USA betting sites favor the St. Louis BattleHawks by 10 points over the New York Guardians, as the spread goes for their Week 3 XFL regular season game on Sunday, February 23 with kickoff scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CT at The Dome at America’s Center.
New York Guardians vs. St. Louis BattleHawks XFL Odds by Intertops.eu
Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Guardians | +10 (-110) | 40½ (-110) | +325 | |
BattleHawks | -10 (-110) | 40½ (-110) | -400 | |
Betting New York
The Guardians were shutout 0-27 by the DC Defenders in Week 2 as five-point road dogs, according to the best online sportsbooks. Two QBs combined for fewer than 100 yards with two picks and no TDs and were sacked three times. Three running backs totaled 71 yards on 15 carries. New York gained just 137 total yards and had laughable 9% effectiveness on third downs (1 of 11). The Guardians never even made it to the red zone. As a matter of fact, they couldn’t even make it close enough to attempt a field goal.
New York held the Tampa Bay Vipers to just three points in Week 1. They had five sacks, two picks and a fumble recovery. But with the defense not showing on Week 2, QB Matt McGloin’s shortcomings became quite evident. Straining to find something positive, linebacker Bunmi Rotimi had seven combined tackles, one QB hit and one tackle for a loss. “We started off slow on both sides of the ball. I thought our defense picked it up and played well. Offensively, it seemed like every time we started to get something going, we shot ourselves in the foot,” Guardians head coach Kevin Gilbride said.
Maybe it wasn’t all McGloin’s fault. Center Damien Mama, who started for an injured Ian Silberman, took some of the blame. “We just couldn’t get things going on offense. Probably take that on myself as the center. Trying to control the line of scrimmage.”
Betting Saint Louis
The Hawks lost 24-28 to the Houston Roughnecks in Week 2 as 7.5-point road underdogs, as USA betting sites recorded. Starting QB J. Ta’amu went 30 of 37 for 284 yards with three TDs and two picks. Including one costly interception in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver L. Washington had 77 yards and one TD on six catches. Ta’amu averaged 7.7 yards per pass for the second straight week. He found ideal in targets in Washington (six catches, eight targets, 77 yards) and De’Mornay Pierson-El (nine receptions, 11 targets, 50 yards). The running corps combined for 126 yards on 43 carries.
Saint Louis outgained Houston 390 total yards to 238. And held the latter to just 78 yards on the ground. However, the Hawks lost 61 yards on penalties. “The things that kill you, too, are the penalties. We had eight penalties for 61 yards and they had three for 15. The play that probably broke our back was the interception and return,” BattleHawks head coach Jonathan Hayes said.
The Hawks went 1-1 in a two-game road trip. They will now make their home debut – not to be confused with Home Depot – on Sunday. “We’re really going back with a whole new mindset,” BattleHawks offensive tackle Matt McCants said. “We’re trying to get things back on track and try to give a good performance.”
New York Guardians vs. St. Louis BattleHawks XFL Pick
Ta’amu is no Tua Tagovailoa, but Samoan blood nevertheless powers his arms. Yes, he threw two picks, but completed 81% of his passes. It’s a risk vs. reward mentality. Meanwhile, McGloin completed only 42% of his passes before getting benched for reproaching his team in a halftime interview with a sideline reporter. I trust the Hawks will win, but I’m not convinced they can outscore the Guardians by 10 points. Instead I advise users of USA betting sites to bet on the under.