The Guardians beat the Vipers – XFL

Complete Control

Undoubtedly, the New York Guardians dominated the Tampa Bay Vipers from start to finish. To begin the game, the Guardians returned the opening kick past the 50. To follow, former Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin led a drive that resulted in a touchdown. On their next possession, Guardians wide receiver Mekale McKay made a fantastic grab for a 45-yard gain. McGloin threw his only touchdown pass on the next play. Interestingly, the Guardians chose to go for a one-point conversion, instead of the two or three-point options. Nonetheless, the crowd screamed “go for three” after each of their touchdowns.

Defensive Dominance

In the first half, the Tampa Bay Vipers actually gained more yards than the Guardians, 185 to 183. Yet, the score at halftime was 17-0 in favor of New York. Aggressively, the Guardians defense got to former Georgia Bulldog quarterback Aaron Murray early and often. Indeed, the Guardian defense sacked Murray five times and forced two interceptions. Quinton Flowers replaced Murray to start the third quarter. However, Murray did return to play the fourth and ended the game. 

Ultimately, the difference in this game was the turnover margin. The Vipers had three turnovers, two interceptions, and a fumble. In comparison, the Guardians had zero turnovers. The first of Murray’s two interceptions were in the end zone, wasting a 57-yard drive. Later, Guardians cornerback Jamar Summers sealed the game an incredible scoop and score. To end the game, the Guardians stopped the Vipers on fourth and goal, on two straight possessions.

The Atmosphere

Honestly, I had no idea what to expect, going to today’s game. In my experience, Metlife stadium can sell out 82,000 tickets for an NFL game. What would the crowd be like for the XFL? Well, there was an estimated crowd of just under 18,000. There were lots of Giants fans wearing blue, mostly Barkley jerseys. There were plenty of Jets fans in green jerseys, notably Darnold and Bell. Personally, I wore a Johnny Manziel Cleveland Browns jersey. Miraculously, two other people were wearing Manziel jerseys in my section.

In comparison to an NFL game, the crowd felt more relaxed and at ease. Playfully, the crowd cheered at the first XFL player ejection. There were no expectations. There was very little emotional investment. Just New York football fans gathering to watch the Guardians beat the Vipers. In the end, XFL fans came out to watch for the love of football.

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