The XFL has completed the first five weeks of its first regular season in three years. Five weeks remain before the postseason begins. Diehard and even casual fans might be wondering if there is a football game today. Well, let’s find out if there are any XFL games tonight.
XFL Games Today: Is Football Tonight?
The short answer is, no, there is not any XFL football today. March Madness might have something to do with it, as the XFL probably wants to limit the amount of competition it has with the much-anticipated Sweet 16 round of the ratings bonanza that is the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament.
Interestingly, previous Thursday Night XFL games this season haven’t attracted as much attention as the weekend contests. The first Thursday tilt (Week 2) featured two high-powered offenses: the St. Louis Battlehawks and Seattle Sea Dragons. They pulled in the fewest viewers that week.
However, we should note that this game was broadcast on FX, while two of the other three games that weekend were on ESPN and ESPN2, respectively. Both of those ESPN-affiliated games had significantly higher viewership than the two FX matchups.
MORE: XFL TV Schedule | XFL Standings
The second Thursday night contest took place last week, and it also featured two fantastic offenses: the Sea Dragons and the Houston Roughnecks. But it coincided with the opening night of the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64. Bad timing. Avoiding a repeat of that might very well be part of the reason there is no XFL football today.
And also unfortunate given the stakes of that faceoff. The Sea Dragons — one of my two preseason picks to win the title — are now on a three-game winning streak and in the thick of the playoff hunt. Meanwhile, the Roughnecks lost their first game in their franchise’s history.
You read that right. Houston went 5-0 in 2020 before the pandemic canceled the rest of the season. In the 2023 reboot, they started 4-0. That’s quite a run.
As we await the opening kickoffs for Week 6, most XFL teams remain firmly in playoff contention. The North division boasts three of the four top squads; it’s too bad all three won’t qualify for the postseason. And Houston remains squarely atop the South division, as they look to regroup after last Thursday’s letdown. However, XFL fans will have to wait for the weekend as there is no XFL football today.