 left in the 3rd quarter, he dived into the endzone on a 4-yard rush to bring the Battlehawks to within 3.
After an interception by Houstons Jeremiah Johnson, P.J. Walker tossed his yet another touchdown to Cam Phillips from 2 yards out, the duos 3rd touchdown. The Battlehawks answered late in the 4th quarter with a 36-yard touchdown to L’Damian Washington to make the game 28-24. Houston held on to go undefeated and sent St. Louis home with a 1-1 record on the year.
Houston Review
This offense is off to a solid start to the year. P.J. Walker looks like a front runner in the MVP race. Cam Phillips was a monster racking up 3 touchdowns. If this team continues to play like this on the offensive side of the ball, expect a Championship birth. The defense could use improvement but stepped up when it mattered snatching 2 interceptions. The seemed to have trouble in the third quarter keeping up with St. Louis and their hurry-up offense.
65% completion percentage, 170 yards, 3 TD’s (P.J. Walker-QB)
8 receptions, 63 yards, 3 TD’s (Cam Phillips-WR)
7 rushes, 28 yards, 1 TD (James Butler-HB)
Battlehawks Review
This Battlehawks team definitely has promise. Their ability to switch up their tempo really gave them a chance in the second half. Their big problem was turnovers. If they don’t throw those 2 interceptions, they win the game. Jordan Ta’amu is a good quarterback, he just has to work on turning the ball over. Their turnovers gifted Houston with amazing field position and put their defense against the wall. The rushing attack for the Battlehawks also was not as strong as week 1. If they can find their rushing game and limit turnovers, then they make the playoffs.
81% completion percentage, 284 yards, 4 total TD’s (Jorden Ta’amu-QB)
9 receptions, 50 yards, 1 TD ( De’Mornay Pierson-El- WR)
69 total yards, 2 Total TD’s (Matt Jones- RB)
Fantasy Review
P.J Walker continues to impress in the fantasy realm, posting a 22.50 fantasy score on Draft Kings. Jordan Ta’amu however finished with 30.56 fantasy points due to his dominate 4 total touchdown performance. L’Damian Washington and De’Mornay Pierson-El both performed well posting 19.70 and 20.10 fantasy points respectively. A big disappointment these past 2 weeks have been Sammie Coates. He finished the game with just 1 reception for 8 yards on 4 targets. I would steer clear of him for the next few weeks. Cam Phillips has become one of Walkers favorite targets. Expect more touchdowns to Phillips in the coming weeks.
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