2020 DC Defenders season

American professional football season
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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.

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
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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

[3]

Final roster

2020 DC Defenders final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen
  • 69 Cole Boozer T
  • 75 Chris Brown G
  • 78 Malcolm Bunche T
  • 74 Rishard Cook G
  • 62 Randall Harris T
  • 70 Terronne Prescod G
  • -- Bunchy Stallings G
  • 72 Logan Tuley-Tillman T
  • 79 De'Ondre Wesley T

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists
  • 77 James O'Hagan C (IR)
  • 64 Jon Toth C (IR)


57 active, 2 inactive

Staff

2020 DC Defenders staff

Front office

  • President – Erik Moses
  • Director of player personnel – Greg Gabriel
  • Manager of Football Operations/Scout – Jeff Bauer

Head coaches

  • Head coach/general manager – Pep Hamilton
  • Assistant – Brent Battle

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive coordinator/Running backs – Tanner Engstrand
  • Quarterbacks – Ted White
  • Receivers – Bob Saunders
  • Run game coordinator/Offensive line/Tight ends – Chris Scelfo
 Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator/Secondary – Louie Cioffi
  • Defensive line – Ray Hamilton
  • Linebackers – Kurt Gouveia
  • Defensive assistant – Mike Gillhamer

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams coordinator/Cornerbacks – Steve Wilson


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 34Total
Dragons 6 7 6019
Defenders 3 9 13631

at Audi Field, Washington, D.C.

Game information
First quarter
  • DC – Tyler Rausa 34-yard field goal, 7:20. Defenders 3–0. Drive: 13 plays, 63 yards, 5:49.
  • SEA – Austin Proehl 14-yard pass from Brandon Silvers (1-pt. failed), 4:25. Dragons 6–3. Drive: 6 plays, 67 yards, 2:55.
Second quarter
  • DC – Jonathan Celestin recovered blocked punt in end zone (2-pt. failed), 6:56. Defenders 9–6
  • SEA – Brandon Silvers 13-yard pass to Trey Williams (1-pt. good), 0:20. Dragons 13–9. Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 2:11.
  • DC – Tyler Rausa 54-yard field goal, 0:00. Dragons 13–12. Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 0:20.
Third quarter
  • DC – Khari Lee 39-yard pass from Cardale Jones (1-pt. good), 12:07. Defenders 19–13. Drive: 6 plays, 78 yards, 3:04.
  • SEA – Austin Proehl 57-yard pass from Brandon Silvers (1-pt. failed), 10:42. Tied 19–19. Drive: 3 plays, 67 yards, 1:28.
  • DC – Rashad Ross 31-yard pass from Cardale Jones (1-pt. failed), 1:45. Defenders 25–19. Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 2:35.
Fourth quarter
  • DC – Bradley Sylve 69-yard interception return (1-pt. failed), 12:55. Defenders 31–19.
Top passers
Top rushers
  • SEA – Kenneth Farrow – 7 carries, 41 yards
  • DC – Cardale Jones – 6 carries, 33 yards
Top receivers

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 34Total
Guardians 0 0 000
Defenders 6 6 6927

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
First quarter
Second quarter
  • DC – Tyler Rausa 27-yard field goal, 11:19. Defenders 9–0. Drive: 13 plays, 51 yards, 7:31.
  • DC – Tyler Rausa 36-yard field goal, 0:30. Defenders 12–0. Drive: 5 plays, 43 yards, 0:49.
Third quarter
  • DC – Jameer Thurman 46-yard interception return (1-pt. failed), 10:07. Defenders 18–0.
Fourth quarter
  • DC – Tyler Rausa 26-yard field goal, 7:22. Defenders 21–0. Drive: 13 plays, 54 yards, 7:28.
  • DC – Derrick Hayward 6-yard pass from Cardale Jones (3-pt. failed), 1:29. Defenders 27–0. Drive: 5 plays, 49 yards, 1:57.
Top passers
Top rushers
  • NY – Tim Cook III – 10 rushes, 39 yards
  • DC – Donnel Pumphrey – 12 rushes, 53 yards
Top receivers

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 34Total
Defenders 0 3 069
Wildcats 6 21 6639

