St. Louis Battlehawks at DC Defenders 3/5/23 - XFL Picks & Predictions
Last Updated: 02/28/2023 at 2:41 PM ET
On Sunday, the St Louis Battlehawks visit the DC Defenders for an XFL Week 3 matchup. St Louis is 2-0 through the first two weeks of the regular season. St Louis defeated Seattle 20-18 in its Week 2 matchup after rallying from an early 12-0 deficit, by scoring 17 unanswered points behind the work of quarterback AJ McCarron, who orchestrated the winning drive that resulted in a field goal with only 44 seconds to play.
AJ McCarron has passed for 374 yards with three touchdowns while completing 64.5% of his attempts. The leading rusher for St Louis is Brian Hill with 55 yards, while the leading receiver is Austin Proehl with eight receptions for 86 yards and one touchdown. The St Louis defense has allowed an average of 16.5 points and 311.5 yards per game.
DC is 2-0 on the season after defeating Vegas 18-6 in Week 2. In a sloppy game, a total of four fumbles were made, two field goals were missed and the two combined to rush for 320 yards because of the heavy rain that fell throughout. DC rushed for 229 yards, while holding Vegas to 91 yards on the ground. D’Eriq King and Abram Smith had rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter to give the Defenders the win.
DC quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has passed for 179 yards with one interception. The leading rusher is Abram Smith with 99 yards and one touchdown, while the leading receiver is Lucky Jackson with 41 yards. The DC Defenders have allowed a total of just 24 points for an average of 12.0 points per game. DC is allowing an average of 331.0 yards per game.
DC is 2-0 through the first two games of the regular season but will be facing what could be their toughest challenge to date against the St Louis Battlehawks, who have quarterback AJ McCarron under center who will give the DC secondary fits from the beginning. McCarron has thrown for 374 yards and three touchdowns. The Defenders have a strong running game but will be no match on defense for the Battlehawks passing game. Final Score Prediction, St. Louis Battlehawks win and cover ATS 27-17.