A battle between two undefeated teams is brewing in Week 3 of the 2023 XFL season, as the St. Louis Battlehawks travel to the Nation’s Capital to take on the DC Defenders. St. Louis has been one of the most exciting teams in the league with its clutch victories, while the Defenders have looked very solid on defense, which is befitting of their name.

Nitrobetting is here to tackle the latest news and odds for the 2023 XFL season. Let’s take a closer look at the upcoming Week 2 matchup between the St. Louis Battlehawks vs. DC Defenders along with the XFL betting odds for this Sunday afternoon clash.

St. Louis Battlehawks vs. DC Defenders Game Information

See you March 5, D.C. #ShieldsUp | #XFL2023 pic.twitter.com/ontAqvXtiL

— D.C. Defenders (@XFLDefenders) February 20, 2023

• When: Sunday, March 5, 2023, 1:00 PM ET
• Where: AUDI Field, Washington, D.C.
• TV: FX
• Live Stream: ESPN+
• NFL Odds: Battlehawks (+2.0) // Defenders (-2.0)

READ MORE: San Antonio Brahmas vs. Houston Roughnecks 2023 XFL Week 3 Odds, Preview & Pick

Why Bet on the St. Louis Battlehawks?

For the second straight week, the St. Louis Battlehawks clawed themselves out of a late hole and prevailed with a 20-18 victory over the Seattle Sea Dragons. Despite being one of the three remaining undefeated teams in the XFL, St. Louis is merely ranked fifth in the league with a plus-5 point differential.

Nevertheless, having former NFL backup quarterback A.J. McCarron has been a boon for the Battlehawks. McCarron led them to another game-winning drive that ended with a 44-yard field goal as time expired. McCarron has a dependable receiving corps consisting of rising wideouts Austin Proehl, Hakeem Butler, and Marcell Ateman to keep their offense humming along in the clutch.

However, St. Louis’ defense needs to step up and they’ll get a good opportunity to turn things around against DC’s relatively weak passing game. The Battlehawks have been exciting road warriors to watch so far, but can they keep it up against arguably the best XFL team in Week 3?

Why Bet on the DC Defenders?

True to their name, the DC Defenders shut down the Vegas Vipers in Week 2 with a final score of 18-6. Head coach Reggie Barlow is pulling out all the tricks up his sleeve to get his team to a strong 2-0 start and it all begins with the defense.

DC held Vegas to just 177 total yards and under four yards per play. The team flustered Packers backup QB Brett Hundley to the tune of two sacks and a forced fumble. The Defenders’ 24 points allowed in the first two weeks is tops in the league and going up against the Battlehawks’ unstable offense will serve as their biggest test to date.

Speaking of unstable offenses, though, DC is deploying a two-quarterback strategy of their own with Jordan Ta’amu and D’Eriq King sharing the snaps under center. Then again, this strategy did open up their running game to say the least, gashing the Vipers for 229 rushing yards and a pair of trips to the end zone. It’ll be interesting to see if the dual-QB game plan is sustainable for the rest of the season.

St. Louis Battlehawks vs. DC Defenders Expert Betting Predictions

As much as we’d be thrilled to see the Battlehawks come away with another last-minute victory, this matchup is for DC to lose. The Defenders’ stop unit is nothing like the past defenses that McCarron has faced and their running game can also exploit St. Louis’ average defense on the other side of the ball. DC should cover the spread with another home win, but by the skin of the slim odds’ teeth.

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*All stated odds are subject to change without prior notice.