2020 DC Defenders season
The 2020 DC Defenders season was the first season for the DC Defenders as a professional American football franchise. They were playing as charter members of the XFL, one of eight teams to compete in the league for the 2020 season. The Defenders played their home games at Audi Field and were led by head coach Pep Hamilton.
| 2020 DC Defenders season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Owner | Alpha Entertainment, LLC |
| General manager | Pep Hamilton |
| Head coach | Pep Hamilton |
| Home field | Audi Field |
| Results | |
| Record | 3–2 |
| League place | Tie 1st XFL East |
Their inaugural season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the XFL officially suspended operations for the remainder of the season on March 20, 2020.[1]
Standings
First ever XFL kickoff between the Defenders and Seattle Dragons at Audi Field
| East Division[2] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W–L | PCT | TD+/- | TD+ | TD- | DIV | PF | PA | DIFF | STK | |||
| DC Defenders | 3–2 | .600 | -3 | 9 | 12 | 2–1 | 82 | 89 | -7 | W1 | |||
| St. Louis Battlehawks | 3–2 | .600 | 3 | 11 | 8 | 1–1 | 97 | 77 | 20 | L1 | |||
| New York Guardians | 3–2 | .600 | -1 | 8 | 9 | 1–2 | 79 | 85 | -6 | W2 | |||
| Tampa Bay Vipers | 1–4 | .200 | -4 | 11 | 15 | 1–1 | 98 | 115 | -17 | L1 | |||
| West Division[2] | |||||||||||||
| Team | W–L | PCT | TD+/- | TD+ | TD- | DIV | PF | PA | DIFF | STK | |||
| Houston Roughnecks | 5–0 | 1.000 | 7 | 21 | 14 | 3–0 | 158 | 111 | 47 | W5 | |||
| Dallas Renegades | 2–3 | .400 | -3 | 9 | 12 | 2–1 | 90 | 102 | -12 | L2 | |||
| Los Angeles Wildcats | 2–3 | .400 | 4 | 18 | 14 | 0–2 | 129 | 122 | 7 | W1 | |||
| Seattle Dragons | 1–4 | .200 | -3 | 12 | 15 | 0–2 | 87 | 119 | -32 | L3 | |||
| (x)–clinched playoff berth; (y)–clinched conference; (e)–eliminated from playoff contention | |||||||||||||
Schedule
All times Eastern
| Week | Day | Date | Kickoff | TV | Opponent | Results | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Record | |||||||
| 1 | Saturday | February 8 | 2:00 p.m. | ABC | Seattle Dragons | W 31–19 | 1–0 | Audi Field |
| 2 | Saturday | February 15 | 2:00 p.m. | ABC | New York Guardians | W 27–0 | 2–0 | Audi Field |
| 3 | Sunday | February 23 | 6:00 p.m. | FS1 | at Los Angeles Wildcats | L 9–39 | 2–1 | Dignity Health Sports Park |
| 4 | Sunday | March 1 | 7:00 p.m. | ESPN2 | at Tampa Bay Vipers | L 0–25 | 2–2 | Raymond James Stadium |
| 5 | Sunday | March 8 | 3:00 p.m. | FS1 | St. Louis BattleHawks | W 15–6 | 3–2 | Audi Field |
| 6 | Sunday | March 15 | 4:00 p.m. | FS1 | Dallas Renegades | Not played | Audi Field | |
| 7 | Sunday | March 22 | 6:00 p.m. | FS1 | at Houston Roughnecks | TDECU Stadium | ||
| 8 | Saturday | March 28 | 2:00 p.m. | ABC | Tampa Bay Vipers | Audi Field | ||
| 9 | Saturday | April 4 | 2:00 p.m. | ABC | at New York Guardians | MetLife Stadium | ||
| 10 | Sunday | April 12 | 2:00 p.m. | ABC | at St. Louis BattleHawks | The Dome at America's Center | ||
Final roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
| ||||||
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
| |||||
Season summary
During the first two weeks of the XFL season, the Defenders got off to a hot start, beating the Seattle Dragons in the first XFL game by a score of 31–19 at home, and dominating the New York Guardians at home 27–0. However, Cardale Jones and the Defenders got into a slump the next two weeks, falling to 2-2 and losing back to back games on the road; first to the Los Angeles Wildcats 39–9, and then to the Tampa Bay Vipers 25–0. The Defenders were able to rebound in week 5 thanks to Tyree Jackson, winning against the St. Louis Battlehawks at home 15-6 and improving their record to 3-2 before the XFL officially suspended operations 12 days later.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Seattle Dragons
Week 1 — Seattle at DC
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragons | 6 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 19 |
| Defenders | 3 | 9 | 13 | 6 | 31 |
at Audi Field, Washington, D.C.
- Date: Saturday, February 8
- Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 43 °F (6 °C) • Wind: SW 7 mph
- Game attendance: 17,163
- Referee: Reggie Smith[4]
- TV announcers (ABC): Steve Levy (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), Tom Luginbill and Dianna Russini (sideline)
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
This was the first-ever XFL game, and the Defenders would have the first score (although Seattle had the first touchdown) and the first win of the XFL.
Week 2: vs. New York Guardians
Week 2 — New York at DC
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guardians | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 27 |
at Audi Field, Washington, D.C.
- Date: Saturday, February 15
- Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Partly cloudy • Temperature: 36 °F (2 °C) • Wind: S 9 mph
- Game attendance: 15,031
- Referee: John O'Neill[5]
- TV announcers (ABC): Steve Levy (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), Tom Luginbill and Dianna Russini (sideline)
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
In the fourth quarter, the Defenders tried for a three-point conversion, the first three-point attempt in the XFL.[6]
Week 3: at Los Angeles Wildcats
Week 3 – DC at Los Angeles
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defenders | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| Wildcats | 6 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 39 |
at Dignity Health Sports Park, Los Angeles, CA
- Date: Sunday, February 23
- Game time: 6:00 p.m. EST / 3:00 p.m. PST
- Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Wind: N 3 mph
- Referee: Tra Blake[7]
- TV announcers (FS1): Curt Menefee (play-by-play), Greg Olsen (analyst), Jenny Taft (sideline)
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 4: at Tampa Bay Vipers
Week 4 — DC at Tampa Bay
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defenders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vipers | 7 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 25 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
- Date: Sunday, March 1
- Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Mostly cloudy • Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C) • Wind: NNE 3 mph
- Referee: Jeff Heaser[8]
- TV announcers (ESPN2): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Joey Galloway (analyst), Pat McAfee (sideline)
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 5: vs. St. Louis BattleHawks
Week 5 — St. Louis at DC
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BattleHawks | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Defenders | 6 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 15 |
at Audi Field, Washington, D.C.
- Date: Sunday, March 8
- Game time: 5:00 p.m. EST
- Referee: John O'Neill[9]
- TV announcers (FS1): Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play), Greg Olsen (analyst)
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
References
- "A THANK YOU TO OUR FANS". Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- "XFL Standings". XFL.com. February 9, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
- "XFL 2020 Schedule Released, First Game Dragons @ Defenders". Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- Filipe, Cameron (6 February 2020). "XFL Week 1 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
- Filipe, Cameron (13 February 2020). "XFL Week 2 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
- Smith, Michael David (February 15, 2020). "DC Defenders try XFL's first three-point conversion". NBCSports. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
- Filipe, Cameron (20 February 2020). "XFL Week 3 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
- Filipe, Cameron (27 February 2020). "XFL Week 4 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- Filipe, Cameron (5 March 2020). "XFL Week 5 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
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