Home

We’re now halfway through the revived XFL’s inaugural season, and while at least one team continues to separate itself from the rest of the pack, the majority of the league remains something of a crap shoot as we draw closer to the playoff picture.

As we approach Week 6, here are five key numbers to know — five stats that help paint the picture of the season as it stands (and be sure to check out all the individual stats leaders through Week 5, plus our XFL Midseason Awards):

0
Number of TD passes by Cardale Jones since Week 3

DC Defenders coach Pep Hamilton says he planned to bench Jones during the team’s Week 5 win over St. Louis, but even if you believe that, what does it say about the club’s quarterback situation? Look, backup Tyree Jackson did a decent enough job against a tough BattleHawks unit on Sunday, but with Jones set to return to the starting spot, Hamilton’s offense is going to need some high-level creativity if No. 12 keeps playing the way he has. Not only has the ex-Buffalo Bills project been held out of the end zone since DC’s 2-0 start, but he’s also thrown six picks, averaging a weekly QB rating of — gulp — 17.6. He’s got to be smarter upon return.

4
Consecutive one-score wins by the Houston Roughnecks

This could be either an endorsement or an indictment of Houston, depending on where you stand. Actually, it can’t really be an indictment, because wins are wins, and with consensus MVP favorite P.J. Walker under center and June Jones dialing up a pass-heavy attack to the tune of a 5-0 start, there’s a lot to like about the Roughnecks. It should be noted, however, that they’re not exactly beating opponents into the ground every week, as Walker’s headlining play might suggest. Their games have been close, and if not for some of Walker’s heroic athleticism, they could easily be 3-2 right now. Just something to be mindful of.

28
Projected number of TD catches for Cam Phillips in a 16-game season

This one’s just for fun (what would Phillips’ numbers look like over the length of an NFL regular season?), but it also speaks volumes about Houston’s offense. Walker isn’t the only guy making the Roughnecks look good, and many pundits have already thrown out the idea of P.J. and Phillips returning to the NFL as a sort of tag team. The Virginia Tech product has been sensationally productive through the first five weeks of action, slipping up only against Dallas in Week 4, and should be feared on a weekly basis.

28.6
Average points per game by the Tampa Bay Vipers since Week 3

If wins are wins, then losses are losses, and the Vipers have four of them through five weeks. So if you think any serious praise for Tampa is irrelevant, so be it. But there’s just no denying that Marc Trestman’s squad is among the best-scoring teams in the league ever since Trestman himself gave play-calling duties to coordinator Jaime Elizondo. We’ve beaten this point into the ground here at CBS Sports as of late, but that’s only because it’s true: Tampa’s 28.6 points per game over the last three weeks would rank second among all XFL teams this year, behind only the Roughnecks. Don’t take them lightly, even at 1-4.

116.5
QB rating by Josh Johnson since Week 3

Don’t look now, but Walker might actually have some competition for MVP honors by season’s end, at least if recent trends continue. Johnson may have made more headlines Sunday night for his mic’d-up berating of his own coaches, but the longtime NFL backup has also been ridiculously good on the field for the last three weeks. A slow start (interception, fumble) threatened to derail his momentum in Week 5, but then came deep ball after deep ball to lead the Los Angeles Wildcats back from down 20-6 to eclipse 40 points. Since Week 3, he’s fired nine TDs compared to just two picks and threatened to overtake Walker as the XFL’s passing yards leader.

We’re now halfway through the 2020 XFL regular season, and it’s still anyone’s guess as to which teams are actually for real — or at least every team except the Houston Roughnecks, who lit up the scoreboard yet again in Week 5 to improve to 5-0 on the year.

Outside of Houston, it’s been tossup central across the league. Exhibit A: The DC Defenders entered Week 5 after probably the worst two-game stretch of any team in the XFL, and their embattled quarterback, Cardale Jones, threw his seventh interception of the season early against the St. Louis BattleHawks, who were favored on the road. Even so, it was the Defenders — not the BattleHawks — who stole the weekend spotlight, suddenly returning to form on “D” and getting enough production from replacement QB Tyree Jackson to limit St. Louis to a pair of field goals and leap back above .500.

That’s why, for the third week in a row, we’ve done quite a bit of shuffling for our XFL Power Rankings. The top two teams remain the same, but the rest of the pecking order once again got a makeover:

CBS Sports’ XFL coverage is here for you with our Midseason Awards, individual stats leaders through Week 5, updated standings and much more.

1. Houston Roughnecks (5-0)
   With each passing week, it seems like Houston relies more on P.J. Walker to be magical. That’s a bittersweet recipe, because on one hand, Walker has been more than capable of shouldering the burden, but on the other, you have to wonder if, at some point down the road, June Jones is going to be forced to use a game plan other than, “Let No. 11 do it.” Week 5, in fact, gave us a little taste of that already, with Walker throwing not one but two picks in yet another one-score game. Until he’s not the guy under center, though, it’s impossible to bet against them.

