Before the action on the field, Week 3 for the XFL was off to a wild start. (Playbookgate, anyone?) while that situation has been a bit of a mess, we’ll focus on the on-field action.

Offenses awaken

Well hello, offense. We’ve witnessed a few teams put up some numbers through the first two weeks, but Week 3 seemed to feel like the first time it was consistent and trending in a better direction, league-wide. (Not you Arlington and Orlando. 10-9 final? Oof.)

Not only was the offense better, it came in conjunction with some good games. Seattle versus Las Vegas comes to mind first.

Having to deal with windy conditions all game long in Vegas, (my second home) both teams did a fantastic job of navigating it and still put points on the board. Vipers weren’t able to salt the game away in the fourth, leaving the door open for the Sea Dragons to escape with a 30-26 victory, their first of the year.

St. Louis versus D.C. is another high scoring, hard-hitting (pun intended and we’ll talk about it in a minute) affair that came down to… you guessed it; St. Louis converting on a 4th-and-15 onside try. BattleHawks weren’t able to convert and the Defenders walked away victorious in the battle of the unbeatens, (that pun was NOT intended.) 34-28.

Not great

You know what’s not great? An ugly ending to a good game. The brawl late in the 4th quarter of BattleHawks/Defenders, marred what was the best game of the Week 3. Three ejections and some bruised reputations later, order was restored.

The “X” in XFL is supposed to stand for the “intersection of dreams and opportunities.” Not who’s right cross can knock guys on their asses. I get it; competition can flare tempers. Guys have to remember what’s at stake, though. Be tough, but keep it cool. Don’t ruin the opportunity.

All things considered, it was a good week on the field for the XFL. A good blend of offense and defense, as well as some good thrilling games. With the offenses starting to hit their stride, I’m looking forward to witnessing more weekends of action just like this. On to Week 4.