Seattle Sea Dragons: Game 1 at DC Defenders – TV, Weather, More
Ed Stein
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The Seattle Sea Dragons 2023 season opens this week in Washington, DC. Pacific Northwest Sports has all you need to know.
Welcome to Game 1 of the Seattle Sea Dragons 10-game 2023 regular season. PNWS has Sea Dragons fans covered.
Details
Who: Seattle Sea Dragons (0-0) at DC Defenders (0-0).
Where: Audi Field – Washington, DC.
When: Saturday, February 19, 2023 – 5:00 PM PST.
TV: ESPN. Announcers: John Schriffen, Tom Luginbill, Harry Douglas, and Stormy Buonantony.
TV (Spanish): ESPN Deportes. Announcers: Rebeca Landa and Sergio Dipp.
Weather: Our Nation’s Capitol will see clear skies and temperatures in the low-mid 50s at Sunday’s kickoff with 10mph winds from the South-Southwest. (weather.com)
Line: Seattle Sea Dragons -2.5. Over/Under: 37.5. (DraftKings)
Injury Report
Seattle Sea Dragons
Questionable – WR Jordan Veasy (illness) and DT Austin Faoliu (hamstring).
Probable – WR Jaylon Redd (hamstring), DE PJ Hall (shoulder), and DT Treyvon Hester (ankle).
DC Defenders
Out – WR Chad Hansen (illness) and DE Fadol Brown (hamstring).
Outlook
Washington offense vs. Sea Dragons defense
Jordan Ta’amu won the battle to be DC’s starting quarterback over D’Eriq King. The former Ole Miss signal-caller has a big arm and is accurate on short and intermediate routes.
Speedy Lucky Jackson was a force at Western Kentucky. He and slot receiver Jaquez Ezzard should see plenty of targets.
Running back Abram Smith ran for over 1,600 yards during his senior season at Baylor in 2021.
While the Defenders have some offensive weapons, they face a potentially stout Seattle defense.
The first player DC needs to account for is inside linebacker Jordan Evans. He was with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2017-2021 and will be the unit’s leader.
Niko Lalos and Daniel Joseph are more than capable of putting pressure on Ta’amu. He’ll need to get the ball out fast.
Sea Dragons offense vs. Washington defense
The Seattle Sea Dragons offense is led by quarterback Ben DiNucci. His mobility and ability to make plays on the fly will power offensive coordinator June Jones‘ Run and Shoot offense.
All eyes will be on his primary target, receiver Josh Gordon. He has plenty of talent and experience. A former NFL All-Pro with over 4,200 receiving yards, Gordon could be the XFL’s best player.
DC can’t spend all their energy on Gordon, otherwise one of Seattle’s other receivers, such as the lightning-fast Juwan Green, will burn them.
Brendon Knox will be the primary rusher. He is a wrecking ball at 5’11” and 235 pounds.
If Seattle’s offensive line holds up, the Defenders defense will have a long evening.