Dragons outlast Vipers in defensive battle

The Tampa Bay Vipers entered the 2020 XFL season as one of the favorites to make some noise in the playoff race come April. Two weeks into the season, they are the biggest disappointment to date. A week after a 23-3 loss, the Vipers lost to the Seattle Dragons 17-9.

Tampa Bay had a chance inside the Seattle red zone in the closing seconds, but an offensive pass interference cost them a score and quarterback Tyler Cornelius threw an end zone interception from the 28 as time expired. The game came in under and the underdog Dragons got the outright upset.

Vipers head coach Marc Trestman has had success in the CFL, but he’s looking more like the NFL coach that struggled to get much going. His quarterback situation is a mess, and he spent Saturday rotating between Cornelius and Quinton Flowers to no avail. Neither could get much of anything going until it was too late. Cornelius threw for 154 yards, but the biggest chunk came late in the game, and he had two interceptions on the day.

Both defenses made plays in this one, but this was an example of the inconsistent at best offense several of these teams bring to the table. Brandon Silvers connected with Keenan Reynolds on a 68-yard touchdown pass, but that was all he brought to the table. Marcell Frazier’s pick-six at the goal line was the difference-maker in this one as Seattle improves to 1-1.