With the NFL in rear view mirror it was the XFL’s turn to see if they could capture the attention of the football fan going through withdrawals after the Super Bowl. After a failed launch back in 2001, this would be the XFL’s second attempt at starting up their version of spring football. With the solid commitment of network partners like ABC, ESPN, FOX, and FS1 the quality and presentation of the product was a far better cry than the one of almost two decades ago.
The ratings and attendance in the XFL cities were good for an opening week and there are cautiously optimistic people who think that the league has a chance of prospering if fan interest remains.
The XFL’s inaugural game between the DC Defenders and the Seattle Dragons drew an average audience of 3.3 million viewers during its ABC broadcast, according to ESPN. Viewership peaked near the end of the game, with roughly four million viewers from 4:45 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET last Saturday.
Let’s take a look at the XFL standings in each division after Week One.
HSP/XFL Player of the Week- PJ Black- QB Houston Rough Necks
P.J. Walker had an outstanding season debut at quarterback for the Houston Renegades in a 37-17 victory over the Los Angeles Wildcats, throwing for four touchdowns on 23 of 39 passing for 272 yards and 26 yards rushing.
Every week we’ll take our crack at ranking each XFL team from one to eight Below are our first ever XFL Power Rankings for Week One.
HSP Week One- XFL Power Rankings
- Houston 1-0
- DC 1-0
- New York 1-0
- St. Louis 1-0
- Seattle 0-1
- Los Angeles 0-1
- Dallas 0-1
- Tampa Bay 0-1
Hopefully fan interest will remain high heading into Week 2’s set of games that will see a battle of two unbeaten teams, with the New York Guardians heading into DC against the Defenders. Plus, the St. Louis Battle Hawks head into Houston for a showdown against Quarterback P.J. Walker and the Rough Necks.
We’ll be covering the XFL for the rest of the season on Bodyslam.net
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