The DC Defenders marched into Week 7 of the 2023 XFL season with a perfect 6-0 record. Their Week 7 opponent was the 0-6 Orlando Guardians.
XFL betting sites favored the Defenders by a massive spread of 10 points. Despite that status, the lowly Guardians were able to not only cover the spread, but they won the game.
Due to the underwhelming performance of all teams that are members of the XFL South Division, the 1-6 Guardians have yet to be eliminated from postseason contention.
The XFL Playoffs are actually championship semifinals. Postseason qualifiers need to only win one playoff game to advance to the XFL Championship.
The top finisher in each division is awarded a home game in the XFL Semifinals. The second overall finisher must travel to face the top team in each division.
With only three weeks left in the 2023 season, the Guardians are three games back of the division-leading Houston Roughnecks, who possess a win-loss record of 4-3.
While mathematically possible, it is highly unlikely that Orlando will win their remaining three games while Houston drops three in a row. However, not all is lost for the Guardians’ XFL Playoff hopes.
Orlando is only two games back of the second-place Arlington Renegades. That two-game margin is certainly within reach, especially when the Guardians can close the gap by a full game this weekend.
Online sportsbooks have created the following game line for betting on the Orlando Guardians vs. the Arlington Renegades in Week 8.
Arlington Renegades @ Orlando Guardians
- Spread: Renegades +1.0, Guardians -1.0
- Money Line: Renegades -105, Guardians -115
- Over/Under: 42.0
XFL oddsmakers are now projecting that the Guardians will beat the Renegades in Orlando’s Camping World Stadium this Saturday at 4:00 PM. The point spread is set at a single point, and both teams feature moneylines that are in the negative.
The final two games of the season for Orlando are against the San Antonio Brahmas and the St. Louis BattleHawks. While the Brahmas are certainly beatable, taking down the BattleHawks will require a performance similar to last weekend’s, as they are one of the XFL’s best teams.
Here’s the kicker – the 5-2 BattleHawks are fighting for their playoff lives because the Seattle Sea Dragons possess the same record. The XFL North Division’s top three teams are all within a game of each other.
XFL North
- DC Defenders 6-1
- St. Louis Battlehawks 5-2
- Seattle Sea Dragons 5-2
- Vegas Vipers 2-5
St. Louis finishes their schedule against the Vipers, Sea Dragons, and Guardians. Seattle has to face the Defenders, Battlehawks, and Vipers over the final three weeks of the year.
Source – XFL.com, Bovada Review