Thanks to the Sea Dragons’ defense, the offense’s turnovers didn’t matter.
Seattle’s issues with turnovers continued, committing four more, but that didn’t stop it from winning its third straight game, and against the best team in the league.
The Sea Dragons intercepted a pass with four seconds left, staving off a possible miracle comeback, allowing them to hold on for a 21-14 win Thursday night in front of 9,231 at Lumen Field.
Seattle appeared to have the game won when it took a 21-6 lead on a touchdown with 1:22 remaining.
But Houston scored on a 47-yard pass with 24 seconds left. It added a two-point conversion, converted a fourth-and-15 play from its 25 to retain possession (a unique XFL rule).
A pass-interference penalty got Houston to the Seattle 27 with 13 seconds, but Niko Lalos ended the suspense on an interception on the next play.
Ben DiNucci threw a touchdown pass and ran for one, giving the Sea Dragons a 15-0 lead at halftime.
The Roughnecks, led by quarterback Brandon Silvers, came into the game averaging 30.5 points per game. They also had the top-scoring defense (15.5), so the Sea Dragons were seemingly facing a tall task.
But the Sea Dragons (3-2) felt they could have been 4-0 too.
They fumbled near the goal line in the final seconds in their opener when it appeared they were headed toward a winning score. And the next week, they lost on a field goal on the last play of the game.
But Seattle has rebounded. In a big way.
The Sea Dragons kept Silvers, who quarterbacked the 2020 XFL Seattle Dragons, in check until the final minute.
The Sea Dragons allowed just one first down on the Roughnecks’ first two possessions, and the Seattle offense took advantage of good field position on its second drive.
DiNucci capped a seven-play, 46-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown run on a third-and-11 play. But the three-point conversion try failed, and Seattle led 6-0 with 3:42 left in the third quarter.
After Houston had a touchdown run negated by a holding penalty, the Sea Dragons ended up allowing nothing on the drive. That’s because cornerback Antoine Brooks forced a fumble on a sack of Silvers that was recovered by teammate Daniel Joseph at the Houston 31.
Seattle lost a scoring chance on its ensuing drive when DiNucci threw an interception in the end zone.
DiNucci made amends on the Sea Dragons’ next drive, capping a 90-yard with a nine-yard touchdown pass from DiNucci to Damion Willis. Seattle converted a three-point conversion on a pass to Juwan Green.
DiNucci was 5 of 8 for all 90 yards of the drive, and the nine points gave Seattle a lead 15-0 with 45 seconds left in the half, and soon after Houston was headed to the locker room to try to regroup.
Seattle had 189 yards of offense in the first half to 109 for Houston. DiNucci was 12 of 20 for 155 yards in the first half, while Silvers was 14 of 20 for 96 yards.
The Sea Dragons had a golden opportunity to add points late in the third quarter when Tuzar Skipper blocked a punt that was recovered by Rojesterman Farris at the Houston 9.
The opportunity was wasted. After a holding penalty negated a DiNucci run to the Houston 2, the Seattle QB was intercepted in the end zone for the second time in the game.
Seattle, which came into the game with a minus-eight turnover differential, made another costly miscue midway through the fourth quarter when Morgan Ellison lost a fumble at the Sea Dragons’ 25.
Aided by a pass interference penalty in the end zone, Houston finally got on the scoreboard with 7:22 left in the game on a 1-yard touchdown run by Max Borghi, the former WSU star. But the important two-point conversion try failed.
DiNucci threw an interception on the Sea Dragons’ next possession, when he threw deep and receiver Josh Gordon stopped.
But the Sea Dragons defense stood tall, stopping Houston on fourth-and-four from its 38. That set up a clinching 3-yard touchdown run from Darius Bradwell with 1:22 left.