The XFL opening weekend continued Sunday as the St. Louis Battlehawks staged an incredible, wild late-game rally to defeat the San Antonio Brahmas 18-15.
The Battlehawks couldn’t get anything going for three-plus quarters, as San Antonio took a 15-3 lead with 3:02 left. But St. Louis rallied behind former NFL quarterback AJ McCarron, who shrugged off five sacks. He threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Hakeem Butler with 1:25 left, then hit Austin Proehl on a 10-yard, 3-point conversion to move the score to 15-12.
St. Louis went for a fourth-and-15 conversion in lieu of an onside kick, and McCarron found Proehl again to retain possession. McCarron and Proehl hooked up again for 14 yards for the game-winning score with 16 seconds left to give the Battlehawks (1-0) the improbable win.
WHAT A GAME 👏
ST. LOUIS SCORES TWICE IN LESS THAN TWO MINUTES AND WINS THE GAME!@XFLBattlehawks | @XFL2023 pic.twitter.com/7X8DF9fc5w
— ESPN (@espn) February 19, 2023
McCarron went 11-of-14 for 133 yards and two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter.
AJ McCarron was emotional after celebrating the @XFLBattlehawks' comeback win with his kids ❤️ @10AJMcCarron | @XFL2023 pic.twitter.com/6NJ9lViJvc
— ESPN (@espn) February 19, 2023
The Brahmas (0-1) dominated most of the game, going up 15-3 thanks to a 4-yard touchdown pass from Jack Coan to Fred Brown in the fourth quarter and three field goals. Coan threw for 207 yards on 25-of-36 passing with a touchdown and an interception while former NFL running back Kalen Ballage ran for 84 yards on 24 carries.