The Super Bowl has come and gone, which means we get a six-month wait until we get to watch football again, right? Wrong! The return of the XFL means that we only needed to wait a few days after the conclusion of the NFL season to celebrate the return of more football! Are there any XFL games today? What does Week 1 of the XFL season look like, and how can you watch all the action?
XFL Games Today: Is There Football on This Weekend?
Yes, we get football games this weekend. With XFL games on both Saturday and Sunday, it almost feels like a typical week of football. With all eyes on the new league and what this third iteration will look like, the excitement for the XFL will never be higher.
What does Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his ownership group have in store for football fans? Here is what the Week 1 XFL TV schedule looks like this weekend.
Vegas Vipers at Arlington Renegades | Saturday
- Start Time: 3 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ABC
- Live Stream: ESPN+, fuboTV
The Vegas Vipers and Arlington Renegades kick off the XFL season with a Saturday afternoon battle. It’s tough to make any sort of predictions when it comes to these first games because we have no idea what these teams are going to look like with entirely new rosters in place.
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However, the Renegades hold one big advantage over the rest of the league. Their head coach, Bob Stoops, is the only one returning from the 2020 iteration of the XFL. Sportsbooks have given the Renegades the upper hand here, having them listed as less-than-field-goal favorites.
Depending on the sportsbook you use, the futures market on these XFL teams is all over the place. Yet, the Renegades are usually in the upper echelon when it comes to who bettors think can win it all. Their quarterback, Kyle Sloter, played in the USFL back in 2022 and has some experience in the NFL during the preseason.
Orlando Guardians at Houston Roughnecks | Saturday
- Start Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ESPN/FX
- Live Stream: ESPN+, fuboTV
The Houston Roughnecks were clearly the best team in the XFL back in 2020, going 5-0 before the league shut down. But that was a very different roster. At quarterback, they had the MVP of the short season, PJ Walker.
Without Walker, I doubt they will be as good. However, they do have Wade Phillips as their head coach, which is huge for a league filled with very inexperienced leaders. Phillips has more coaching experience than all other seven head coaches combined.
Look for this Roughnecks’ defense to be dialed up in this one. With the Guardians likely turning to Paxton Lynch as their starter, Phillips’ defense should feast early and often.
St. Louis Battlehawks at San Antonio Brahmas | Sunday
- Start Time: 3 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ESPN/FX
- Live Stream: ESPN+, fuboTV
The St. Louis Battlehawks and San Antonio Brahmas will be featured in XFL’s version of Sunday football. The Battlehawks are currently being looked at as the odds-on favorites to win the first season of the XFL. The hype surrounding the team is easy to understand.
They have an experienced QB that has actually won NFL games in A.J. McCarron and a former NFL tight end in Anthony Becht manning the ship. Although it will be his first time as a head coach, there is a ton of optimism around what Becht will be able to do with this offense.
The Brahmas, on the other hand — besides having one of the cooler names in the league — are not seen as optimistically. They’re going with Jack Coan under center, former Wisconsin and Notre Dame QB. Coan has shown some potential but will have a tough test this week.
Seattle Sea Dragons at D.C. Defenders | Sunday
- Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Live Stream: ESPN+, fuboTV
The final football game of this weekend and the first week of the XFL is one of the more exciting. The Seattle Sea Dragons take on the D.C. Defenders. Both of these rosters are littered with recognizable names. However, the one most will likely remember is Defenders QB Jordan Ta’amu.
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Ta’amu has experience with both the XFL in 2020 and the USFL in 2022. In fact, he led the USFL with 2,015 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The Sea Dragons also have a very recognizable name at the QB position in Ben DiNucci. After a stint with the Dallas Cowboys, DiNucci will now get his chance to showcase what he can do with an offensive mastermind as his coordinator in June Jones.