The DC Defenders’ win streak continues after a successful game of Monday night football against the Houston Roughnecks. The Defenders won 37-26, moving to a 6-0 record. With just four more weeks in the regular season, Can the Defenders’ win streak continue, and how can that happen?
How Can the Defenders’ Win Streak Continue?
The XFL regular season is just ten weeks long, and the DC Defenders are 6-0. They are the only undefeated team remaining in the league, with every other team having at least two losses. A team being undefeated this far into the season can be seen as surprising during an inaugural season. There is still one team who has not won a game yet this season. Can the Defenders’ win streak continue through the regular season?
2023 DC Defenders Offense – Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Remaining Opponents
This weekend the DC Defenders will face the Orlando Guardians. The Guardians are the only team in the XFL that has not won a game yet. Their point differential is -78, while the Defenders is +55, according to the XFL’s website. If DC continues to play the same as they have been, they should be able to win this weekend’s game and keep the Defenders’ win streak going.
The game will be held in Orlando, but as DC has not lost yet, the away game may not be a big issue, especially as it will be in the same time zone. The Defenders’ win streak should be able to continue for another week against Orlando. The team needs to be sure not to allow this game to be a trap game and let a should-win matchup be an upset game instead.
Their week eight opponent will be the Seattle Seadragons. This matchup will be a repeat of the week one matchup, where the Defenders won 22-18. The Seadragons are currently 4-2. It is a short season, and two losses do push Seattle to third in the North Division, but they still have won the majority of their games. This will be the second away game in a row for the Defenders, which will give Seattle a small edge.
The Seattle Seadragons have a stronger offense, featuring players such as Ben DiNucci and Blake Jackson, who shined in week six. The DC Defenders have a strong defense and were the main factor in DC winning their week one game against Seattle. This will be a true test of if the Defenders’ win streak can continue.
DC Defenders CB Michael Joseph (15) – Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
The week nine matchup is between the DC Defenders and the Arlington Renegades. This will be DC’s final home game of the regular season. The Defenders are one of the teams with a true home-field advantage. The stadium may not always be completely filled, but the fans are passionate and loud. While the game is a couple of weeks away, Arlington currently is 3-3. These two teams have not played each other this season, and anything can happen. If DC can keep their composer, their defense alone could ensure a Defenders win.
The final regular season game will be against the San Antonio Brahmas. Currently, San Antonio has a 2-4 record. Their current record most likely will not mean anything then though. It will be another away game for the Defenders. If DC can keep their composure and stay healthy to the end, they should not have an issue against the Brahmas.
How to Win
The first thing that needs to happen for a Defenders’ win streak is that the players need to stay focused. Remaining undefeated for an extended time causes a risk for players to begin to lose their composure. This will be tested this weekend against the Orlando Guardians. While Orlando is a should-win, the team will need to remain focused.
A lack of discipline can lead to poor plays and costly penalties. There are many XFL fans that believe the refs are handing the Defenders the game. The players need to stay disciplined in order to make the refs not even a factor if they can.
DC Defenders QB Jordan Ta’amu – Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports
The Defenders should also continue occasionally putting D’Eriq King in at quarterback, but be cautious with it. The team had an issue where when King played, the opponents knew he would run. DC did catch on to this and gave King more chances to throw so that he would be more threatening when he did decide to run. Continuing to start, Jordan Ta’amu is still the best option for the team. Ta’amu has gone multiple games without throwing an interception, and that is crucial if they want to continue a Defenders’ win streak.
As long as the Defenders continue to play how they have been and stay healthy, this team can remain successful in the final stretch. The DC Defenders will face the Orlando Guardians this Saturday at 6 PM Eastern.
