The DC Defenders are going to be a tough team to beat in 2020. They haven’t played a road game as of yet, however, quarterback Cardale Jones and the Defenders look awfully good at home and they just may be the best team in the XFL.
Cardale Jones stays hot for Defenders
Defenders quarterback Cardale Jones may be opening the eyes of some NFL scouts. The former Ohio State Buckeyes signal-caller has been very impressive in his first two games in the XFL 2020 season.
Against the Guardians’ defense, which only gave up three points last week in their 23-3 win over Tampa Bay, Jones made things look easy.
The former Big Ten star passed for 276 yards and two touchdowns as the Defenders crushed the Guardians by the final score of 27-0.
Jones spread the wealth on Saturday as eight different players caught passes and four different Defenders handled the running game.
Jones’ go-to guy in Week 2 was former San Diego State legend Donnel Pumphrey.
Pumphrey carried the ball 12 times for 52 yards and he caught three passes for an additional 26 yards. The combo of Jones and Pumphrey seems to be working out nicely for DC through the first two games of the season.
Wideouts Rashad Ross and DeAndre Thompkins accumulated nearly 100 receiving yards each for the Defenders on the day. Ross finished the game with 95 yards while Thompkins netted 92 yards including a nice 13-yard touchdown reception.
? TD for DT ?
Tune in:
?: @ABCNetwork
?: https://t.co/FrdxO87WYd pic.twitter.com/sGkhFjmh7v— DC Defenders (@XFLDefenders) February 15, 2020
DC will play their first road game in Week 3 when they travel to Los Angeles to face the Wildcats.
Matt McGloin struggles, pulled in second half
What a difference a week makes. Last week quarterback Matt McGloin was telling anyone who would listen that his love for football still burns within.
While his love for the game may still be deep, his performance today left him with an entirely different vocabulary.
Matt McGloin is…not happy
? @ABCNetwork
? https://t.co/P39leRxPZY pic.twitter.com/nsON8nPoJK— XFL (@xfl2020) February 15, 2020
McGloin was obviously mad at halftime, telling sideline reporter Diana Russini that the team needed to “change the entire gameplan” for the second half.
That is a far cry from last weekend’s celebrations at MetLife Stadium.
Last week McGloin finished with a stat line of 15-for-28 completed passes with 182 yards and one touchdown. This week he was a dismal 8-for-18, finishing with 44 yards and zero touchdowns. McGloin also threw two interceptions in the loss.
The Guardians looked like the polar opposite of Week 1 against DC on Saturday, but they shouldn’t let that frustrate them. The Defenders may be the best team in XFL.
New York will be on the road once again next weekend as they travel to St. Louis to face the BattleHawks.