The D.C. Defenders struggled early on in the first period, but in the end they pulled off a triumphant victory. The Seattle Sea Dragons came out of the gates hot, racing out to a 9-0 lead going into the second quarter after a Josh Gordon touchdown to cap off the game’s first drive in addition to a 36-yard field goal conversion from Sea Dragons kicker Dominik Eberle during Seattle’s second scoring drive.
The Defenders would not find much offensive success early on, five of their first six drives on offense ended with a punt, the only exception would be their second drive that was capped off by a one-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Jordan Ta’amu during the second quarter. Aside from the aforementioned Ta’amu touchdown, not much scoring would happen offensively for either team over the duration of the second quarter. A missed 40-yard field goal for the Sea Dragons during the final seconds of the first half proved costly at the end of Sunday’s contest, although Seattle would enter halftime up by one point over the Defenders [9-8].
D.C. wound up going three-and-out on the second half’s opening drive. Ben DiNucci and the Sea Dragons would impose their will and march down the field to extend their lead by way of a 13-yard rushing touchdown from running back Brenden Knox. The touchdown would allow Seattle to make it a two-possession game in large part to the XFL’s three-point conversion option in the league.
A series of unfortunate events for the Seattle Sea Dragons happened during the third period and changed the course of the game, giving away the momentum to the D.C. Defenders. A phenomenal punt from Defenders punter Daniel Whelan would pin Seattle inside their own 20 yard-line. A five-yard penalty followed up by a Jarrell Owens sack on DiNucci would make it third-and-16 for the Sea Dragons. A temporary delay would enter the game due to Defenders fans throwing lemons among other objects onto the field in protest of losing their beer snake. The ensuing play right after said delay on third-and-long saw DiNucci throw a pick-six to Defenders defensive back Michael Joseph who would returned the pass intended for Dragons wide receiver Kelvin McKnight 15-yards to the End Zone.
From that moment on, the daunting D.C. Defenders defensive unit would force a three-and-out and another Michael Joseph interception. The interception, would set up D.C. at Seattle’s very own 14 yard-line, which would be followed up by a five-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback D’Eriq King just two plays later.
King, who was listed as the backup quarterback on the Defenders depth chart heading into the game, was used on occasion as part of certain offensive packages for the D.C. Defenders. A return to live action for King after his collegiate career as a star quarterback for the Houston Cougars and Miami Hurricanes.
Again, a forced three-and-out would make way for the Defenders offense to have an opportunity to extend their 22-18 lead, but a Ta’amu-thrown interception deep in Sea Dragons territory would thwart the opportunity of any additional score.
Throughout the duration of the fourth quarter, both the Defenders and Sea Dragons defenses would play stout and sound football.
The Sea Dragons would come out of the two-minute warning down by four points, with no timeouts left. They would need exactly 56-yards to score a touchdown, two back-to-back 22 and 18-yard receptions from Josh Gordon would set up Seattle at the Defenders 15-yard line before two more solid throws via DiNucci to Jahcour Pearson.
It had seemed like the Sea Dragons had the game in their hands, as they would only need one more yard to take the lead. That was not the case though, DiNucci threw it away on first down as he was smothered by D.C. players. On second-and-one, DiNucci would fumbled the draw play which gave the opportunity for Defenders linebacker Jordan Brooks to come down with the fumble recovery and ultimately giving offensive possession and the victory to the D.C. Defenders.
With 19 seconds left, D.C. would head out of the huddle and go into victory formation and kneeled the ball, cementing their move to a 1-0 record on the season. One of only four teams to remain undefeated in the XFL through week one.
Final score – D.C. Defenders 22, Seattle Sea Dragons 18
