Ricky Dimon
Week 3 of the XFL season continues on Sunday afternoon with a showdown between the St. Louis Battlehawks and the DC Defenders. It’s a battle for supremacy in the North Division, as both teams are 2-0 whereas the Seattle Sea Dragons and Vegas Vipers both sit at 0-2.
Our XFL expert has picks, predictions and best bets for this Battlehawks vs Defenders matchup, so let’s dive in.
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St. Louis Battlehawks vs DC Defenders prediction
Obviously the sample size of XFL action remains small with just 2 weeks completed, so giving points – and in this case more than a whole field goal if you are backing DC – may seem dicey when there are so many unknown quantities in the league. In this case, taking the points does seem like the right choice. St. Louis has defeated both San Antonio (18-15) and Seattle (20-18), and both of those games were on the road. That bodes well for the Battlehawks heading into a third consecutive contest away from home. Low-scoring affairs have been the story for each of these clubs so far; 3 points go an especially long way when a defensive struggle is in the forecast.
St. Louis Battlehawks vs DC Defenders spread, odds & betting lines
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Point Spread: Battlehawks +3, Defenders -3
Total Points Over/Under: 36.5 points
Money Line Odds: Battlehawks +130, Defenders -150
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St. Louis Battlehawks vs DC Defenders expert picks
We have 2 XFL picks for this weekend’s game between the St. Louis Battlehawks and DC Defenders.
Battlehawks vs Defenders point spread pick: Battlehawks +3 (-110)
Oddsmakers have the Defenders as slight favorites of 3 points, so the Battlehawks have good value when you can get them plus a field goal. DC has really struggled to move the ball on offense, passing for just 183 yards through 2 games. The Defenders have only 20 completions and none of them has gone for more than 20 yards. To put that in perspective, no other team in the league has fewer than 34 completions. On the flip side, you have to be encouraged by what you have seen from St. Louis quarterback AJ McCarron. McCarron is good enough to still be in the NFL, but he chose to go to the XFL just so he could get more playing time. The Alabama product has led comeback victories in back-to-back weeks and is the only starting quarterback in the league who has yet to throw an interception. If you can just play clean football, you have a substantial leg up on the rest of the competition in the XFL.
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Battlehawks vs Defenders Over/Under totals pick: Under 36.5 (-110)
It’s obvious how the Defenders want to play. They can’t pass the ball; Jordan Ta’amu had only 93 yards in Week 2. DC is going to sit on the ball as much as possible and run a ton while letting the defense do most of the heavy lifting. In DC’s most recent game the score was 6-3 after 3 quarters. Ta’amu is averaging just 4.3 yards per pass attempt; the Defenders have won in spite of him, not because of him. Last week they were dominant on defense, allowing Vegas to pass for only 98 yards. It looks like their games are going to be ugly on a consistent basis.
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