The St. Louis BattleHawks and DC Defenders will square off in a Sunday afternoon XFL matchup in the nation's capitol. With that being said, let’s take a look at the XFL odds series with a BattleHawks-Defenders prediction and pick.
St. Louis will be led by former NFL tight end Anthony Becht, who spent 12 seasons in the league after being drafted in the first round of the 2000 draft by the New York Jets. Becht spent time as an offensive coordinator at the high school level. St. Louis is 2-0 in the young season. Reggie Barlow, the former electrifying return man, will lead the DC Defenders in their 2023 season. Barlow does have head coaching experience, spending 13 seasons as a college head coach, going 83-58 in his time with Alabama State and Virginia State. DC has opened their season at 2-0.
Here are the BattleHawks-Defenders XFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
XFL Odds: BattleHawks- Defenders Odds
Saint Louis BattleHawks: +2.5 (-105)
Washington DC Defenders: -2.5 (-115)
Over: 36.5 (-110)
Under: 36.5 (-110)
How To Watch BattleHawks vs. Defenders
TV: FX
Stream: ESPN Plus
Time: 1:00 PM ET/ 10:00 AM PT
*Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The BattleHawks Could Cover The Spread
AJ McCarron has resurfaced as the starting quarterback for St. Louis. We last saw McCarron as a backup to Matt Ryan ahead of the 2021 season before suffering a torn ACL in the preseason. McCarron has played in 17 NFL games, tossing six touchdowns and three interceptions. McCarron has thrown for 374 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Brian Hill will handle the duties of starting running back, joining the XFL after scoring four touchdowns in a brief NFL career. Hill had his best season in 2020, proving to be a threat both on the ground and through the air. Hill led the team with 55 rushing yards in the opener. Austin Proehl has 86 receiving yards and a touchdown. St. Louis has scored 38 points this season.
Lakiem Williams, who spent some time in training camp with the Seattle Seahawks, will lead the linebacking core for this defense. Williams was a practice squad member of both the New Orleans Saints and Seahawks. Handling the punting duties for St. Louis is former Syracuse star Sterling Hofrichter, who was a seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. St. Louis has allowed 33 points this season.
Why The Defenders Could Cover The Spread
Jordan Ta’amu will lead the Defenders’ offense after a strong two seasons with Ole Miss. Ta’amu has since spent time with NFL teams in the offseason, spending time with seven different NFL teams since 2019. In the 2022 season, Ta’amu led the USFL in both passing yards and passing touchdowns. Ta’amu threw a pick in the opener with no touchdowns. Ta'amu has thrown for 179 yards in two games. Abram Smith, who holds the single-season rushing record for Baylor, will handle the running back duties. Smith spent some time in training camp with the New Orleans Saints last season. Smith has rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown. Hakeem Butler has totaled 93 receiving yards and a touchdown this season.
Gregg Williams, the eccentric defensive coordinator, will lead the DC defense. As is the case with most of these teams, the defense is full of players who never got a real chance in the NFL, and are now looking to catch back on. Nydair Rouse, who survived a gunshot to the head, is an easy reason to root for this team. Michael Joseph picked off two passes and returned one for a touchdown in the opener. DC has only allowed 24 points to their opponents this season.
Final BattleHawks-Defenders Prediction & Pick
The BattleHawks have a better offense, propelling them to victory in this one.
Final Defenders-Vipers Prediction & Pick: St. Louis +1.5 (-105), over 36.5 (-110)
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