Previously: 1

2. St. Louis BattleHawks (3-2)
   Everyone but the Roughnecks has slipped up on the road, so perhaps we can write off their Week 5 dud against DC to travel woes. But the breakdown of the O-line was not encouraging, especially considering this team’s whole offense is predicated upon protection up front. Even worse: It’s not like St. Louis didn’t break off some big runs against the Defenders. Jordan Ta’amu was simply under so much pressure otherwise that the club looked like a shell of itself. And yet they’ve remained No. 2 on this list for a while for a reason. Ta’amu still controls the ball very well, they still pound the rock with confidence, and their “D” has been very consistent.

Previously: 2

3. DC Defenders (3-2)
   Look who’s back in the top three! Cardale Jones looked as if he learned nothing from DC’s two-game losing streak during a poor start against St. Louis, but fortunately the Defenders lived up to their name in front of the home crowd. Tyree Jackson doesn’t seem like a sustainable answer at QB, but neither does Jones right now, so DC needs to get extremely creative with its ground game. At the very least, the defense having its confidence back should go a long way toward keeping them competitive in the East.

Previously: 4

4. Los Angeles Wildcats (2-3)
   Week 5 was a microcosm of the Wildcats’ entire 2020 season. For a half, everything looked horrible — defense surrendering yards left and right, the mic’d-up QB calling out the offensive coordinator. Then, suddenly, Josh Johnson settled in and looked like the best XFL QB this side of P.J. Walker, floating bomb after bomb while the Wildcats defense morphed into a takeaway machine. When these guys are on, they’re on. The problem is predicting when they won’t be.

Previously: 5

5. New York Guardians (3-2)
   Perhaps we shouldn’t undersell Luis Perez at QB. Since taking over Kevin Gilbride’s offense, the former AAF starter has thrown for 418 yards, three touchdowns and one pick with a passer rating of 92.1. He hasn’t been perfect, but he’s been really solid. And when you couple that with the Guardians defense, which has been one of the best in the game at home, you’ve got a scrappy contender.

Previously: 8

6. Tampa Bay Vipers (1-4)
   Offensive coordinator Jaime Elizondo still deserves a ton of credit for turning this offense around; the Vipers have averaged 28.6 points per game since he took over play-calling duties from Marc Trestman. They also almost upset the Wildcats on the road. But we saw Sunday night that when the run game stalls, they have issues. The defense also looked lost in deep coverage. At the end of the day, they’re better than their record suggests, but not by that much.

Previously: 3

7. Dallas Renegades (2-3)
   The one thing Bob Stoops had going for him was the Renegades defense, and even that fell apart at home on Saturday, with New York hitting 30 points a few weeks after being deemed the XFL’s worst offense. Philip Nelson at QB just isn’t going to get the job done, either. Landry Jones returning in a few more weeks might inspire hope, but that’d also be an exercise in inevitable disappointment.

Previously: 6

8. Seattle Dragons (1-4)
   B.J. Daniels is at least a fun watch when he uses his legs, and Seattle hasn’t rolled over in recent weeks, keeping things close against far superior rosters — like St. Louis in Week 4 and Houston in Week 5. The Dragons give up way too many big plays, however, to keep themselves in contention.

Say this for the XFL: it’s packed a lot into the first five weeks. Officiating controversies! In-game quarterback rants! Back flips in the end zone! About the only thing the league hasn’t enjoyed yet is overtime — and that’s a matter of when. With the second half of the XFL season beginning in earnest, let’s take a moment to enjoy what’s transpired so far and discuss what’s ahead both in the regular season and the playoffs.

Below are the five best individual performances through the first five weeks, followed by five burning questions for the second half of the season, and a quick glance at the playoff race with April quickly approaching. CBS Sports’ XFL coverage is here for you with our Midseason Awards, individual stats leaders through Week 5, Power Rankings and much more.

Top five performances of the first half

1. Houston Roughnecks QB P.J. Walker vs. Tampa Bay Vipers (Week 3)
   Stat line: 24 of 36, 306 yards passing, 4 total TDs

It wouldn’t be a list of the five best performances without Walker. The Roughnecks star could claim a few games for this selection, but his most exciting came against the Vipers in Week 3. He posted season-best numbers through the air (306 yards, long of 84, 120.8 passer rating) and on the ground (34 yards) while tying his game high of four touchdowns.

2. L.A. Wildcats QB Josh Johnson vs. Tampa Bay Vipers (Week 5)
   Stat line: 20 of 36, 288 yards passing, 4 TDs, 1 INT

Johnson started the XFL’s highest scoring game of the season by throwing an interception. He ended it with nearly 300 yards through the air, four touchdowns and two phone calls to berate his offensive coordinator, Norm Chow. Audio of Johnson telling Chow to “calm down” and “just call plays … stop it” only adds to the lore. I can’t tell if this is something to be concerned about or simply Johnson’s in-game demeanor. In any case, it was peak XFL.

3. DC Defenders DT Siupeli Anau vs. St. Louis BattleHawks (Week 5)
   Stat line: 4 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack, 1 QBH, 1 FF

To be abundantly clear: DC wasn’t doing a whole lot of defending between Weeks 3 and 4, allowing 64 points to Tampa Bay and LA. But in Sunday’s 15-6 win vs. St. Louis, DC’s defense had arguably its best performance so far. The BattleHawks got their yards, but Anau and the Defenders’ defensive front made sure they got nothing else. St. Louis went 25% on third downs, and 0-for on fourth-down and red zone attempts.

