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2023 DC Defenders season

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2023 DC Defenders season
OwnerAlpha Acquico, LLC
General managerReggie Barlow
Head coachReggie Barlow
Home fieldAudi Field
Results
Record9–1
Division place1st XFL North
Playoff finishWon Division Finals (vs. Seattle Sea Dragons) 37–21
Lost XFL Championship (vs. Arlington Renegades) 26–35

The 2023 DC Defenders season was the second season for the DC Defenders as a professional American football franchise. The Defenders played their home games at Audi Field and were led by head coach Reggie Barlow.

At the first home game security staff prevented fans building the "Beer Snake", a signature feature from the 2020 season, and fans started throwing lemons on the field. The league made the proper arrangements for the "Beer Snake" to be allowed during Defenders home games.[1][2]

Earning their first playoff berth and clinching first place in the North Division, the Defenders eliminated the Seattle Sea Dragons in the North Division title game in the playoffs. With the win, the Defenders advanced to the XFL Championship Game where they faced the Arlington Renegades, losing by a score of 26-35.[3][4]

Roster

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2023 DC Defenders roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)
  • 62 Tommy Champion T
  • 66 Ty Clary C
  • 77 Liam Fornadel G
  • 78 D'Marcus Hayes T
  • 53 Kyle Murphy T
  • 64 Bruno Reagan C
  • 51 Dare Rosenthal T
  • 63 Liam Ryan G
  • 72 Gunnar Vogel T

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Reserve

Rookies in italics
51 active, 9 reserve

Background

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The 2020 season was the inaugural season for the DC Defenders as a professional club. They were playing as charter members of the rebooted XFL, one of eight teams to compete in the league for the 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.[5] The Defenders finished the season with a 3–2 record.

Schedule

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All times Eastern

Week Day Date Kickoff TV Opponent Results Location Attendance
Score Record
1 Sunday February 19 8:00 p.m. ESPN Seattle Sea Dragons 22–18 1–0 Audi Field 12,438
2 Saturday February 25 7:00 p.m. FX at Vegas Vipers 18–6 2–0 Cashman Field 6,023
3 Sunday March 5 1:00 p.m. FX St. Louis BattleHawks 34–28 3–0 Audi Field 16,212
4 Sunday March 12 7:00 p.m. ESPN2 Vegas Vipers 32–18 4–0 Audi Field 11,521
5 Saturday March 18 7:00 p.m. FX at St. Louis BattleHawks 28–20 5–0 The Dome at America's Center 35,868
6 Monday March 27 7:00 p.m. ESPN2 Houston Roughnecks 37–26 6–0 Audi Field 12,492
7 Saturday April 1 6:00 p.m. ESPN at Orlando Guardians 36–37 6–1 Camping World Stadium 7,011
8 Sunday April 9 7:00 p.m. ESPN2 at Seattle Sea Dragons 34–33 7–1 Lumen Field 11,874
9 Sunday April 16 12:00 p.m. ESPN Arlington Renegades 28–26 (OT) 8–1 Audi Field 18,684
10 Saturday April 22 3:00 p.m. ABC at San Antonio Brahmas 29–28 9–1 Alamodome 12,129

[6]

Game summaries

[edit]

Week 1: vs. Seattle Sea Dragons

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Week 1: Seattle Sea Dragons at DC Defenders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Sea Dragons 9 0 9018
Defenders 0 8 8622

at Audi Field, Washington, DC

  • Date: February 19
  • Game time: 8:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 12,438
  • Referee: Jeff Heaser
  • TV announcers (ESPN): John Schriffen, Tom Luginbill, and Stormy Buonantony
  • [1]
Game information

Week 2: at Vegas Vipers

[edit]
Week 2: DC Defenders at Vegas Vipers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Defenders 0 0 31518
Vipers 6 0 006

at Cashman Field, Las Vegas, Nevada

Game information

Week 3: vs. St. Louis BattleHawks

[edit]
Week 3: St. Louis BattleHawks at DC Defenders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
BattleHawks 8 6 6828
Defenders 14 0 11934

at Audi Field, Washington, DC

Game information

Week 4: vs. Vegas Vipers

[edit]
Week 4: Vegas Vipers at DC Defenders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vipers 3 3 01218
Defenders 6 8 61232

at Audi Field, Washington, DC

Game information

Week 5: at St. Louis BattleHawks

[edit]
Week 5: DC Defenders at St. Louis BattleHawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Defenders 0 14 6828
BattleHawks 0 3 9820

