The wait is over! After three long years, the XFL has finally returned! Closing out kickoff weekend, the Seattle Sea Dragons travel to Washington D.C. to face the Defenders in a rematch of their 2020 season opener.
Broadcast Team: John Schriffen, Tom Luginbill, Stormy Buonantony, Harry Douglas (Field Analyst)
Weather
Sunday evenings forecast around Audi Field calls for cloudy skies with temperatures around 56 degrees and winds around 13 mph. While no precipitation is expected, there will be around 45% humidity.
Betting Odds Per DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread:
Seattle Sea Dragons: +1.5
D.C. Defenders: -1.5
Moneyline:
Seattle Sea Dragons: +100
D.C. Defenders: -120
Over/Under: 35.5
Seattle Sea Dragons Week 1 Depth Chart
Offense
1
2
3
QB
Ben DiNucci – 6 (Captian)
Stephen Montez – 12
Harrison Frost – 14
RB
Brendan Knox – 28
Morgan Ellison – 25
WR
Josh Gordon – 0
Damion Willis – 15
WR
Jah’cour Pearson – 3
TJ Hammonds – 19
Kelvin McKnight – 86
WR
Blake Jackson – 80
Jaylon Redd – 13
WR
Juwan Green – 4
Jordan Veasy – 88
TE
Charlie Tamoepeau – 89
OT
Liam Jimmons – 71
Barry Wesley – 69
OG
Mike Menet – 72
Paul Gratten – 65
OC
Jared Thomas – 73
Tejan Koroma – 56
OG
Chris Owens – 55
Josh Seltzner – 70
OT
Colin Kelly – 67
Defense
1
2
3
DE
Niko Lalos – 97
Daniel Jones – 96
DN
Antwuan Jackson – 52
PJ Hall – 92
Sama Paama – 50
DT
Austin Faoliu – 58
Trayvon Hester – 93
OLB
Elijah Ponder – 44
Shareef Miller – 48
ILB
Tre Walker – 8
Emmanuel Smith – 43
ILB
Jordan Evans – 26 (Captian)
Clarence Hicks – 9
OLB
Tuzar Skipper – 51
CB
Chris Jones – 5
Rojesterman Farris – 17
Zafir Kelly – 36
CB
Linden Stephens – 21
Shabari Davis – 24
Mykael Wright – 16
S
Bryce Thompson – 1
Qwynnterrio Cole – 32
S
Antoine Brooks – 2
Alijah Holder – 33
Special Teams
1
2
3
K
Dominik Eberle – 11
P
Cameron Nizialek – 10
LS
Thomas Fletcher – 45
KR
Jeylon Redd – 13
Morgan Ellison – 25
PR
Jah’cour Pearson – 3
Kelvin McKnight – 86
D.C. Defenders Week 1 Depth Chart
Offense
1
2
3
QB
Jordan Ta’amu – 10
D’Eriq King – 3
Eric Dungey – 2
RB
Abram Smith – 4
Ryquell Armstead – 23
WR
Josh Hammond – 0
Chad Hansen – 16
WR
Jaquez Ezzard – 12
Pooka Williams Jr. – 8
WR
Lucky Jackson – 11
Chris Blair – 1
Josh Malone – 81
TE
Ethan Wolf – 82
Briley Moore – 88
Trae Barry – 80
OT
Cody Conway – 67
Kyle Murphy – 53
OG
Liam Ryan – 63
Rod Taylor – 73
OC
Mike Maitetti – 51
Ty Clary – 66
OG
Liam Fornadel – 77
OT
T.J. Storment – 72
D’Marcus Hayes – 78
Defense
1
2
3
DE
Jacub Panasuik – 96
NT
Cauan Reid – 97
Gabe Wright – 98
DT
Joe Wallace – 99
Jarrell Owens – 95
DE
Fadol Brown – 6
Malik Fisher – 92
Edge
Davin Bellamy – 17
Andre Mintze – 48
LB
Francis Bernard – 43
Jamal Brooks – 20
LB
Reggie Northrup – 5
Anthony Hines III – 57
Ferrod Gardner – 27
CB
Michael Joseph – 15
Travon Fuller – 22
K.J. Sails – 9
CB
DeJuan Neal – 26
Anthoula Kelly – 24
Nydair Rouse – 38
S
Santos Ramirez – 39
Joshua Allen – 21
S
Kentrell Brice – 29
Cam Lewis – 31
Special Teams
1
2
3
K
Matt McCrane – 34
P
Daniel Whelan – 19
LS
Trae Barry – 80
KR
Jaquez Ezzard – 12
Pooka Williams Jr – 8
PR
Jaquez Ezzard – 12
Pooka Williams Jr – 8
Injury Report
Seattle Sea Dragons
DT – Treyvon Hester – Ankle – Questionable
DT – Austin Faoliu – Hamstring – Questionable
WR – Jordan Veasy – Illness – Questionable
NT – PJ Hall – Shoulder – Probable
WR – Jaylon Redd – Hamstring – Probable
D.C. Defenders
WR – Chad Hansen – Illness – Out
WR – Pooka Williams Jr – Knee – Questionable
DE – Davin Bellamy – Ankle – Probable
DB – Michael Joseph – Adductor – Probable
Seattle Sea Dragons – D.C. Defenders Prediction
With a north division matchup to kick off the season, this should be an exciting game between two very talented teams.
The D.C. Defenders have been regarded as one of the league’s more talented squads in the lead-up to the season. Between a fantastic staff led by DPP Von Hutchins, head coach Reggie Barlow, and the talented roster of players headed by quarterback Jordan Ta’amu, this team will be a problem as the season progresses.
The Seattle Sea Dragons seem to have flown under the radar more than D.C. regarding their staff and roster. The men in charge in Seattle are former NFL Executive of the year, DPP Randy Mueller, and former NFL coach of the year, head coach Jim Haslett. Mueller has experience operating in leagues like the XFL, as he was also DPP of the undefeated Houston Roughnecks in 2020 alongside head coach June Jones, who now serves as Seattle’s offensive coordinator under Haslett. They’ve added several players with NFL experience, like wide receiver Josh Gordon, quarterback Ben DiNucci, linebacker Jordan Evans, and cornerback Chris Jones to name a few.
Overall this should be a hard-fought matchup, but Seattle’s experience gives them an edge in week 1. When these teams meet again in week 8, Seattle’s experience may not mean quite as much, but with no real preseason, it should give the Sea Dragons the boost they need to pull off the win this time around.
