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The XFL delivered on the hype in the first weekend of the third edition of the spring football league, and the Battlehawks are a big reason why.
A.J. McCarron led St. Louis to a miraculous comeback after trailing by two scores with just over three minutes left to play. The Sea Dragons had gotten off to a hot start against the Defenders, holding an 18-8 lead at one point in the third quarter, but a pick-six and fourth-quarter D.C. touchdown doomed Seattle in a 22-18 Week 1 defeat.
On Thursday, the two squads will face off as the Sea Dragons look to notch their first win of the season, while the Battlehawks eye a 2-0 start.
MORE: Watch XFL games live with fuboTV (free trial)
The Sporting News will be providing live updates of the Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons in the second week of the 2023 XFL season. Follow for scores and highlights from the game.
Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons score
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battlehawks | 0 | 8 | 3 | — | — |
Sea Dragons | 3 | 9 | 0 | — | — |
Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons live updates, highlights from XFL Week 2 game
(All times Eastern.)
Fourth quarter
11:13 p.m.: The Battlehawks’ drive starts with a pass out wide to Proehl for 12 yards to pick up a quick first down.
11:09 p.m.: St. Louis will begin its drive from its own 27. Pivotal drive coming up as the Battlehawks trail by a point with 10 minutes remaining.
11:08 p.m.: The Sea Dragons’ drive doesn’t last long after short gains on a rush and a pass before an incompletion brings out the punter.
11:06 p.m.: Seattle will start at its own 36.
11:05 p.m.: The Battlehawks get to within a third-and-11, but an incompletion stalls the drive with 12:33 remaining. The punting unit is coming out.
11:03 p.m.: St. Louis challenged the offensive pass interference penalty, but the call on the field stands. The Battlehawks have lost their challenge and a timeout.
10:59 p.m.: Walker starts the St. Louis drive with a 13-yard carry, but the Battlehawks are backed up by five yards on a false start. A pass interference penalty on the offense backs the Battlehawks up even further for 10 yards.
10:57 p.m.: Already some drama to start the fourth quarter. After not getting the first down before the end of the third, a quarterback sneak appears to result in a fumble, recovered by Kevin Atkins. Review keeps the turnover call, and St. Louis will take over at its own 18.
Third quarter
10:51 p.m.: DiNucci and Ellison rush for a combined 13 yards, but it appeared Ellison fumbled on the second run. However, St. Louis doesn’t challenge, and VP of Officiating Dean Blandino said in the booth the call on the field was that the runner was stopped by forward progress before the fumble. The Sea Dragons tack on runs of four and five yards before the end of the quarter.
10:50 p.m.: DiNucci does it himself, rushing for seven yards to St. Louis’ 40 on fourth down to keep his offense going.
10:49 p.m.: Two plays by Seattle keep the ball moving downfield, but Sebastian blows up a completion to Jackson for no gain. Fourth down coming up.
10:47 p.m.: Ellison puts together a pair of impressive plays, first hitting the brakes on a defender for a four-yard gain before catching a ball in space and taking off for four yards up to the Seattle 40. He then rushes for five yards up to the 45 to pick up the first.
10:45 p.m.: Another strong kickoff return by Redd up to the Seattle 31.
10:41 p.m. Battlehawks scoring playin: After a miss earlier in the game, Hageman makes the 44-yard field-goal try to make it just a one-point game in Seattle with 6:32 remaining in the third quarter. Sea Dragons 12, Battlehawks 11
10:41 p.m.: The Seattle defense again comes up clutch, stopping Walker six yards shy of the first-down marker to force another field-goal try.
10:39 p.m.: Proehl makes an impressive catch at the Seattle 29 for 11 yards as the defender collided with him to keep St. Louis’ drive moving on a third-down completion.
10:37 p.m.: Another turnover by Seattle as Ellison loses the ball, and Lacale London picks up the ball at the Sea Dragons 42.
10:36 p.m.: The Sea Dragons start their drive off strong, completing a 13-yard pass out to Ellison out to the Seattle 26.
10:32 p.m.: The Battlehawks can’t take advantage of the good field position, with only a short scramble, pass for a loss and a three-yard pass to Butler. Donald Hageman then misses the 36-yard field goal.
