XFL Stats: Top Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers, Running Backs After Week 1, Players To Watch In 2020

Week 1 of the 2020 XFL season is in the books. Two underdogs in the four games won straight up. Only one of the contests was decided by one score.

The DC Defenders beat the Seattle Dragons 31-19 in the first game of the season. The Houston Roughnecks beat the Los Angeles Wildcats 37-17 Saturday night, marking the weekend’s highest-scoring contest.

The New York Guardians had the best defensive effort, beating the favored Tampa Bay Vipers 23-3. The St. Louis BattleHawks were the only road team to win, defeating the Dallas Renegades 15-9.

Here’s a look at some of the offensive stat leaders from XFL Week 1:

Quarterback: P.J. Walker, Houston Roughnecks (272 passing yards, 4 TD)

Walker went 23-39 for 272 yards and a 103.8 passer rating. The Temple product added four rushes for 26 yards, and his mobility was a problem for Los Angeles’ defense. Houston was the highest-scoring team of Week 1.

Quarterback: Cardale Jones, DC Defenders (116.7 Passer Rating)

Jones didn’t look like a quarterback that’s only made 11 starts in college and the NFL since 2014. He went 16-26 for 235 yards, two scores and no interceptions. Jones was almost the team’s leading rusher with 28 yards on nine attempts.

Wide Receiver: Daniel Williams, Tampa Bay Vipers (123 receiving yards)

Williams had six catches for 123 yards, though none of those receptions helped the Vipers get into the end zone. He managed to put up big numbers in spite of Aaron Murray’s 45.1 passer rating, which was the worst among the starting quarterbacks.

Wide Receiver: Nelson Spruce, Los Angeles Wildcats (15 targets, 11 receptions)

Spruce was the biggest bright spot in Los Angeles’ 20-point loss, racking up 11 catches for 103 yards. The Wildcats’ offense should be improved when quarterback Josh Johnson returns from a thigh injury.

Running Back: Matt Jones, St. Louis Battlehawks (21 rushes, 85 yards)

Jones was the only player to break the 80-yard mark in Week 1. The former third-round NFL draft pick was part of an offense that totaled 191 yards on the ground. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu had nine rushes for 77 yards in the victory over Dallas.

Running Back: Kenneth Farrow, Seattle Dragons (5.9 yards per carry)

With seven rushes for 41 yards, Farrow had the highest yards per attempt of any running back with at least five rushes. Ja'Quan Gardner had 36 yards on nine attempts for Seattle.