XFL 2039 Conference Championship games
AXC
Dakota Blizzard 20
@
Buffalo Skull Crushers 11
Buffalo Stadium
67,854 attendance
18⁰
January 9, 2039Dakota got the ball to start the game and rookie QB Robert Alvarez orchestrated a 8 play/75 yard drive which featured 4 runs for 18 yards and 4 passes for 46 yards plus 2 pass interference penalties for 11 yards which ended on a 15 yard TD reception by WR Derek Looney to put Dakota up early 7-0. It was Derek Looney's XFL record 22nd postseason TD reception.
Buffalo's 1st possession ended on thier 2nd play when QB Ricardo Dobbs was picked by CB Brad Hamlin setting up Dakota with a 1st and 10 from the Buffalo 17 yard line. Hamlin has 65 interceptions (2nd Alltime) in the regular season but this was just his 2nd postseason pick.
Despite a 3rd pass interference call giving Dakota a 1st and goal from the Buffalo 6 yard line, the Buffalo defense stiffened and Dakota K Robert Combs kicked a 28 yard fieldgoal to make the score 10-0 Dakota with 8:19 left in the 1st quarter.
After the two teams exchanged punts, Buffalo found themselves pinned in at their own 2 yard line. On 3rd and 10, QB Dobbs hit WR Stanley Swayne on a middle screen and DL Neal Sullivan read it perfectly and tackled him for a 3 yard lose in the endzone for a safety but DT William Meade was called for being offsides which negated the points. Buffalo would convert on 3rd and 5 which eventually gave their punter breathing room.
The rest of the 1st half saw the teams exchange punts (7) and QB Dobbs threw a pick near midfield which led to no points and the game went into halftime with Dakota leading 10-0.
Buffalo got the ball to start the 2nd half and they started off with a bang on their first play from scrimmage where QB Dobbs hit WR Swayne for an 89 yard touchdown and a 2 point conversion made it 10-8 Buffalo with 14:46 left in the 3rd quarter.
The rest of the 3rd quarter was 6 punts as the teams played a field position battle and it continued into the 4th as Dakota punted on its 1st possession of the 4th quarter giving Buffalo a 1st and 10 from their own 20 with 12:51 left in the game.
On Buffalo's 1st possession of the 4th quarter, RB Hartman would fumble on the 2nd play of the drive. The fumble was forced by CB Grayson and recovered by CB Stoner setting up Dakota with a 1st and 10 from the Buffalo 31 yard line.
Dakota could manage just 1 yard as Buffalo's defense put the clamps down and K Combs kicked a 50 yard fieldgoal making the score 13-8 with 10:36 left in regulation.
Buffalo would take over from their own 25 yard line and on 4th and 6 from their own 29 with 9:26 left, they elected to go for it. RB Swayne would take a strong toss to the right and MLB Robert King would tackle him well short of the 1st down marker setting up Dakota with a 1st and 10 from the Buffalo 31 yard line.
Dakota would convert on a 3rd and 1 down to the Buffalo 19 yard line but QB Alvarez was sacked for an 8 yard lose, RB Moore ran for 2 yards then Alvarez was intercepted by CB David Stover.
Buffalo would take over on their own 17 yard but WR Martin Adams was tackled for a 5 yard lose by SLB Edwin Reid then RB David Hartman ran for 3 yards before DE Damon Todd punched the ball loose and CB John Easterly recovered the fumble.
Dakota had a 1st and 10 from the Buffalo 16 yard line and QB Alvarez hit WR Moore for a 16 yard TD reception extending the lead to 20-8 with 5:15 left in the game.
Buffalo would start this drive on their own 15 and MVP QB Ricardo Dobbs decided to take over. 5 straight completions of 29, 25, 5, 15 & 5 yards quickly had Buffalo down to the Dakota 5 yard line with 3:09 remaining. Dobbs threw an interception on 2nd and 5 before DE Damon Todd sacked Dobbs for an 8 yard lose on 3rd and 5. Buffalo decided to kick a 30 yard fieldgoal on 4th and 13 from the Dakota 13 with 2:43 remaining in the game making the score 20-11.
Buffalo tried for the onside kick but failed to recover and Dakota took possession at the Buffalo 36 yard line. Dakota ran the ball to burn clock and Buffalo used their last 2 timeouts before K Combs missed a 39 yard fieldgoal keeping the score 20-11 with 0:37 seconds remaining.
