After a rollercoaster season, the Arlington Renegades, led by mid season addition QB Luis Perez & the legendary Bob Stoops, defeated the DC Defenders 35-26 to take home the 2023 XFL Championship. The DC Defenders had been the best team in the XFL all season and boasted a 10-1 record coming into Saturday’s championship game. Not many gave the Renegades a shot to come away with a victory. The betting lines further reflected the doubt in most minds as the Defenders came into the game as the overwhelming 8.5 point favorites.

To be fair, the doubt was not misplaced by any means. The Renegades were the beneficiaries of being in the less than stellar south division of the league where they finished the regular season 4-6. While they boasted the third best total defense in the league, they struggled to facilitate anything sustainable on offense for most of the season. That fate started to change when the team acquired QB Luis Perez from the Vegas Vipers in week seven. While the team started 3-4 during the first seven weeks & finished 1-2 the last three weeks after the addition of Perez, there was a notable shift offensively.

Perez has become sort of a legend in spring football lore. A division II product from Texas A&M Commerce, he wasn’t supposed to sustain as long of a career as he has. He’s spent short stints in NFL camps, but has made his name as a starter in the now defenuct AAF, as well as the USFL, and now XFL. It’s one of the better stories of perseverance and dedication to the game the sport has to offer at any level.

2023 XFL Championship Recap

Arlington Renegades QB Luis Perez (12) – ESPN

 

As mentioned above, the Renegades were certainly fortunate to be in South Division of the league and that allowed them a playoff berth under the XFL playoff format. In the closing week of the regular season they suffered a 25-9 defeat to the 7-3 South Division Champions Houston Roughnecks. However, due to the format, they immediately got a chance to enact their revenge and they took full advantage. After coming into the semifinal game a 7.5 point underdog, the Renegades beat the Roughnecks 26-11 to advance to the XFL Championship.

Defensively, they put up their best performance of the year holding the high powered Roughneck attack to 11 points and only 225 yards of total offense. On offense, QB Luis Perez had one of the best performances of his career going 19/27 for 289 yards and three passing touchdowns. The attack was balanced by a 24 carry, 94 yard rushing evening by RB De’Veon Smith. WR JaVonta Payton also had a banner day with a 5 reception, 121 yard, and 2 receiving touchdown showing. Against all odds, the Renegades had prevailed.

Prior to the start of the playoffs, fans and media alike were calling for the XFL to revise the playoff format. Largely due to the fact that the STL Battlehawks (who finished the season 7-3) missed out on post season action on a tiebreaker technicality. As the saying goes, this is why we play the games, though. With their semifinal victory in hand this is where the Renegades story comes to peak.

In the biggest game of the year, XFL Championship Game MVP QB Luis Perez and the Renegades saved their strongest effort for last. In the semifinal, Perez had one of the best games of his career. In the championship game, he had the unequivocal best performance of his career. Perez went 26/36 for 288 yards and three touchdowns. The numbers are impressive and to be honest they could have been significantly better. The entire fourth quarter the Renegades were essentially killing clock and sustaining drives via the run game.

When we look back on this season, we won’t remember that the Renegades finished the regular season 4-6 and even with the two playoff wins finished the season even at 6-6. What we will remember is that when the lights were brightest and the stage was finally set for a guy like Luis Perez and a team like this Arlington bunch, they delivered and brought the Dallas-Fort Worth area their first professional sports title in 28 years.