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
First quarter
  • LA – Tre McBride 40-yard pass from Josh Johnson (2-pt. failed), 12:27. Wildcats 6–0. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 2:50.
Second quarter
  • LA – Larry Rose 1-yard rush (2-pt. good), 14:24. Wildcats 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 28 yards, 2:20.
  • LA – Tre McBride 28-yard pass from Josh Johnson (1-pt. failed), 8:47. Wildcats 20–0. Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 3:19.
  • LA – Martez Carter 1-yard rush (1-pt. good), 4:48. Wildcats 27–0. Drive: 2 plays, 4 yards, 0:32.
  • DC – Tyler Rausa 32-yard field goal, 0:30. Wildcats 27–3. Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 0:56.
Third quarter
  • LA – Martez Carter 18-yard pass from Josh Johnson (1-pt. failed), 6:45. Wildcats 33–3. Drive: 7 plays, 96 yards, 2:47.
Fourth quarter
  • LA – Martez Carter 20-yard rush (1-pt. failed), 11:39. Wildcats 39–3. Drive: 7 plays, 94 yards, 3:45.
  • DC – Nick Brosette 38-yard rush (3-pt. failed), 7:33. Wildcats 39–9. Drive: 8 plays, 70 yards, 4:08.
Top passers
  • DC – Cardale Jones – 13/26, 103 yards, 4 INT
  • LA – Josh Johnson – 18/25, 278 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
  • DC – Nick Brosette – 8 carries, 75 yards, TD
  • LA – Martez Carter – 11 carries, 34 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers

Week 4: at Tampa Bay Vipers

Week 4 — DC at Tampa Bay
Period 1 2 34Total
Defenders 0 0 000
Vipers 7 9 6325

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
First quarter
  • TB – Jacques Patrick 8-yard rush (1-pt. good), 8:43. Vipers 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:29.
Second quarter
  • TB – DeAndre Goolsby 13-yard pass from Taylor Cornelius (1-pt. failed), 13:41. Vipers 13–0. Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 6:48.
  • TB – Andrew Franks 40–yard field goal, 3:45. Vipers 16–0. Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 4:46.
Third quarter
  • TB – Taylor Cornelius 17-yard rush (2-pt. failed), 4:36. Vipers 22–0. Drive: 3 plays, 23 yards, 1:05.
Fourth quarter
  • TB – Andrew Franks 26-yard field goal, 10:17. Vipers 25–0. Drive: 17 plays, 71 yards, 7:22.
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
  • DC – Donnel Pumphrey – 3 receptions, 32 yards
  • TB – Daniel Williams – 7 receptions, 72 yards

Week 5: vs. St. Louis BattleHawks

Week 5 — St. Louis at DC
Period 1 2 34Total
BattleHawks 3 3 006
Defenders 6 0 6315

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
First quarter
  • STL - Taylor Russolino 35-yard field goal, 3:11. BattleHawks 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 53 yards, 5:21.
  • DC - Khari Lee 9-yard pass from Tyree Jackson (1-pt. failed), 1:02. Defenders 6–3. Drive: 5 plays, 45 yards, 2:09.
Second quarter
  • STL - Taylor Russolino 40-yard field goal, 9:53. Tied 6–6. Drive: 13 plays, 63 yards, 6:08.
Third quarter
  • DC – Tyler Rausa 52-yard field goal, 10:14. Defenders 9–6. Drive: 5 plays, 26 yards, 2:46.
  • DC – Tyler Rausa 50-yard field goal, 3:25. Defenders 12–6. Drive: 7 plays, 39 yards, 3:21.
Fourth quarter
  • DC – Tyler Rausa 22-yard field goal, 3:36. Defenders 15–6. Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards, 1:55.
Top passers
Top rushers
  • STL – Matt Jones – 13 carries, 72 yards
  • DC – Jhurell Pressley - 15 carries, 107 yards
Top receivers

References

  1. ^ "A THANK YOU TO OUR FANS". Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "XFL Standings". XFL.com. February 9, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  3. ^ "XFL 2020 Schedule Released, First Game Dragons @ Defenders". Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  4. ^ Filipe, Cameron (6 February 2020). "XFL Week 1 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  5. ^ Filipe, Cameron (13 February 2020). "XFL Week 2 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  6. ^ Smith, Michael David (February 15, 2020). "DC Defenders try XFL's first three-point conversion". NBCSports. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  7. ^ Filipe, Cameron (20 February 2020). "XFL Week 3 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  8. ^ Filipe, Cameron (27 February 2020). "XFL Week 4 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  9. ^ Filipe, Cameron (5 March 2020). "XFL Week 5 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  • v
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DC Defenders
  • Founded in 2018
  • Based in Washington, DC
Franchise
Stadiums
Key personnel
Culture
Division championships (1)
2023
Affiliations
  • League: XFL (2020-2023); United Football League (2024-present)
    Conference: XFL Conference (2024-present)
    Division: East (2020); North (2023)
Seasons