XFL Week 8 Recap: Playoff Bound

The numbers are starting to thin out in this XFL season, as we are closing in on the XFL's playoffs. Not only did Week 8 kick off the process of the playoff picture becoming more and more clear, we were also introduced to the format I had been waiting anxiously to see. Week 8 began with the St. Louis BattleHawks hosting the already eliminated Vegas Vipers, who were looking to play spoiler in St. Louis. It looked like they would; Vegas was up 8-0 after one, and 11-8 at the half, but the Hawks did battle back, and with 15 seconds left in regulation, Donald Hageman nailed a field goal that tied the game at 17.

Wait a minute. A tie game? After four quarters?! That can only mean one thing: overtime!

I had been wanting to mention the overtime rules in past recaps but never got the chance. Now I have it. North American football is fascinating with their different overtime rules, and the XFL is no different. In the XFL, overtime features a shootout format; dueling two-point conversions from the opposing five-yard line. It's similar, in a way, to college football, which adopts the shootout format after two overtime periods. Similar to the NHL, the shootout is three rounds, the team with more conversions in the three rounds wins, and if nothing is decided after three rounds, they keep going. Regarding this first OT game, St. Louis won the shootout 2-0, resulting in a 21-17 overtime win over the Vipers.

This was interesting. So the Orlando Guardians were coming off their first win of the season; a big one over the formerly undefeated DC Defenders. They were looking to make it back-to-back against the Arlington Renegades so they could stay alive in what is now a weak and hampered South Division. Arlington was up 18-9 late, but remember, it's the XFL. That's a one possession game in this league. So the Guardians managed to get the touchdown, and we all figured that they'd go for that three-point conversion from the 10-yard line. Except they didn't.

The Guardians opted for the one-pointer and decided to rely on their defense. Any football fan will tell you that making a decision like that is immensely iffy, but the defense got the job done, allowing Orlando to get the ball back. All they had to do was get into field goal range, but Quinten Dormady put the kibosh on the comeback with a costly fumble, which was his fifth turnover of the game! The Renegades held on and won, 18-16, keeping their playoff hopes alive, while the Guardians ended up eliminated.

The once-heavily favored Houston Roughnecks entered San Antonio looking to get back in the win column after losing three straight games. The lowly Brahmas were also looking to get back on track and climb the ranks in the South Division, but it wasn't looking good for Hines Ward's squad. They were down 15-6 in the fourth, but they managed to get back in the game with a touchdown (conversion failed) and a late game-tying field goal. So for the second time this season (as well as this week), we had overtime. Houston only made one conversion, which came in the first round, but it would be all they would need, as they shut down all three of the Brahmas' attempts.

The Houston Roughnecks won 17-15, in overtime, and as a result, they became the first team to lock in a spot in this year's playoffs. The top two teams in each division qualify for the playoffs, which will feature two division championship games prior to the XFL Championship.

Lastly, the DC Defenders were looking to avenge their first loss of the season, but they had to go on the road and face a Seattle Sea Dragons team that was rolling. Seattle had won five straight entering this contest, and it was a big chance to gain some ground in the North Division. The game was quietly close, but the offense exploded in the fourth quarter. Seattle outscored DC 18-12 in the fourth, but that wouldn't be enough, as DC went on to win the contest by a score of 34-33. With that win, the Defenders are also playoff bound, locking in a spot in the North Division Championship.

So with two weeks left in the regular season, here are the standings. In the North Division, the DC Defenders are 7-1, the St. Louis BattleHawks are close behind at 6-2, the Seattle Sea Dragons dropped to 5-3, and the eliminated Vegas Vipers are 2-6. In the South Division, the Houston Roughnecks lead at 5-3, the Arlington Renegades are 4-4, the San Antonio Brahmas are barely hanging on at 2-6, and the eliminated Orlando Guardians are 1-7. The season is going down to the wire, and the final two weeks will definitely set the tone.

Week 9 will kick off with a pair of Saturday matchups; first off, the Houston Roughnecks will host the Vegas Vipers, with the former looking to move closer to getting home field in the South Division Championship. Next, the San Antonio Brahmas will look to keep their faint playoff hopes alive as they host the Orlando Guardians. If the Brahmas lose, then the Arlington Renegades will get in before they take the field on Sunday against a DC Defenders team looking to get home field in the North Division Championship. The week will end with a highly pivotal matchup between the St. Louis BattleHawks and the Seattle Sea Dragons, with St. Louis clinching a playoff spot if they defeat Seattle again.

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