XFL Week 7 Recap: Down to the Wire

I have to confess something--I actually didn't watch Week 7, and that's because of one word: WrestleMania. The seventh week of the XFL season fell on WrestleMania weekend, and speaking of that, there had to be two people who were very proud during that weekend: Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia. The reason: their daughter, Simone Johnson, made her official in-ring debut at NXT's Stand and Deliver; she's been shining as of late as Ava Raine, the lone female member of the sinister faction known as Schism.

Not only did Ava Raine shine that weekend, the XFL's eight franchises also showed out. Here's what went down as the season enters the home stretch.

It is so hard to believe that the Seattle Sea Dragons were once 0-2. With their 24-15 victory over the Arlington Renegades, that's now five straight. Entering the XFL's return, the Houston Roughnecks were the undisputed favorites. That baton got passed to the DC Defenders, but one has to wonder if the Seattle Sea Dragons are the true team to beat. If there's one thing that sports has taught us, it's that it's not about who's the best, it's about momentum at the right time. The Sea Dragons are on fire right now, and it doesn't like like they'll be slowing down any time soon.

The good news for the Vegas Vipers: they finally picked up their second win of the season, defeating the struggling San Antonio Brahmas, 26-12. The bad news for the Vipers: they became the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention due to results elsewhere. The Vipers helped kick off this season back in late February, but it has not been smooth sailing for the franchise. Their struggles include a lack of stability at quarterback, which even saw the team trade Luis Perez (the starter at season's beginning) to the Arlington Renegades. Offense has also been a problem; they're scoring under 20 points per game in a league that is decently high-scoring.

The reason why Vegas was eliminated and not the Orlando Guardians? Simple. The Guardians pulled it off. You know, Al Michaels was at WrestleMania that weekend, and we would have certainly heard a "Do you believe in miracles?" after this one. This was the XFL's first big-time upset; the winless Orlando Guardians actually defeated the unbeaten DC Defenders in a high-scoring affair, with Matthew McCrane's missed attempt at a game-winning field goal sealing the upset. The Guardians still have some semblance of a pulse in the league's playoff race, and the reason for that comes in the form of how Week 7 ended.

What in the world is happening to the Houston Roughnecks? The team who won their first nine games in existence (dating back to the 2020 season) has now lost three straight games. Even worse, this was a home loss for Houston. The story should be about how the St. Louis BattleHawks are continuing to rise up the ranks in this league, and also how they are continuing their road dominance, but seeing a preseason favorite fall from grace like this in any league is absolutely damning. How has Houston's recent skid affected the league's landscape? Here's how:

In the North Division, the DC Defenders lead the way at 6-1, but close behind them are the St. Louis BattleHawks and the Seattle Sea Dragons at 5-2, with St. Louis having the tiebreaker. The eliminated Vegas Vipers actually improved to 2-5, but again, the Hawks and Dragons' victories resulted in Vegas' season ending early. In the South Division, it's a total crapshoot. The only South team to win in Week 7: the Orlando Guardians. Because of that, the Houston Roughnecks are still barely hanging on to first place at 4-3, with the Arlington Renegades close behind at 3-4, and the San Antonio Brahmas at 2-5. At 1-6, the Guardians are actually two games out of a playoff position. That's a small margin. Could the XFL South become the NFC South? The final three weeks will tell the tale.

Week 8 will kick off with a Saturday double dip, starting with the St. Louis BattleHawks hosting the Vegas Vipers, followed by a pivotal matchup between the Arlington Renegades and the Orlando Guardians. Sunday's action will see the San Antonio Brahmas host the Houston Roughnecks, and the DC Defenders will attempt to make up for their first loss of the season, as they face off against the Seattle Sea Dragons.

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