4-6 to Championship: Arlington Renegades win 2023 XFL title, 35-26
QB Luis Perez was named the MVP of the game, throwing for 288 yards and 3 TDs against the DC Defenders.
SAN ANTONIO — The 2023 XFL season began with an Arlington Renegades victory. It was only fitting that it ended with one as well.
Between those two victories, the Renegades went through numerous quarterbacks, injuries, a plethora of losses and plenty of criticism for their 4-6 regular-season record.
But when it came down to playoff time, the Renegades ignored all of those factors and beat the two strongest teams in the league. In one final upset, Arlington toppled the 10-1 DC Defenders in the XFL Championship game, 35-26, at the Alamodome.
“We didn't feel like we were underdogs at all,” quarterback Luis Perez said. “Because, it's about us. If we execute plays, we knew we were gonna win the game.”
With their win, the Renegades become the first pro football team based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to win a league championship since 1996, when the Dallas Cowboys won Super Bowl XXX.
The Arlington offense was elite in the first half on Saturday night, scoring on all four of their drives. DC gave ample space for Perez and the Renegades to work with just beyond the line of scrimmage.
After a South Division Championship game where Arlington showed its first signs of a strong air attack, the Defenders showed respect, playing deeper. The Renegades took advantage, relying on short passes and their speedy receivers to pick up yardage.
The field opened up for a 14-yard rush by De’Veon Smith before the drive seemed to stall out. Perez nearly fumbled away the ball and Smith was stopped at the line of scrimmage.
It was the first third down of the game and it would set the tone for Arlington’s offense the rest of the game. Sal Cannella crossed midfield between two Defenders and Perez hit him right in his stride.
Cannella had nothing but room after threading between the two players, going for a 41-yard score — the first XFL Championship touchdown in 22 years.
The Renegades masterfully extended drives in the opening half, going 6-for-7 on third-down conversions. Arlington would average 15.9 yards per attempt on third down.
“We just executed well,” Coach Bob Stoops said. “Play design, as well as receivers, quarterbacks being on the same page. And we took what they were giving us.”
After forcing a three-and-out on DC’s first offensive drive, the Renegades put together a 16-play 88-yard touchdown drive where they converted three third downs. It all came to a head with a bullet pass from Perez to Tyler Vaughns in the back of the end zone.
By the time the whistle for the first quarter sounded, Arlington had racked up 174 yards of offense to the Defenders’ -1.
That DC didn’t last for long. The Defenders started moving the ball behind XFL Offensive Player of the Year, Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu. Ta’amu completed a 21-yard pass to Lucky Jackson and put DC in the red zone quickly.
But a tipped ball by Will Hill found the hands of Joe Powell in the end zone, squashing DC momentum for the time being.
The Renegades managed to tack on a pair of field goals before halftime courtesy of Taylor Russolino — 29 and 51-yard makes.
Between the two kicks, DC put together its best drive of the evening, resulting in a touchdown by running back Abram Smith. The lead for Arlington was 20-6 at the break.
Out of halftime, Smith was quick to remind the Renegades why he was an All-XFL back and the leagues’ leading rusher. On a 4th-and-1 at midfield, Smith found a gap and took off for a 52-yard score.
DC managed to stay in the matchup with a few big-yardage plays. The Defenders would later score a 72-yard touchdown with Ta’amu finding Josh Hammond. Chris Blair nearly had a 70-yard score of his own, but dropped a pass in the open field.
Even though it was evident DC was within striking distance, the Renegades’ offense didn’t let it effect them.
“We can't get too caught up in momentum,” Perez said. “We got to stay steady. There's no ‘Oh my gosh, they just scored’ there's none of that going on. We’ve just gotta score like we've been doing all game.”
Running back Leddie Brown was the one to make the difference on the field and on the scoreboard. While not the featured back for the Renegades, Brown had shown flashes throughout the season and it all came out in the title game.
Brown replaced a briefly-sidelined De’Veon Smith and rushed for 22 yards on three carries to score his first XFL touchdown. Two drives later, Arlington found itself starting at the DC 30 due to a kickoff infraction and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Abram Smith.
Perez found Brown on a crossing route on the first play and he took off toward the end zone, making a dive across the goalline for a 30-yard score.
“He's a powerful, strong guy,” said Stoops. “I love our backs. Those guys are good. They take care of the ball, they catch well, that was fun to see. Leddie’s a strong, excellent player, we love that guy. He's got a bright future.”
That score would be enough. Even though DC would add more points in the waning minutes, the Renegades had kept their lead long enough to secure the 2023 XFL title.
Perez was named the MVP of the game after throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns.
“It's a great feeling,” Perez said. “I mean, you don't do it for that, but it's it's a good honor to have. At the end of day all I wanted was to be an XFL champ.”