St. Louis Battlehawks at San Antonio Brahmas 2/19/23 - XFL Picks & Predictions
Last Updated: 02/16/2023 at 8:14 PM ET
The Saint Louis Battlehawks come into the new XFL season with one of the better teams on paper and the coaching staff looking to exploit their strengths. St. Louis is expected to have a West Coast type offense that is expected to run and gun from the opening minutes in week one. Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron will be given the keys to the team and will be expected to shine as he possesses high level college and NFL experience. McCarron still holds records at Alabama to this day and will be expected to use that talent to get St. Louis over the hump this season. Brian Hill will be the top running back for Saint Louis and is expected to get the brunt of the carries early, while Marcell Ateman will most likely be the primary target for McCarron.
Defensively Saint Louis is stacked as well with two high level linebackers led by Lakeim Williams who is expected to be a leader on the field after having a great career at Syracuse. Ben DeLuca is the leader of the defensive backs for Saint Louis and should make an immediate impact this season. Up front Gelen Robinson will be a force in the middle and the top run stopper for Saint Louis this season.
San Antonio comes into this season with little to no expectations as they are expected to be a middle of the pack at best type of team. Former NFL superstar Hines Ward will begin his coaching career as the head coach of San Antonio this season. Ward will have several smart coaches by his side and a semi talented roster at his fingertips. Former Wisconsin and Notre Dame QB Jack Coan will begin the season under center holding the keys to the San Antonio offense to start the new season.
San Antonio is expected to be a run first type of offense with two running backs switching time in the backfield that each spent time in the NFL. Jacques Patrick and Kalen Ballage will quite literally be expected to carry the offensive load for San Antonio early in the season as the receiving group is an inexperienced group that will take time to develop. Linebacker Joel Dublanko is a defensive team captain and will be expected to lead the way for the San Antonio defense this season. Dublanko will be backed by the best Jack Koerner who is the best safety on the field and will be the leader of the San Antonio defensive back.
St. Louis has been here before and will at the least know what to expect. For San Antonio this is their first game in franchise history and the first game jitters could be the difference. Look for St. Louis to use their depth and experience to start the new XFL season in week 1 with a road win and cover. Final Score Prediction, St. Louis Battlehawks win and cover 24-13.