It being a 2 score lead, Buffalo had no chance as time expired.
NXC
Tampa Bay Fireballs 10
@
Vegas Black Aces 23
Gamblers Stadium
68,955 attendance
55⁰
January 9, 2039We entered the game, 60 minutes of football away from 1 of these francises advancing to their 1st XFL Title game.
Tampa Bay got the ball to start the game and promptly went 3 and out but P Gregory Johnson boomed a 66 yard punt and Vegas was pinned in at their own 4 yard line.
Vegas started the drive with WR Clifford Mays running for 9 yards buy on 2nd and 1, QB James Henry was sacked by LDE Dwight White for a 10 yard lose. On 3rd and long, Vegas ran for 2 yards and P Matthew Snyder had to punt from his own endzone where Tampa Bay made a fair catch and the Vegas 49 yard line.
Tampa Bay started with great field position and QB James Stephens hit TE Dwayne Joines for 8 yards on 2nd and 10 before RB Brian Woods ran for 3 yards for a 1st down at the Vegas 38 yard line. On 3rd and 11, QB Stephens again hit TE joines for 37 yards setting Tampa up with a 1st and goal from the 2 yard line. RB Brad Bond would run it up the gut to score a touchdown on the next play giving Tampa Bay a 7-0 lead with 8:47 left in the 1st quarter.
Vegas would start from their own 25 yard line and put together a nice drive. WR Mays ran for 11 to kick off the drive before QB Henry completed back to back passes of 5 & 4 yards before RB Ronald Taylor dove ahead for a 1 yard run and a 2nd 1st down on the drive. QB Henry would hit RB William Pearson making it 1st and 10 from the Tampa Bay 36 yard line. WR Mays would run for 4 then catch a pass for 11 yards giving Vegas another 1st down at the Tampa Bay 22 yard line. The drive would eventual stall and on 4th and 4 from the Tampa 16, K Michael Smart put Vegas on the board with a 33 yard fieldgoal making the score 7-3 with 2:20 left in the 1st quarter.
Tampa Bay would start their next drive on their 25 yard line. They converted 1 1st down and moved the ball to their own 44 yard line before on 4th and 4, P Johnson punted 53 yards pinning Vegas in again at their own 3 yard line.
Vegas would move the ball, converted 3 1st downs before the drive stalled on a 4th and 5 from midfield. After a holding penalty, P Snyder punted the ball 48 yards and WR Ryan Maldanodo returned it 5 yards setting up Tampa Bay at their own 17 yard line.
Tampa Bay would just manage 1 yard on a run followed by 2 incompletions forcing a 3 and out. P Johnson boomed another punt 54 yards and Vegas made a fair catch at their own 28 yard line with 7:30 left in the half and the score 7-3 Tampa Bay.
Vegas again would get a other 1st down but the drive stalled at midfield before P Snyder punted the ball 46 yards pinning Tampa Bay at their own 6 yard line.
Tampa Bay went another 3 and out before P Johnson was forced to punt it 58 yards to the Vegas 31 yard line at the 2 minute warning.
Vegas would start the drive with back to back runs by WR Mays of 6 and 8 yards using a timeout after each play making it 1st and 10 from the Vegas 46 with 1:46 left in the half. QB Henry threw 3 straight completions of 1,10 & 5 yards giving them a 1st and 10 from the Tampa Bay 39. After a defensive pass interference penalty gave Vegas another 1st down at the Tampa 33, QB Henry would hit WR Mays for 16 yards making it 1st and 10 from the Tampa 17 with 0:24 left in the half. After an incompletion, Vegas K Smart nailed a 35 yard fieldgoal with 19 seconds left in the half making the score 7-6 going into the half.
Vegas would get the ball to start the 2nd half and they drove the ball to the Tampa Bay 45 converting 2 1st downs but on 4th and 2 inside Tampa territory, they elected to punt where P Snyder pinned Tampa Bay in at their own 1.
Tampa Bay could manage just 2 yards as the Vegas defense was stout knocking down a pass plus a tackle for lose forcing another 3 and out. P Johnson had to punt out of his own endzone and boomed another 51 yard punt but Vegas would take over at their own 46 yard line.