10:29 p.m.: Special teams comes up clutch for St. Louis. The Sea Dragons muff the punt, and it is recovered by the Battlehawks at Seattle’s 23. The officiating booth rules that there is not enough evidence to overturn the ruling on the field, and it will be St. Louis ball.
10:27 p.m.: On third down, Butler is able to hold onto a tough catch, but he’s still a yard shy of the first down marker. St. Louis goes three and out and has to punt.
10:25 p.m.: The Battlehawks will begin the third quarter at their own 20.
Second quarter
10:11 p.m.: McCarron fumbles the ball and it isn’t recovered until way back at the Seattle 39, which knocks the Battlehawks 39. St. Louis’ promising drive will end in a punt. The punt will end the first half.
10:09 p.m.: McCarron’s pass to Hakeem Butler was nearly hauled in in the end zone for a miraculous, one-handed touchdown, but Butler just couldn’t hold on. The Battlehawks use a second timeout before a pivotal third-and-10.
10:07 p.m.: The St. Louis drive keeps rolling. McCarron hits Ateman for seven and then Durant for another 10 on back-to-back firsts. St. Louis up to the Seattle 24.
10:05 p.m.: McCarron hits Ateman for a nine-yard pass, but is sacked on the next play. However, a penalty for offsides erases the sack and keeps the St. Louis drive alive and brings up a first-and-5 at the Seattle 41.
10 p.m.: The Battlehawks picks up a first down on a pass out to Steven Mitchell for three yards, and a Seattle face mask penalty moves them up 15 yards to the St. Louis 42 with 2:31 left in the half.
9:55 p.m.: With 4:04 left in the first half, the Battlehawks will start their next possession at their own 11.
9:54 p.m.: DiNucci scrambles on a third-and-5 and finds Pearson downfield, but the pass falls incomplete, and Seattle will be forced to punt.
9:52 p.m.: A pass for nine yards to Charlie Taumoepau and a rush for 11 yards by Brenden Knox gets Seattle’s offense back in rhythm and moves them up to the Seattle 48.
9:51 p.m.: The Sea Dragons get a solid return, with Jaylon Redd returning the kick up to Seattle’s 28.
9:46 p.m. Battlehawks scoring play: McCarron sneaks it up the middle to score the touchdown and collect the six points. St. Louis opts to go for 2, and McCarron’s pass to Marcell Ateman picks up the added points. It’s a four-point game in Seattle. Sea Dragons 12, Battlehawks 8
Alternate angles FTW… 🙌 @10AJMcCarron connects with Marcell Ateman for the 2-pt conversion.#XFL2023 | @XFLBattlehawks pic.twitter.com/dhnftgOZsa
— XFL (@XFL2023) February 24, 2023
9:44 p.m.: After a pickup of five, the Battlehawks get to tack on a few more on a roughing the passer penalty to move St. Louis up to the Seattle 13.
9:42 p.m.: McCarron puts the team on his back, scrambling up the middle for 14 to pick up the first and move St. Louis into field-goal range at the Seattle 41.
9:40 p.m.: The St. Louis drive keeps rolling. McCarron connects with Mataeo Durant for seven and Gary Jennings for another six to move the sticks up to the Seattle 45.
9:39 p.m.: Proehl with a clutch catch, securing a short pass on a curl route over the middle for a five-yard pickup and a first down, the first by the Battlehawks without a penalty.
9:38 p.m.: McCarron misses on his ifrst pass, but he connects with Darrius Shepherd for nine yards on his second attempt of the drive.
9:37 p.m.: The Battlehawks will start their drive out at their own 24.
9:35 p.m. Sea Dragons scoring play: A pair of easy passes for DiNucci to start the second quarter. First, he finds Pearson out wide, and the speedy wideout takes it 54 yards down the sideline for a score. Then he finds Gordon in the end zone wide open for the 3-yard conversion to make it a nine-point touchdown. Sea Dragons 12, Battlehawks 0
FIRST TOUCHDOWN AT @LumenField GOES TO @JayPeeezyy!#XFL2023 | #BreathFire pic.twitter.com/wFCgEGG9iQ
— Seattle Sea Dragons (@XFLSeaDragons) February 24, 2023
JOSH GORDON WIDE OPEN FOR THE THREE-POINT CONVERSION 🔥@XFL2023 | @XFLSeaDragons pic.twitter.com/Uiul41lCe3
— ESPN (@espn) February 24, 2023
First quarter
9:31 p.m.: The Sea Dragons end the first quarter with a bang, with DiNucci connecting with Jackson for 19 yards out to the left. Seattle will take a 3-0 lead to the second quarter.
