Dallas Renegades: What We Learned in Week 1

While it is still too early to tell, the Dallas Renegades were already picked as the favorites to win the XFL championship. On top of that, they’re projected to win the most games this season. Then week 1 came and they took home a loss. Looking back on their first game, is it an indication of everyone jumping the gun?

So far we’ve learned a couple of things when it comes to the Renegades:

Quarterback is key

Due to an injury to projected starting quarterback Landry Jones, the Dallas Renegades were forced to go with their back up Phillip Nelson. While Nelson did complete 79% of his passes, the majority of his attempts were short gains. Averaging 5 yards per attempt keeps the offense in neutral instead of up-tempo and aggressive. With Jones back healthy, we’ll see if they can turn it around.

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Time to balance the attack

While Nelson threw the ball 40+ times, the Renegades only ran the ball 12 times. While they were down a majority of the game, the score was never extended to a two-possession lead. Abandoning the run with the team averaging above 4 yards per carry with a backup quarterback is usually ill-advised. Cheating towards the offensive line becomes easier when most of your passes are short causing your run game to suffer. If they want to get the rush attack going, they’ll need to spread the field a little more.

Receivers got separation

Six out of eleven receivers who caught a pass for the Renegades did so for more than the average pass thrown by Nelson. Two receivers had 40 yards or more and the ball was spread around, just not with very deep patterns. Once they can get in and watch the tape, there should be a better idea of what works and who they’re more consistent players and plays are.

Dallas was able to keep this game close, but if they want to remain the favorites, they’ll need their offensive line to step up and crack open their playbook for their more explosive plays. Next week they play the LA Wildcats who are coming off a loss themselves. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 pm EST.