Game Information
St. Louis Battlehawks vs DC Defenders - XFL Conference Championship Game
Time: 5pm CT Sunday
How to watch: FOX (KTVI-TV)
DraftKings Odds
Spread: Battlehawks -2.5
Total: 48.5
Battlehawks, Defenders Battle For Title Game Berth
The St. Louis Battlehawks and DC Defenders square off in the XFL Conference Championship Game on Sunday at The Dome at America’s Center.
The winner moves on to the UFL Championship Game on Saturday, June 14th at The Dome against either Michigan or Birmingham.
Battlehawks Look To Take Next Step
It was in this round of the playoffs last year where the Battlehawks saw their season come to an end. They fell at home 25-15 to San Antonio, coming up one win short from hosting the UFL Championship Game at The Dome.
The Battlehawks are riding a six-game winning streak heading into this matchup and finished the regular season a league-best 8-2. However, one of their losses was a 27-15 home defeat to this DC team back in Week 3.
Defenders Hope To Dominate Again
The Defenders dominated at The Dome in Week 3, outgaining the Battlehawks 346-173 and winning the first downs statistic 22-7. DC also forced four St. Louis turnovers in that game.
The Defenders have dropped two in a row heading into this matchup, including a 13-8 home loss to the Battlehawks last week. However, I don’t take anything away from last week’s game with it mostly being contested by backups in wet and sloppy conditions.
My Lean
I want to sit here and say I’m confident the Battlehawks will win this one, but I can’t get that Week 3 game out of my head. Maybe it was just a one-off bad performance, but DC was clearly the better team that day.
If you’re going to bet this game, I think the best play is the under with a high total of 48.5. There were six total turnovers in that Week 3 matchup, which is usually a recipe for a high-scoring game because you might have some defensive touchdowns or at the very least some great field position that leads to scores - but that game ended with only 42 points.
The Defenders have played a lot of high-scoring games lately, which is a big reason why this total is so high. But the Battlehawks lead the UFL in scoring defense, so I don’t think DC will be able to generate as many points as they usually do.
Lean: Under 48.5 at -115 on DraftKings
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Friday on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Picks = betting the game - minus odds betting to win 1 unit, plus odds risking 1 unit. Leans = no strong opinion, not betting the game. Disclaimer