XFL fans blast Dwayne Johnson and league as A. J. McCarron's Battlehawks miss playoffs with 7-3 record

XFL fans blast Dwayne Johnson and league as A. J. McCarron's Battlehawks miss playoffs with 7-3 record - "Embarrassing"

Published Apr 24, 2023 04:05 GMT

Fans are unhappy that AJ McCarron and his team miss the playoffs of Dwayne Johnson's XFL

The XFL season has finally concluded, but a good number of fans have a gripe about the result of a game.

In one of Sunday's games, the St. Louis Battlehawks beat the Orlando Guardians 53-28 behind six touchdown passes from former Bengal AJ McCarron, but it was not enough.

After learning of the Battlehawks' win, the Seattle Sea Dragons needed a big win against the Vehas Vipers to qualify. They did that, taking a 28-9 win to get in via tiebreaker just a week after the death of defensive end Chris Smith at just 31 (no cause of death has been revealed as of this writing).

Quarterback Ben DiNucci was the star for the Sea Dragons, throwing for 339 yards and three touchdowns against two interceptions. He also rushed for a touchdown.

Despite the Sea Dragons' emotional win, fans chose to focus on the Battlehawks' defeat. Given the team's attendance figures and performances during the regular season, they were not too happy about it.

XFL team standings after Week 10

After ten weeks, the North Division's DC Defenders are indisputably the best team in the XFL, dominating their division with a 9-1 record.

The Sea Dragons and the Battlehawks ended up tied at 7-3, but the former will take the other North playoff spot via overall league ranking (4th points for and 1st points against vs. 2nd points for and 5th points against), with the Vipers taking up the rear at 2-8.

Over in the South Division, the Houston Roughnecks were the only team to post a winning record at 7-3. Joining them in the playoffs are the 4-6 Arlington Renegades, with the San Antonio Brahmas just missing out at 3-7 and the Orlando Guardians never coming close at 1-9.

When does XFL playoffs begin? Where to watch?

The XFL playoffs are scheduled to be held next week. Just like in the NFL, the division winners host the semifinal games. That means the Defenders will host the Sea Dragons, while the Renegades will visit the Roughnecks.

The South Division title will play first, at 7 pm ET on Apr. 29. The game will air on ESPN2 The next day, Apr. 30, will be the North Division title game, to air on ESPN from 3 pm ET.

About the author

Andre Castillo is an NFL journalist at Sportskeeda who holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Master’s degree in Journalism. He has over seven years of working experience and has also covered MMA with FanSided, wrestling with The Sportster, and automobiles with Hot Cars.

Andre follows the New York Jets and the Washington Commanders, mostly because he likes their colors. His favorite position is tight end, and players like Mark Andrews and Travis Kelce have always drawn Andre's attention when watching a game. Bill Belichick is his favorite coach, and his all-time favorite Super Bowl is the XLII edition, when the underdog New York Giants upset the then-undefeated New England Patriots.

If he can change one moment in NFL history, it will be from the NFC Championship Game in January 2019. In that game, a highly controversial no-call cost the Saints what would have been Drew Brees' second Super Bowl visit, where he would have faced Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Andre is always on the lookout for fresh perspectives in a story and ensures complete factual accuracy by double-checking all information before using it in his articles. He has an innate understanding of how to present information in an efficient and compelling way.

Outside the writing realm, Andre is a professional licensed teacher. His hobbies include watching UFC, MotoGP, playing the piano, and travelling.

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