XFL 2023 Results: Week 6 Scores and Best Twitter Reaction from Sunday
Week 6 of the 2023 XFL season got off to an intriguing start on Saturday, with the Seattle Sea Dragons narrowly outlasting the winless Orlando Guardians in a 26-19 contest. Saturday's second game was a lot more lopsided, as the St. Louis Battlehawks rolled the Vegas Vipers 29-6.
The action picked back up Sunday afternoon, with the Arlington Renegades hosting the San Antonio Brahmas.
This was a pivotal XFL South matchup. At 3-2, the Renegades were looking to cement themselves as the No. 2 team in the division behind the 4-1 Houston Roughnecks. At 1-4, the Brahmas were just looking to keep their playoff hopes alive.
These two teams met a week ago, with Arlington getting the win on the road. The desperate Brahmas got a little revenge on Sunday.
Brahmas 15, Renegades 9
The Brahmas got on the board first with a 16-yard John Romo field goal. That proved to be the only score of an opening first quarter largely dominated by defense.
Both teams struggled to move the ball early. In San Antonio's case, it wasn't a total surprise. San Antonio was without quarterback Jack Coan (ankle) and used the tandem of Jawon Pass and the recently-acquired Kurt Benkert.
The Brahmas defense, though, made things difficult for Arlington too.
It was the San Antonio defense that provided the first touchdown of the game. Renegades quarterback Drew Plitt was sacked late in the second quarter, and linebacker Jordan Williams scooped up the ball and returned it 4 yards for the touchdown.
The Brahmas' two-point conversion attempt failed, but San Antonio still secured a 9-0 lead.
San Antonio took that lead—along with all of the momentum into halftime.
Pass and Benkert were a combined 7-of-13 for just 66 yards in the first half, and Pass (7-of-10) was responsible for all of the completions. However, the duo didn't fare any worse than Arlington's tandem.
Plitt and Kyle Sloter were a combined 7-of-13 for only 33 yards. It was a terrific half for the Brahmas' defense and a very disappointing one for the home team.
Things changed dramatically in the third quarter.
Arlington finally got on the board with their opening drive of the third quarter. The drive featured a heavy dose of running back De'Veon Smith and was capped by a 53-yard field goal by Taylor Russolino.
The Renegades fully seized the momentum on the ensuing series when Donald Payne picked off Benkert in San Antoni territory.
Smith immediately ripped off a 15-yard run to kick off the post-turnover drive. A couple of plays later, Plitt delivered a 16-yard strike to Lujuan Winningham for the touchdown.
Winningham made an incredible grab on the play in what has easily been one of the highlights of the weekend thus far—if not the catch of the XFL season.
While Arlington's one-point try was unsuccessful, the Renegades' ability to turn a nine-point deficit into a tied ballgame less than halfway through the quarter was huge and helped energize the home crowd.
The two teams traded punts to finish out the third quarter, maintaining the 9-9 tie and helping to set up a potentially thrilling finish.
San Antonio had a very promising fourth-quarter drive, aided by a 41-yard pass interference penalty, stall at the Arlington 27-yard line. However, the Brahmas were able to claim the lead when Romo's 45-yard attempt split the uprights.
Arlington responded with a great drive of its own, pounding the ball with running back Leddie Brown and getting a chunk play on a 47-yard pass from Plitt to JaVonta Payton.
Unfortunately for the Renegades, Russolino's 36-yard field goal attempt was wide right, allowing San Antonio to keep their slim lead. The Brahmas added to it after driving into Arlington territory and getting a 56-yard field goal from Romo.
Arlington made it into San Antonio territory but had a mere 14 seconds remaining when they clocked the ball at the 46-yard line. Plitt was scrambling to beat the play clock on the ensuing play and was picked off by Tenny Adewusi to seal the win for the Brahmas.
Plitt led the four quarterbacks with 163 yards and a touchdown but also had the game-sealing pick. Brahmas running back Jacques Patrick led all running backs with 82 rushing yards, while Smith led all players with 49 receiving yards.
Fans on social media seemed to enjoy another tight contest, though several seemed frustrated with Arlington's disappointing finish.
Week 6 will conclude on Monday night with one of the most anticipated games of the season. The undefeated Defenders will host the Roughnecks with kickoff scheduled for 7 a.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
