The Arlington Renegades are heading to the XFL playoffs.
Despite losing four of their last five games, including Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Houston Roughnecks, the Renegades’ 4-6 record was good enough to finish in second place in the XFL South division, one game better than the San Antonio Brahmas and three games better than the Orlando Guardians.
The second-place finish means Arlington earns another game against Houston, the third time the teams will meet this season. Houston beat Arlington 23-14 in Week 2 and 25-9 on Sunday.
The Renegades began the season with a come-from-behind win over the Vegas Vipers in a game in which they failed to score an offensive touchdown.
After a 3-2 start, Arlington hit a roadblock and managed just one win down the stretch.
“We’ve got to do a better job in our execution, and that’s what the biggest thing is for us,” head coach Bob Stoops told the media after Sunday’s loss. “It’s been a headache that way for most of the year… We haven’t been at our best, and maybe we can find a way to do that this week. We need to.”
The Renegades’ offense has struggled all season, using four different quarterbacks and scoring a league-low 12 touchdowns (seven rushing and five passing). Arlington has only eclipsed the 20-point mark twice in its 10-game season.
The team finally found some stability by trading for quarterback Luis Perez on March 28. Perez has started eight games between Arlington and Vegas this year and has thrown for the fourth-most passing yards in the league.
The Arlington defense has kept it in games all season. The Renegades have scored the third-most defensive touchdowns in the XFL and have the most interceptions. Defensive back Joe Powell is second in the league with four picks, and linebacker Donald Payne has the fifth-most tackles.
Houston won the XFL South with a 7-3 record. The Roughnecks began the season 4-0 before a three-game losing streak and have recovered to end the regular season with three consecutive wins.
The offense scored the third-most touchdowns in the XFL during the regular season, and the defense may be the best in the league.
Brandon Silvers has similar numbers to Luis Perez, while running back Max Borghi and wide receiver Deontay Burnett have each scored six touchdowns this season.
The Roughnecks’ defense leads the XFL in sacks, has two of the league’s top tacklers in Tavante Beckett and Emmanuel Ellerbee, and has the league’s interception leader in Ajene Harris.
“Offensively, they’re very efficient in what they do and how they pick their plays, so you got to compliment their coaching staff for that,” Stoops said. “Same thing defensively. They’re very sound and fundamental.”
The Renegades and Roughnecks play in Houston at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday. The winner faces the winner of the XFL North division playoff game between the D.C Defenders (9-1) and the Seattle Sea Dragons (7-3) in the XFL championship game at the Alamodome on Saturday, May 13.
