ST. LOUIS – We’ve made it to the final weekend of the regular season for the XFL. The St. Louis Battlehawks likely won’t know their fate for playoffs until Sunday, but they can improve their odds with a Saturday matinee to end the regular season.
The Battlehawks are fighting for the second and final playoff spot in the XFL North Division with the Seattle Sea Dragons. Both carry a 6-3 record and Seattle has a stronger chance to determine their own destiny after a head-to-head win last weekend.
The Sea Dragons won’t play their regular season finale until late Sunday evening, leading to a bit of a waiting period for the Battlehawks and perhaps some scoreboard watching after their tilt Saturday.
There are at least three scenarios in which the Battlehawks would claim playoffs this week, and league tiebreakers would play a part in at least two. Keep an eye out for these situations…
STL: Win, Seattle: Loss
St. Louis would have a 7-3 record, and Seattle would have a 6-4 record. No tiebreakers would be needed, and St. Louis would clinch the spot for good.
The opposite would hold true if Seattle wins and St. Louis losses, which would mean no playoffs for the Battlehawks.
STL: Win, Seattle: Win
It gets a little tricky here because St. Louis and Seattle would remain even through the first three or eight potential tiebreakers. There are potentially two other tiebreakers at stake.
In the fourth tiebreaker, the league takes the team with the best combined ranking among division opponents (in this case the XFL North) when it comes to the difference points scored and points allowed.
Seattle has only dropped one game by more than one possession this season, so it might be a tough order. A blowout win for Seattle might help, as St. Louis is not finishing its season against a division foe. If their records are the same after Sunday, St. Louis only gets in if they hold a better difference than Seattle in that regard.
In the fifth tiebreaker, it’s the same scenario, but comes down to the difference points scored and points allowed against all opponents. St. Louis can ensure that by scoring at least 19 more points than Seattle in their weekend contests.
St. Louis: Loss, Seattle: Loss
A bit anticlimactic, but St. Louis would get in by custom of the second tiebreaker. The team with fewer division losses has the tiebreaker.
St. Louis’ last loss would come against a non-division foe in the case, which also means Seattle would have four losses against division foes. In theory, if the game result (win or loss) is the same for both St. Louis and Seattle, two losses would actually give St. Louis an easier avenue to a playoff berth.
What’s next?
The Battlehawks begin around 11 a.m. on ESPN on Saturday against the Orlando Guardians. Seattle will play at 7 p.m. Sunday on ESPN 2 against the Vegas Vipers.
The first round of XFL playoffs will be held from April 29-30, and one of Seattle or St. Louis will ultimately play the division-winning DC Defenders (8-1 record) at their home turf.
The championship will be held on May 13 in Houston.