Vegas RB Pearson would start the next drive with an 11 yard run and after 2 failed pass attempts, QB Henry found WR Jim Bailey for 12 yards and another 1st down at the Tampa 30 yard line. RB Taylor would run for 9 yards followed by WR Gabriel Largent rushing for 6 yards giving Vegas another 1st down at the Tampa 15 yard line. 3 straight runs netted 1 yard and K Smart kicked a 31 yard fieldgoal to give Vegas its first lead of the game, 9-7 with 3:42 left in the 3rd quarter.
Tampa Bay would start this drive from their own 25 yard line and since scoring a touchdown on their 2nd possession of the game, they had managed just one 1st down in their last 4 drives. After 2 incompletions, on 3rd and 10, QB Stephens was stripped sacked by DE Willie Lanning at the 18 yard line. DE Lanning would recover the fumble and advance to the Tampa Bay 9 yard line before being tripped up from behind by TE Joines who completed missed the block which allowed the sack.
Vegas would run WR Mays for 8 yards before RB Taylor punched it in from the 1 making the score 16-7 Vegas with 2:46 left in the 3rd quarter.
Tampa would start this drive from their own 25 yard line and the offense hadn't converted a 1st down since the end of the 1st quarter. They would actually lose yards on this drive on a 4 yard tackle for lose by DE Lanning on a toss run. P Johnson would punt the ball 51 yards and Vegas would take over at their own 28 yard line.
Vegas had the ball and the lead as the 3rd quarter neared its end. They had scored 16 unanswered points after Tampa Bay took a 7-0 lead in the 1st quarter. Vegas's defense had shut down Tampa's offense and this game felt like it was slipping away from the Fireballs. That's when QB Henry would hit WR Brian Brown on a 72 yard TD reception making the score 23-7 Vegas with 1:12 left in the 3rd quarter and it felt like the dagger that would end Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay would start this drive on their own 25 yard line. After QB Stephens hit TE Joines for 7 yards, RB Woods would run for 8 yards giving Tampa its first 1st down since the 1st quarter as the 3rd quarter ended. After an incompletion, QB Stephens was stripped sacked again by DE Lanning whi again recovered the fumble and rumbled towards the endzone for an apparent game winning 33 yard touchdown but LG Kent Situ, a 2035 ALLPRO, not only chased DE Lanning down but knocked the ball loose and recovered the fumble in the endzone for a touchback.
Tampa Bay dodged a bullet that would have definately ended all hope and started a new drive at their own 20. Tampa would get another 1st down and a defensive facemask penalty would put the ball near midfield but on 4th and 8 from their own 48, they elected to punt with 12:04 left in the game.
Vegas was pinned in at their 9 yard line and they went 3 and out punting the ball back to Tampa.
Tampa was down 23-7 with 10:30 remaining at their own 43 yard line and they needed to score to have any chance at a comeback. They did put together a drive, converting on a 4th and 3 at the Vegas 49. They got a couple of 1st downs but on a 2nd and 5 from the Vegas 28 yard line, QB Stephens was sacked again by DT Heriberto Cheney for a 7 yard lose. It created a 4th and 12 from the Vegas 35 yard line with 6:48 left in the game. Despite being down 16, needing 2 touchdowns and two 2 point conversions to tie, they elected to kick a 53 yard fieldgoal making the score 23-10.
Vegas would take over up 13 with 6:44 left and they were content to run the ball and the clock. They ran the ball on 5 straight plays but an offensive holding penalty plus a defensive offsides penalty helped stop the clock and Vegas would punt with 4:43 on the clock.
Tampa needed a touchdown on this drive which started from thier own 13 yard line. QB Stephens would throw on every play this drive and he converted on a 4th and 1 before he was once again sacked by DT Kenny Penn and on 4th and 6 from their own 36 yard line, QB Stephens would hit WR Randolph Rosas for 4 yards, just short of the sticks and Tampa Bay turned it over on downs with 2:46 left in the game.
This would essentially end the game, Tampa Bay would get the ball back with 1:49 remaining and 1 time out left but down 13 points. QB Stephens would get picked off by SLB Andrew Reed and Vegas would take 3 knees to end the game. Reed is a 4x ALLPRO including the 2038 season and it was fitting for him to end the game. Reed has 27 career interceptions in 7 seasons and this was his 3rd postseason interception which moves him up to 32nd Alltime in the postseason.