at The Dome at America's Center, St. Louis, Missouri

Game information

Week 6: vs. Houston Roughnecks

[edit]
Week 6: Houston Roughnecks at DC Defenders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Roughnecks 8 0 61226
Defenders 3 14 91137

at Audi Field, Washington, DC

Game information

Week 7: at Orlando Guardians

[edit]
Week 7: DC Defenders at Orlando Guardians – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Defenders 14 8 6836
Guardians 12 6 13637

at Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida

Game information

Week 8: at Seattle Sea Dragons

[edit]
Week 8: DC Defenders at Seattle Sea Dragons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Defenders 8 8 61234
Sea Dragons 0 6 91833

at Lumen Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: April 9
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 11,874
  • Referee: Jason Autrey
  • TV announcers (ESPN2): Roy Philpott, Eric Mac Lain, Tiffany Blackmon
  • [7]
Game information

Week 9: vs. Arlington Renegades

[edit]
Week 9: Arlington Renegades at DC Defenders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Renegades 3 6 017026
Defenders 6 14 60228

at Audi Field, Washington, DC

Game information

Week 10: at San Antonio Brahmas

[edit]
Week 10: DC Defenders at San Antonio Brahmas – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Defenders 11 8 3729
Brahmas 3 8 9828

at Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

Game information

Standings

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North Division[7]
Team W L PCT GB TD+/- TD+ TD- DIV PF PA DIFF STK
(y) DC Defenders 9 1 .900 0 -2 33 35 6–0 298 240 58 W3
(x) Seattle Sea Dragons 7 3 .700 2 +10 30 20 3–3 243 177 66 W2
(e) St. Louis Battlehawks 7 3 .700 2 +9 32 23 3–3 249 202 47 W1
(e) Vegas Vipers 2 8 .200 7 0 28 28 0–6 184 252 -68 L3
South Division[7]
Team W L PCT GB TD+/- TD+ TD- DIV PF PA DIFF STK
(y) Houston Roughnecks 7 3 .700 0 +4 30 26 6–0 247 182 65 W3
(x) Arlington Renegades 4 6 .400 3 -8 15 23 3–3 146 194 -48 L2
(e) San Antonio Brahmas 3 7 .300 4 -8 16 24 3–3 169 183 -14 L1
(e) Orlando Guardians 1 9 .100 6 -5 32 37 0–6 204 310 -106 L3
(x)–clinched playoff berth; (y)–clinched division; (e)–eliminated from playoff contention


Postseason

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Schedule

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Week Day Date Kickoff TV Opponent Results Location Attendance
Score Record
Division Finals Sunday April 30 3:00 p.m. ESPN Seattle Sea Dragons 37–21 1–0 Audi Field 18,684
XFL Championship Saturday May 13 8:00 p.m. ABC vs. Arlington Renegades 26–35 1–1 Alamodome 22,754

Game summaries

[edit]

XFL North Division Finals: vs. (2) Seattle Sea Dragons

[edit]
XFL North Division Finals: (2) Seattle Sea Dragons at (1) DC Defenders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Sea Dragons 3 6 01221
Defenders 9 0 141437

at Audi Field, Washington, DC

Game information

XFL Championship Game: vs. Arlington Renegades

[edit]
XFL Championship Game: (2) Arlington Renegades at (1) DC Defenders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Renegades 14 6 12335
Defenders 0 6 14626

at Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

Game information

Staff

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DC Defenders staff
Front office
  • Director of team operations – Stacie Johnson
  • Director of player personnel – Von Hutchins
Head coach
Offensive coaches
 
Defensive coaches
Team operations
  • Quality Control – Deion Harris
  • Athletic Trainer – Chris Lacsamana
  • Equipment Manager – VanDyke Jones
  • Video Manager – Caleb Studivant

References

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  1. ^ "DC Defenders Beer Snake is Back, With Some Rules Fans Need To Follow".
  2. ^ "The XFL Beer Snake Returns (D.C. Defenders Fans Tradition)".
  3. ^ "DC Defenders Earn Spot in First-Ever XFL Championship". WRC-TV. April 30, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  4. ^ "DC Defenders head to XFL championship game". WUSA (TV). May 1, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  5. ^ "A THANK YOU TO OUR FANS". Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  6. ^ "XFL and ESPN Announce 2023 Schedule, Divisions, Vegas Vipers Playing At Cashman Field". January 5, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "XFL Standings". XFL.com. February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023.