XFL scores Week 1: Live results, highlights from Saturday’s games

Week 1 of the 2020 XFL season is finally here, and Sporting News is your top destination with live coverage, highlights, results and more.

This is the first week of 10 for the XFL. The schedule is as such: Each team will play 10 regular season games — one game against a team from the opposing division (4) and two games against teams from your own division (6). Each week will feature two games on Saturday and two games on Sunday. The regular season starts on Feb. 8 and lasts until Apr. 12. You'll be able to watch games on various ESPN and Fox networks throughout the year.

The league is made up of eight teams, split into two divisions. The East Division features the D.C. Defenders, New York Guardians, St. Louis BattleHawks and the Tampa Bay Vipers. The West Division features the Dallas Renegades, Houston Roughnecks, Los Angeles Wildcats and Seattle Dragons.

MORE XFL: Rules | Schedule | Uniforms | Rosters

In this post, we'll cover the two Saturday games including the Dragons at Defenders and Wildcats at Roughnecks. Below, you'll be able to see videos from the game and stats from the best players. 

XFL Week 1 Saturday schedule

XFL COVERAGE:

Los Angeles Wildcats at Houston Roughnecks highlights, scores

6:09 p.m.: Houston cuts the lead to 14-12 with a touchdown catch from running back James Butler. Conversion attempt is no good.

6:01 p.m.: The Wildcats extend their lead with a nice, juggling catch from Jordan Smallwood.

End first quarter: Wildcats 8, Roughnecks 6

5:26 p.m.: QB Charles Kanoff, Los Angeles' backup who's starting because Josh Johnson is injured, scrambles in for a touchdown. The Wildcats go for two and take a two-point lead.

5:17 p.m.: Good stuff here.

5:12 p.m.: P.J. Walker to Cam Phillips for a 55-yard score for an early Houston lead. The 1-point attempt is no good.

D.C. Defenders 31, Seattle Dragons 19: Highlights, stats FINAL: Defenders take down the Dragons, 31-19

Recap: Cardale Jones was the star on offense for the Defenders. He completed 16-of-26 passes for 291 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also led the team in the rushing before taking kneel downs at the end of the game with 31 yards. But the real star for D.C. was the defensive unit. The Defenders were true to their name, picking up three turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble). D.C. had two scores on defense, one was an interception return and another was a blocked punt. Austin Proehl shined for Seattle in the loss, finishing 5-88-2 as a receiver. Neither team could accomplish much on the ground.

5:03 p.m.: Dragons QB Brandon Silvers suffers an apparent ankle injury. He was heard talking to trainers on the field saying, "I'll be alright, maybe not today, but I'll be alright." B.J. Daniels is the backup quarterback for Seattle.

5:02 p.m.: The Defenders nearly had their third interception of the game. That would have sealed the victory.

4:47 p.m.: The Dragons moved the ball inside the 10-yard line, but a costly fumble ended the drive. Turnovers have been the story of the day so far as Seattle has three total turnovers (two interceptions, one fumble) now. 

4:24 p.m.: The Defenders are really starting to pull away now. Dragons QB Brandon Silvers threw his second interception of the game, but this time D.C. returned it for a touchdown on a 69-yard return. The PAT again failed, though. But Defenders now lead 31-19 with 12:43 left in the game.

Start of 4th quarter: Defenders 25, Dragons 19.

4:13 p.m.: Cardale Jones finds Rashad Ross on a 31-yard touchdown. But the Defenders failed on their PAT. D.C. now leads Seattle, 25-19.

3:52 p.m.: The second half started off with a BANG! Right after the Defenders' touchdown, the Dragons scored with a big play of their own. Brandon Silvers found Austin Proehl on a 57-yard touchdown. Proehl now has two scores and 71 yards on the game. Dragons fail on the point after, though, and the game is now tied 19-19.

3:46 p.m.: Cardale Jones finds tight end Khari Lee wide open on a 39-yard touchdown pass for D.C.'s first drive of the second half. It was a trick play with a pair of flea-flickers that seemed to confuse the Dragons defense.The Defenders convert the 1-point PAT after. 

Defenders lead, 19-13.

HALFTIME: Seattle Dragons 13, D.C. Defenders 12

3:29 p.m.: At halftime, Dragons QB Brandon Silvers is 11-of-19 for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Defenders QB Cardale Jones was 9-of-16 for 90 yards with no touchdowns.

3:28 p.m.: Surprisingly, the Defenders were able to move the ball downfield in a short amount of time to attempt a field goal. Ty Rausa made a 55-yard field goal as time expired. He's now 2-of-3 on field goals for the day.

3:25 p.m.: Right before halftime, the Dragons were able to find the endzone and convert their PAT. Seattle now has 13 points to D.C.'s 9. Running back Trey Williams caught the touchdown pass from Brandon Silvers.

3:04 p.m.: The Defenders finally score a touchdown. A blocked punt led to a recovery for a touchdown. But D.C. was unable to convert its PAT. Defenders now lead the Dragons, 9-6.

2:53 p.m.: The Defenders attempted a field goal, but missed. On the Dragons' next drive, Defenders safety Rahim Moore intercepted Brandon Silvers. But D.C. couldn't do anything on offense and were forced to punt the ball back to Seattle.

2:43 p.m.: The XFL has microphones for coaches and quarterbacks and is allowing their discussions to be broadcast live on air.

2:40 p.m.: The first quarter is over. Dragons lead the Defenders, 6-3.

2:30 p.m.: Austin Proehl scores the first touchdown in XFL history. The Dragons were able to move the ball down field on the Defenders as Brandon Silvers found Proehl open in the endzone. However, Seattle was unable to convert the PAT. Teams have a chance to go for one one point, two points or three points. Seattle opted for one point from the two yard line and could not convert.

2:22 p.m.: The Defenders get on the board first with a field goal. For trivia buffs later on, Ty Rausa scored the first points in XFL history.

2:21 p.m.: Our first big hit of the XFL is here.

2:20 p.m.: Cardale Jones is already getting MVP chants.

2:15 p.m.: A first look at the new kickoff rules in the XFL.

2:08 p.m.: Ja'Quan Gardner gets the first carry in XFL history.

2:05 p.m.: Interesting stat regarding Cardale Jones.

2:00 p.m.: The game is about to start!

1:30 p.m.: Jacquies Smith of the Dragons honors Kobe Bryant.

1:00 p.m.: On paper, the Defenders have the clear edge in this game. We picked them to win in our predictions, which you can read more about here. Cardale Jones will be leading the D.C. franchise at quarterback while Seattle is going with Brandon Silvers who had some success in the now defunct AAF. But oddsmakers have the Defenders as a possible favorite to win it all, and have set the over/under on wins for the season at 3.5 for Seattle. Adding on the talent difference is the fact this game is being played at D.C., making the matchup that much more difficult.