9:29 p.m.: The extra life for the Battlehawks doesn’t help. St. Louis gained only two yards on a rush by Kareem Walker, but McCarron is sacked already for the second time, this time for a loss of seven. Seattle will start at its own 27.
9:27 p.m.: McCarron overshoots Austin Proehl on a throw out wide to the left, but just as the Battlehawks are about to punt, Sea Dragons’ Rojesterman Farris jumps offsides on a fourth-and-2, and the St. Louis drive will continue.
9:25 p.m.: St. Louis will begin its second drive at the 25.
9:21 p.m. Sea Dragons scoring play: Dominik Eberle drills the 29-yard field goal, and the Sea Dragons are on the board first, taking a 3-0 lead. Sea Dragons 3, Battlehawks 0
9:20 p.m.: DiNucci had Josh Gordon in the end zone, but it was short and Brandon Sebastian was able to break up the pass.
9:18 p.m.: The Seattle offense keeps rolling. DiNucci connects with Damion Willis for six yards and then Pearson for another nine to pick up a first and roll to the St. Louis 17.
9:17 p.m.: Following an incompletion, Ellison rushes right up the middle for 14 yards, breaking through a tackle at the line and then fighting through another late on the run to pick up a third first down on the drive.
9:15 p.m.: A rush of 5 by Ellison and a catch of three yards by Blake Jackson help to set up a third-and-manageable for Seattle, and on the third-down play, DiNucci scrambles for five up to the St. Louis 46 for a pickup of five. Another first down for the Sea Dragons.
9:14 p.m.: And just like that, Ben DiNucci follows it up with a seven-yard carry for seven to pick up the first down at the Seattle 41.
9:14 p.m.: Morgan Ellison picks up the largest gain of the day, rushing for six yards on the first-down rush for Seattle.
9:10 p.m.: Jahcour Pearson returns the punt out 14 yards to Seattle’s 28 to set the Sea Dragons up for their next drive.
9:09 p.m.: St. Louis also has little going for them. A.J. McCarron was sacked on the first offensive play, and Kishawn Walker was only able to get a yard back on the rush. Another play to Walker gains only one, and the Battlehawks have to punt the ball away.
9:07 p.m.: The third-down pass falls incomplete, and the Sea Dragons have to punt he ball away. The punt is returned out to the Battlehawks 41.
9:06 p.m.: An incompletion and a screen pass for no gain leave the Sea Dragons facing a third and 10 at the 17.
9:05 p.m.: The Sea Dragons will start the game at their own 17.
Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons start time
- Kickoff: 9 p.m. ET | 6 p.m. PT
Thursday’s clash between the Battlehawks and Sea Dragons will kick off at 9 p.m. ET. The game will be played at Lumen Field in Seattle.
What channel is Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons on today?
XFL fans will have several options to watch Thursday’s clash between the Vipers and Renegades. FX will carry the game, and ESPN+ will live stream the matchup. Viewers can also find FX’s broadcast on fuboTV, which offers a free trial.
XFL schedule 2023 Week 2
Thursday, Feb. 23
Matchup | Kickoff time (ET) | TV channel | Live stream |
---|---|---|---|
Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons | 9 p.m. | FX | ESPN+, fuboTV |
Saturday, Feb. 25
Matchup | Kickoff time (ET) | TV channel | Live stream |
---|---|---|---|
Defenders vs. Vipers | 7 p.m. | FX | ESPN+, fuboTV |
Sunday, Feb. 26
Matchup | Kickoff time (ET) | TV channel | Live stream |
---|---|---|---|
Brahmas vs. Guardians | 4 p.m. | ESPN | ESPN+, fuboTV |
Renegades vs. Roughnecks | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 | ESPN+, fuboTV |