The 2023 DC Defenders season was the second season for the

DC Defenders The DC Defenders are a professional American football team based in Washington, D.C. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha Acquico. The ...

as a professional

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

franchise. The Defenders played their home games at Audi Field and were led by head coach

Reggie Barlow Reggie Devon Barlow (born January 22, 1972) is a former American football player and coach who is currently the head coach and general manager for the DC Defenders of the XFL. Barlow served as the head football coach at Alabama State University fr ...

. At the first home game security staff prevented fans building the "Beer Snake", a signature feature from the 2020 season, and fans started throwing lemons on the field. The league made the proper arrangements for the "Beer Snake" to be allowed during Defenders home games. Earning their first playoff berth and clinching first place in the North Division, the Defenders eliminated the

Seattle Sea Dragons The Seattle Sea Dragons (formerly known as the Seattle Dragons) are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. The team is a franchise of the new XFL and plays its home games at Lumen Field in Seattle. Originally founded ...

in the North Division title game in the playoffs. With the win, the Defenders advanced to the XFL Championship Game where they faced the Arlington Renegades, losing by a score of 26-35.

Roster

Background

The 2020 season was the inaugural season for the

as a professional club. They were playing as charter members of the rebooted XFL, one of eight teams to compete in the league for the season. The Defenders played their home games at Audi Field and were led by head coach

Pep Hamilton Alfonza "Pep" Hamilton (born September 19, 1974) is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Char ...

. Their inaugural season was cut short due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and the XFL officially suspended operations for the remainder of the season on March 20, 2020. The Defenders finished the season with a 3–2 record.

Schedule

''All times Eastern''

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Seattle Sea Dragons

Week 2: at Vegas Vipers

Week 3: vs. St. Louis BattleHawks

Week 4: vs. Vegas Vipers

Week 5: at St. Louis BattleHawks

Week 6: vs. Houston Roughnecks

Week 7: at Orlando Guardians

Week 8: at Seattle Sea Dragons

Week 9: vs. Arlington Renegades

Week 10: at San Antonio Brahmas

Standings

Postseason

Schedule

Game summaries

XFL North Division Finals: vs. (2) Seattle Sea Dragons

XFL Championship Game: vs. Arlington Renegades

Staff

References

{{2023 XFL season DC

DC Defenders seasons