4. Houston Roughnecks CB Deatrick Nichols vs. Dallas Renegades (Week 4)
   Stat line: 3 tackles, 2 INTs

Landry Jones’ very bad day was a great day for Nichols, who grabbed two of Jones’ three interceptions. The first came off a tipped pass, but the second was a nice zone coverage read in which Nichols undercut a route. The Roughnecks haven’t exactly been a shutdown defense, but they have been opportunistic with the league’s highest sack rate (7.7%) and second-highest interception rate (4.4%). Negative plays and turnovers are how the Roughnecks get their stops.

5. Tampa Bay’s running game vs. DC Defenders (Week 4)
   Stat line: 266 yards rushing, 2 TDs

A bit of a cop-out because it’s shared among three players, but the Vipers’ ground game was unstoppable in their only win of the season. De’Veon Smith and Jacques Patrick rushed for 122 and 108 yards, respectively, each at 5.1 yards per rush. Those still represent two of the highest individual totals to date. Even quarterback Taylor Cornelius got in on the action with 36 yards and a touchdown on just four attempts. Tampa Bay may be 1-4, but they’ve played far better over the past three weeks and the running game is a leading reason why.

Five burning questions for the second half

1. Who will finally beat the Roughnecks? For as good as Houston’s been, I would be surprised if it goes undefeated. That’s a hard feat for any team. Consider that since Week 1, the Roughnecks’ average margin of victory has been 6.75 points — about a touchdown and one-point conversion. In fact, Houston hasn’t won by more than one possession since the opener against a Josh Johnson-less L.A. Wildcats team. There are some tricky games coming up, too, in Week 6 at New York and in Week 7 vs. DC. The Roughnecks are the favorites for a reason, but someone’s going to trip them up.
2. Is this the Josh Johnson we’ve been waiting to see? Johnson came to the XFL as one of its most experienced signal callers. That’s finally starting to pay dividends. Since Week 3, Johnson has been en fuego with the league’s highest passer rating and an 11-2 TD-to-INT ratio. With quarterback problems in Dallas and Seattle, L.A., even at 2-3, seems like the West team best equipped to make a playoff run, next to Houston. Week 7 (at St. Louis) and Week 8 (vs. Houston) should be fascinating.
3. Will the Vipers finally turn the corner? I’ll continue to stump that Tampa Bay has the most-improved offense since Week 1. That’s a credit to coach Marc Trestman for actually giving himself less to do by handing the play-calling to offensive coordinator Jaime Elizondo. Though just 1-2 since Week 3, the Vipers have scored 28.7 points per game in that span, which ranks third in the XFL. Those two losses? To Houston and L.A. — the two highest-scoring offenses — by exactly seven points apiece. Things don’t get any easier with St. Louis coming to town in Week 6, but at some point it feels like the Vipers are about to turn the corner. And in the East, the playoff race remains wide open.
4. Can DC’s defense even out? Look, most teams in the XFL are going to struggle on the road. Only two teams — Houston and Dallas — have won two road games. One is the best team in the XFL. The other is enigmatic with zero home wins. As it relates to DC, the Defenders are allowing 8.3 points per game at home and 32 points per game on the road — literally four times as many. So what lies ahead for DC? Oh, just three road games in the final five weeks against Houston, New York and St. Louis, all of whom are above .500 with an offensive identity. With offensive production going down by the week and a revolving door at quarterback, the Defenders may have to lean on their defense. The question is: can they?
5. Can Dallas patch up its offense? There’s no other way to describe Landry Jones’ nagging knee injury other than it’s a bummer. The Renegades are averaging 23 points per game when he’s the starter and about 10.5 when he’s not. Philip Nelson has been doing his best, but he’s been put in a tough spot and the offense isn’t nearly as capable of opening up when he’s taking snaps. Jones should be back by Week 7 and the Renegades may need him sooner than later if they’re going to try to make a playoff run. With two legit running backs and a game-changer at tight end in Donald Parham, the missing piece is a quarterback who can distribute the ball and not turn it over. (And to that point, Jones has seven interceptions.)

Playoff Race
East Division: It’s up for grabs. Three teams — the BattleHawks, Defenders and Guardians — are locked at 3-2. The Vipers are 1-4, but are 1-2 in the last three weeks with both losses by seven points. Of the three teams tied for first, the Guardians probably have the most advantageous home schedule, with DC, Houston and St. Louis all going to New York. The Defenders, on the other hand, have to go to Houston and St. Louis. Road teams are 6-14 straight up this year.

West Division: It’s Houston’s to lose, that’s for sure. The undefeated Roughnecks have a three-game lead on Dallas and L.A. with wins over both and can clinch a spot by Week 7. Though the Renegades, Wildcats and Dragons area all under .500, L.A. might be the only team with the offensive firepower to actually compete with Houston. L.A. doesn’t have a win over a divisional opponent yet, but does get Houston at home in Week 8. The Renegades will be without starting quarterback Landry Jones for at least another week, maybe two.