XFL Game of the Week: BattleHawks vs Roughnecks
America’s newest professional football league, the XFL, completed its second week of regular season play on Sunday evening in a thrilling matchup between the league’s best Houston Roughnecks and a team that has surprised most with its hard-nosed nature in the St. Louis BattleHawks.
Houston’s high-powered offense is a product of incredible play-calling by longtime Southern Methodist University Head Coach June Jones and remarkable execution at the quarterback position by P.J. Walker.
Through two weeks, Walker has set himself apart from other starting quarterbacks in the XFL, and if the season ended today he would be the frontrunner for league MVP. He created a strong connection with wide receiver Cam Phillips on Sunday evening, as Phillips was able to find himself open for three touchdown receptions. Not only does P.J. Walker lead the XFL in passing touchdowns with seven, but his natural athletic ability and field awareness have led to evasion of tacklers on countless scoring drives.
On Sunday, there were two particular plays by Walker that made it clear he is superior to every other quarterback in this league.
Walker found himself out of what looked to be a sack deep in his own backfield and turned it into an 11-yard gain on the ground.
Walker slung an absolute laser sidearm pass to his favorite receiver Cam Phillips, who was in the end zone with reservations for six.
Even though the Houston Roughnecks earned their second victory of the young XFL season, the BattleHawks of St. Louis did not go down without a fight. Through two weeks, the BattleHawks have earned an identity of a run-heavy offense, but their quarterback Jordan Ta’amu is not afraid to use his arm in crucial moments. St. Louis trailed by 15 points at halftime due to a reckless interception by Ta’amu that a Houston defender was able to return all the way to the 1-yard line, which led to an easy touchdown for the Roughnecks.
Despite several early miscues, the BattleHawks came out in the second half determined to battle until the final whistle of the contest. Throughout the third quarter, St. Louis had its proverbial foot on the gas, as it outscored Houston 12-0. Those two touchdowns came in the red zone, both of which involved Ta’amu. He managed to connect with De’Mornay Pierson-El who barreled his way into the end zone following a motion route in the flat. The next six points for the BattleHawks came from a fake handoff to Christine Michael Sr., leaving the left side of the field open for Ta’amu to reach the goal line.
Third quarter domination on the offensive end for St. Louis did not translate to the final 15 minutes of the ballgame. Down 18-21 with control of the ball, Ta’amu underthrew his receiver downfield and the ball ended up in the hands of Jeremiah Johnson, a Houston cornerback that returned the interception for 66 yards in the other direction. Johnson’s astounding interception return set up a game-sealing scoring situation for the Roughnecks inside the BattleHawks 10-yard line.
St. Louis trailed 28-18 with 9:32 left in the fourth quarter, so a win was not yet out of reach. The BattleHawks mustered up several late defensive stops, which put them in position to make a last-ditch effort to lessen the deficit. Ta’amu threw a screen pass to wide receiver L’Damian Washington in Houston territory. Washington was able to find blockers and turn on the jets heading straight to the end zone to pull within four points of the Roughnecks with just 1:42 left in regulation.
The BattleHawks’ spirited second half comeback was not enough to ward off Houston, as they fell on the road 28-24. Quarterback play was at the forefront of this game from both sides, but it is also what cost St. Louis its second victory of the 2020 XFL season.