After an explosive performance in Week 3, the Wildcats take their talents to Metlife Field to take on the Guardians.
Game: Los Angeles Wildcats at New York Guardians
Date: Saturday February 29, 2020
Location: Metlife Field, East Rutherford, NJ
Spread: Wildcats -7.5, TOTAL 39.5
TV Channel: ABC
Los Angeles Wildcats at New York Guardians Preview
After starting the season off 0-2, the Los Angeles Wildcats responded in a big way in Week 3. They were matched up against the 2-0 DC Defenders, and it was a daunting matchup on paper. The Defenders going into that game had dominated their opposition to that point, and it looked as if the Wildcats would be staring an 0-3 start in the face.
Fast forward to the final, and it was anything but predicted. The Wildcats came out flying in this game, dominating this one from start to finish in a whopping 39-9 beatdown. They did it on the backs of their defense, who put in one of the most complete performance of the XFL season. The Wildcats took the ball away 5 times, and shut down an offense that was coming into this game averaging 29 points per game.
While the defense did much of the heavy lifting, it wouldn’t be right to forget about the performance quarterback Josh Johnson had. Johnson, playing in just his second game of the season after missing the opener, proved why he stuck around on NFL rosters for so long. Johnson went 18-25 for 278 yards, and 3 touchdowns, showing that it may have just been rust in his first outing.
Going forward, the Wildcats can’t rely on their defense to take the ball away five times again. However, they can sleep tight knowing that Johnson is back to being the quarterback they expected him to be, and with their matchup with the Guardians on tap, they expect a similar performance.
After winning their season opener, the New York Guardians have fallen on hard times. In their last two contests, the team has combined for only 9 points. Yes, 9 points combined. The offense is struggling, the defense can’t get timely stops, and the team from New York is having a hard time even staying in games.
Things started off slow last week, and New York never had a chance to recover. They entered the halftime locker room down 23-3 to the Battlehawks, and failed to make it a game in the 2nd half. To make matters worse, the Guardians don’t know who their quarterback is going forward, as incumbent starter Matt McGloin is now splitting reps with backup Marquise Williams. It’s not a good place to be in, especially with the Wildcats coming into town looking to build off their performance. If the Guardians don’t get things fixed, they’ll have completely washed away their opening game performance, and fall to 1-3.
Los Angeles Wildcats at New York Guardians Stats
- The Wildcats average 24.6 PPG
- The Guardians average 10.6 PPG
- The Guardians have combined for 9 points in their last 2 games
Los Angeles Wildcats at New York Guardians Betting Lines
- The O/U for the game is 39.5
- The Wildcats are 7.5 point road favorites
- The Wildcats are -345 on the ML, Guardians +270
Los Angeles Wildcats at New York Guardians Prediction
The New York Guardians already face a crossroads. They have a quarterback controversy, and have to deal with the fact that they’ve been thoroughly outplayed in their last two losses. They can take solace in the fact that they’re returning home, where they have their only win of the season, but Josh Johnson and the Wildcats are a stiff test.
Coming off their dominating performance, the Wildcats are firing on all cylinders. Johnson finally has a grip on the offense, and the running game has made big plays as well. As 7.5 point favorites on the road, oddsmakers like the Wildcats in this game, and I do as well, big. I expect them to cover the large spread and pick up their second straight victory.
