Seattle Sea Dragons (5-2) at Arlington Renegades (3-4)
In Week 7, the Seattle Sea Dragons took on the Arlington Renegades in what was their 5th straight win with a final score of 24-15. Quarterback Ben DiNucci played one of his better games of the year, and it came against one of the XFL’s better defenses. Additionally, Seattle’s receiving core continued to shine, with Jordan Veasy, Blake Jackson, and Josh Gordon all making big plays throughout the game.
Although they lacked a pass rush, Seattle’s defense played well against Arlington, picking off quarterback Drew Plitt in the first half and keeping their offense out of the endzone for most of the second half.
Special teams also continued to shine for the Sea Dragons. Kicker Dominik Eberle made 3 of 3 field goals, with the longest from 48 yards out, and Kelvin McKnight returned the ball well on both kickoffs and punts.
While DiNucci still threw an interception, this was one of Seattle’s more efficient offensive performances of the season. The Sea Dragons keep their winning streak alive for another week and move to a 5-2 record on the year.
Honorable Mention(s): S – Antoine Brooks, DT – Antwaun Jackson
Special Teams
K – Dominik Eberle
KR/PR – Kelvin McKnight
Stats
Offensive Stats
Passing
##
Seattle Sea Dragons
Comp/Att (%)
Yds
TD
Int
LG
Sack – Yds
6
Ben DiNucci
21/32 (65.6% Comp)
266
1
1
47
2-10
##
Team
21/32 (65.6% Comp)
266
1
1
47
2-10
Rushing
##
Seattle Sea Dragons
Att
Yds
Avg
TD
LG
6
Ben DiNucci
9
52
5.8
0
13
19
T.J. Hammonds
7
45
6.4
0
17
23
Darius Bradwell
6
18
3.0
1
7
##
Team
22
115
0.0
1
17
Receiving
##
Seattle Sea Dragons
Rec
Yds
Avg
TD
LG
Tgts
88
Jordan Veasy
3
79
26.3
0
47
3
80
Blake Jackson
4
68
17.0
0
37
5
0
Josh Gordon
3
43
14.3
1
24
4
3
Jahcour Pearson
5
31
6.2
0
13
7
4
Juwan Green
3
31
10.3
0
26
4
15
Damion Willis
2
14
7.0
0
10
4
19
T.J. Hammonds
1
0
0.0
0
0
1
86
Kelvin McKnight
0
0
0.0
0
0
2
##
Team
21
266
0.0
1
47
30
Fumbles
##
Seattle Sea Dragons
Fum
Lost
Rec
##
Team
0
0
0
Defensive Stats
##
Seattle Sea Dragons
Solo
Ast
Total
Sacks – Yds
TFL
INT
FF
FR
8
Tre Walker
4
3
7
0-0
0
0
0
0
2
Antoine Brooks
3
4
7
0-0
0
0
0
0
52
Antwuan Jackson
2
3
5
0-0
0
0
0
0
9
Clarence Hicks
2
3
5
1-3
1
0
0
0
33
Alijah Holder
4
1
5
0-0
0
0
0
0
40
Tyrell Adams
2
3
5
0-0
0
0
0
0
32
Qwynnterrio Cole
2
2
4
0-0
0
1
0
0
21
Linden Stephens
2
2
4
0-0
0
0
0
0
1
Bryce Thompson
2
2
4
0-0
0
0
0
0
5
Chris Payton-Jones
3
0
3
0-0
0
0
0
0
58
Austin Faoliu
1
1
2
0-0
0
0
0
0
51
Tuzar Skipper
1
1
2
0-0
0
0
0
0
42
Chris Smith
0
2
2
0-0
0
0
0
0
36
Zafir Kelly
0
1
1
0-0
0
0
0
0
97
Niko Lalos
1
0
1
0-0
0
0
0
0
96
Daniel Joseph
1
0
1
0-0
0
0
0
0
44
Elijah Ponder
0
1
1
0-0
0
0
0
0
48
Shareef Miller
0
1
1
0-0
0
0
0
0
##
TEAM
30
30
60
1-3
1
1
0
0
Thoughts & Performance Grade
In Week 7, the Seattle Sea Dragons and Arlington Renegades met in another close game. However, Seattle had one of their more efficient offensive performances of the season, which led to their 5th straight victory, and moves the Sea Dragons to a 5-2 record on the year. Additionally, they’ve avoided falling behind in the North Division playoff race.
Ben DiNucci played what might have been his best half of football all season through the first two quarters of the game. Before the half, DiNucci threw for over 200 yards and completed 75% of his passes. While he did throw an interception late in the 3rd quarter, it was still one of his more efficient games of the year.
Seattle’s receiving core continued to ball out, with Jordan Veasy, Blake Jackson, and Josh Gordon making big plays throughout the game. Jahcour Pearson also continued to add to his league-leading receiving totals. Seattle’s run game heavily leaned on Ben DiNucci, but T.J. Hammonds ran the best he has all year, and Darius Bradwell found his way into the endzone early in the game.
Defensively, Seattle lacked a pass rush but played well. Defensive back Qwynnterrio Cole picked off Renegades’ quarterback Drew Plitt in the first half, and the team held Arlington without a score for most of the second half. Linebacker Clarence Hicks also recorded a sack on the day.
The defense had a bit of help from some questionable decision-making by Renegades head coach Bob Stoops, who opted not to kick a field goal on 4th and 1 after a 13-play drive that would end without points. Additionally, Stoops’ decision late in the 4th quarter not to attempt the 4th and 15/onside recovery allowed Seattle’s offense to ice the game.
Special teams continued to be a bright spot for Seattle, with their kicker Dominike Eberle converting 3 of 3 field goal attempts, the longest being from 48 yards out. Kelvin McKnight also gained big yardage on multiple kick and punt returns, with the longest going for 37 yards.
Final Thoughts
Even with the redzone interception, Seattle cleaned things up quite a bit this week. Not only was Ben DiNucci more efficient throwing the ball, but the Sea Dragons only committed 3 penalties all game. It wasn’t a perfect outing, but this might’ve been some of the best football we’ve seen Seattle play, even with a slow second half scoring-wise.
It wasn’t their best performance defensively, but it wasn’t bad by any means. The pass rush was lacking, but the defense still made plays despite coming into this game with 5 starters on the injury report. Seattle’s special teams also continued to show they’re one of the most consistent units in the league between kicker Dominike Eberle and returner Kelvin McKnight.
Overall, this was one of Seattle’s more well-rounded games of the season, and the team took some steps in the right direction concerning turnovers and penalties. The defense will have to tighten up a bit if they want to beat the DC Defenders in Week 8. However, next week’s matchup between the two rivals might be Seattle’s best chance to make the North Division playoff race a little more interesting.
