XFL Week 4 Offensive, Defensive & Special Teams Players of the Week

Week four of the XFL has concluded and fans are starting to see who the superstars of the league are as the league inches closer to the halfway point.

This week was more difficult to find individual performances that stood out because this week was all about team performances. Teams are starting to clean up mistakes and play more as a team than they have been over the last three weeks. Despite all that, there were still standouts that separated themselves from the pack.

Players of the Week

Offensive Player of the Week: Brandon Silvers, QB, Houston Roughnecks (24-30, 239 yards, three touchdowns)

This was a tough, competitive category to attempt to pick one offensive player who had the best week in the XFL. DC Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta’amu put up a lot of yards that shouldn’t go overlooked but ultimately did not reach the end zone. His teammate D’Eriq King found the end zone three times, but only had 46 total yards in the game. There were a lot of standouts, but looking at who played over throughout the game and got points on the board, that honor has to go to Houston Roughnecks quarterback Brandon Silvers.

Silvers had a near-perfect day in Houston’s 44-16 shellacking of the Orlando Guardians completing 80 percent of his passes. He threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns with two of them in the first half and the last coming in the fourth quarter. It helps that he has the best play caller in the XFL in offensive coordinator AJ Smith and weapons all around him. At the end of the day, he is the one executing them and looked poised to be in the running for XFL MVP week after week.

Honorable Mentions: Jontre Kirklin, WR, Houston Roughnecks (1-1 49 passing yards, one passing touchdown, two catches 49 receiving yards, one touchdown)

Jordan Ta’amu, QB, DC Defenders (14-19 177 passing yards, nine carries, 89 rushing yards)

D’Eriq King, QB, DC Defenders (2-2 38 passing yards, one passing touchdown, four carries, eight yards, two touchdowns)

Brian Hill, RB, St. Louis Battlehawks (18 carries, 89 rushing yards, one touchdown, two catches, 26 receiving yards)

Defensive Player of the Week: Luq Barcoo, CB, San Antonio Brahmas (six tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, one interception)

Another category that was tough to pick especially with Seattle Sea Dragons linebacker Tuzar Skipper playing as well as he did with two sacks and a forced fumble. His team was the one that got the 15-6 win over the San Antonio Brahmas with defense being the name of the game. While his performance was great, Luq Barcoo was tested throughout the game, and he delivered.

San Antonio Brahmas head coach Hines Ward told Barcoo before the game that if he shut down Seattle receiver Josh Gordon that he would get looks from the NFL. It’s safe to say that he’ll get his shot holding Gordon to under 60 yards and out of the end zone. Not to mention Barcoo got a sack and a key interception late in the fourth quarter to keep the Brahmas in the game. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough for San Antonio to win, but Barcoo solidified himself as the best cornerback in the XFL.

Honorable Mentions: Tuzar Skipper, LB, Seattle Sea Dragons (four tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble)

Travis Feeney, LB, St. Louis Battlehawks (four tackles, 0.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery)

Trent Harris, DL, Houston Roughnecks (four tackles, 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss)

Santos Ramirez, DB, DC Defenders (five tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception)

Special Teams Player of the Week: Matthew McCrane, K, DC Defenders (4-5 field goals, 35 long)

San Antonio’s special teams really shined mostly because the offense couldn’t do much, so they were tasked with keeping them in the game. Kicker John Parker Romo nailed a Lumen Field record 57-yard field goal before the half and punter Brad Wing averaged over 46 yards a punt. It wasn’t enough for them to win the game, but one special teamer’s key points were a big reason the DC Defenders stayed undefeated.

Kicker Matthew McCrane missed his first field goal in the cold, rainy weather of DC as that was his first career field goal missed in the XFL. McCrane would make sure to not miss another field goal again as he converted his next four field goals to help the Defenders secure a 14-point win. Without those 12 points from him, Vegas might get some confidence and pull out a win. McCrane was asked multiple times to make the game a two-possession game and he delivered.

Honorable Mentions: John Parker Romo, K, San Antonio Brahmas (2-2 field goals, 57 long)

Brad Wing, P, San Antonio Brahmas (six punts, 277 yards, 46.2 average)

Race Porter, P, Houston Roughnecks (five punts, 221 yards, 44.2 average)