Seattle Sea Dragons at St. Louis Battlehawks game thread: Sea Dragons must win or else

The Sea Dragons’ season is on the line in St. Louis.

The Seattle Sea Dragons (5-3) have had the misfortune of geography placing them in a division that is more stacked than the alternative. If they lose to the St. Louis Battlehawks (6-2) on Sunday afternoon then they are out of postseason contention with a game to go. Even if they win, it could come down to a tiebreaker on the last week of the season so Seattle needs help to get in after they lost to the DC Defenders last Sunday.

If the Sea Dragons played in the south division, 5-3 would be prime position for a playoff berth, but they’re in the north and the teams above them in the standings are 7-1 and 6-2.

Seattle dropped the first meeting with St. Louis on a last-second field goal at Lumen Field, and that has come back to haunt them. Quarterback A.J. McCarron is banged up and may not start, but the hope is that he’ll play despite a shoulder problem. If he can’t go, then third-stringer Manny Wilkins will get the call-up.

No pressure on Ben DiNucci and the fellas. After all, when has a Seattle football team’s trip to St. Louis ever ended in disaster? Wait, don’t answer that.

Kickoff time is 12 PM PT on ESPN and ESPN+, and if you’ve not kept up with the XFL the Battlehawks atmosphere at the former home of the St. Louis Rams is absolutely electric. It is the most NFL-like atmosphere in the XFL by far.