Vipers With No Bite In Franchise First Loss To New York Guardians

Tampa Bay Vipers Nick Truesdell

A forgettable organizational debut for the Tampa Bay Vipers on Sunday afternoon as they fell to the New York Guardians 23-3 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.The lack of bite from the Vipers offense proved costly as starting quarterback Aaron Murray found himself on the sideline after a rough first half with two interceptions leading to points by New York as former USF QB Quinton Flowers swapped in and out throughout the remainder of the second half of the game.

The Guardians wasted little time hitting the scoreboard as they took the very first possession in franchise history 43 yards for the first touchdown in franchise history on a Matt McGloin rush up the middle as a quarterback sneak to take a 7-0 lead over Tampa Bay.

McGloin added to New York’s lead in the second quarter with a twelve yard touchdown pass to Colby Pearson wide open in the end zone giving New York a 14-0 lead.

Tampa Bay would never reach the end zone through the entire game despite running 26 more plays on offense and outgaining the Guardians 394-226 in total offense.Vipers wide receiver Dan Williams stood out hauling in six passes on nine targets for 123 yards, which ended the first week of XFL football game action as the top performance by a wide receiver in the league.

Tampa Bay finished the game with 150 rushing yards on 30 carries, good for most in the league through three games the first weekend.Vipers running back De’Veon Smith amassed 79 rushing yard while QB/RB Quinton Flowers, RB Jacques Patrick, and WR Jalen Tolliver contributed 34, 32, and 5 yards rushing, respectively.

Aaron Murray’s first game in Tampa Bay ended with a 16-34 performance for 231 yards passing and two interceptions.

The Vipers will return to action this coming Saturday as they will head to Seattle to face off with the Dragons.

Photo Courtesy Of Getty Images


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