XFL 2023 Results: Week 6 Scores and Best Twitter Reaction from Saturday

Week 6 of the 2023 XFL season got underway on Saturday afternoon, with the Seattle Sea Dragons visiting the Orlando Guardians.

The Sea Dragons, winners of three straight, came into the week as one of the hottest teams in the league and looking to challenge the undefeated D.C. Defenders in the XFL North. The Guardians, meanwhile, were simply searching for their first win.

While Orlando had one of its better performances of the season, too many Guardians mistakes allowed Seattle to escape with the victory.

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Sea Dragons 26, Guardians 19

Seattle got on the board first with a 37-yard Dominik Eberle field goal. In a first quarter largely dominated by defense, the Sea Dragons took advantage of a 49-yard Kelvin McKnight punt return to provide the early lead.

The Sea Dragons began the drive at Orlando's 43-yard line, but the Guardians defense managed to keep Seattle out of the end zone.

The Guardians and Sea Dragons traded field goals in the early second quarter, with each team getting a huge play in the process.

Orlando running back Devin Darrington ripped off a 31-yard run that set up the Guardians in scoring position. McKnight returned the ensuing kickoff 45 yards to give Seattle another short field.

The Guardians took the lead with just over two minutes remaining in the half after a lengthy 65-yard drive that took nearly six minutes off the clock. Darrington came up big again, finding the end zone on a three-yard rush and adding the point after from a yard out.

The Sea Dragons had a promising drive just before the half, but quarterback Ben DiNucci was picked off by Najeem Hosein in the end zone. Orlando had come close to snagging a couple of DiNucci's passes and finally got one with Seattle threatening to take the lead.

The turnover gave the Guardians an opportunity to add to their lead, but their drive stalled in Seattle territory. Their punt then went into the end zone, giving the Sea Dragons a chance with the ball at their 35-yard line—because of the XFL's unique touchback rules—with 21 seconds to go.

Seattle cashed in with a 54-yard Eberle field goal, but Orlando still carried a 10-9 lead into the intermission.

The Guardians stalled in Seattle territory again in the third quarter, and once again, their punt resulted in a touchback. This time, the Sea Dragons capitalized fully, capping the ensuing drive with a 20-yard touchdown strike from DiNucci to Blake Jackson.

Jahcour Pearson caught DiNucci's two-point pass, giving Seattle a seven-point lead late in the third.

The Guardians responded quickly, though, with Darrington finding paydirt on a 43-yard touchdown run.

However, Orlando's two-point try was unsuccessful, and the Sea Dragons maintained a slim lead.

The two teams traded field goals again in the early fourth quarter, and Seattle later capitalized on another Orlando special teams miscue. A blocked punt handed the Sea Dragons the ball on the Orlando 6-yard line and an opportunity to extend their lead.

Seattle did extend its lead with a four-yard touchdown pass from DiNucci to Juwan Green. The two-point attempt was no good, which left the door cracked for Orlando.

However, the Sea Dragons were able to put the game away after a costly Darrington fumble. The turnover gave Seattle the ball with less than two minutes remaining, and it gave it back to Orlando with only 40 seconds to go.

The Guardians made it into Seattle territory, but quarterback Quinten Dormady was heavily pressured on fourth down, and Orlando couldn't convert. Seattle picked up its fourth consecutive victory, while the Guardians suffered another frustrating defeat.

DiNucci finished the game with 177 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Dormandy had 243 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. Darrington had 82 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while DiNucci led Seattle with 43 rushing yards.

Jackson led all receivers with 79 receiving yards, while teammate and former NFL standout Josh Gordon was left without a catch.

The close contest served as a great way to kick off the week, and fans on social media genuinely seemed to enjoy both the competition and the presentation.

Seattle will open Week 7 with a Friday night visit to the Arlington Renegades. The Guardians will next host the Defenders.

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Battlehawks 29, Vipers 6

In Saturday's nightcap, the Vegas Vipers hosted the St. Louis Battlehawks. The Vipers came in seeking only their second win of the season, their first coming last week against the winless Guardians.

The Battlehawks, meanwhile, were looking to rebound from a Week 5 loss to the D.C. Defenders and to keep pace with the Sea Dragons in the XFL North.

This one was all St. Louis from start to finish.

The late game got off to a slow start and a scoreless first quarter. However, St. Louis scored immediately at the start of the second quarter on a nifty 4-yard toss-sweep by Gary Jennings.

The Battlehawks added to their lead in the second quarter with a 40-yard Donny Hageman field goal. They extended it even further with a 30-yard touchdown pass from AJ McCarron to wideout Darrius Shepherd.

The second two-point attempt was unsuccessful, but the Battlehawks still took a 17-0 lead into halftime.

McCarron was virtually flawless in the first half, going 17-of-20 for 166 yards and two touchdowns. McCarron, who spent six seasons in the NFL, is quickly becoming one of the XFL's top signal-callers.

The Battlehawks continued to build momentum in the second half. Vegas got the ball to start the third quarter, but quarterback Luis Perez was picked off by Lavert Hill, which gave St. Louis the ball just over midfield.

St. Louis cashed in on the turnover with a one-yard Kareem Walker touchdown run. Again, the two-point try failed, but with a 23-point lead and Vegas doing very little offensively, the Battlehawks were in complete control.

On the Vipers' ensuing drive, Perez was picked off by Hill for the second time. This time, St. Louis didn't capitalize with points, but it did bleed a bit more time off the clock. Vegas then made a quarterback switch to Brett Hundley, but it faced a huge deficit entering the fourth quarter.

The Vipers moved into St. Louis territory with Hundley at the helm, but they couldn't convert a 4th-and-12 to sustain the early fourth-quarter drive. They finally gained a little momentum of their own, though, when McCarron was sacked on a 4th-and-1 attempt on the Vegas 42-yard line.

With seven minutes remaining in the game, the Vipers finally got on the board. Hundley found John Lovett on a short pass that Lovett took through the St. Louis defense and into the end zone.

With a failed two-point try, the Vipers still faced a 17-point deficit, though in the XFL, that's only two touchdowns. Unfortunately or Vipers fans, Vegas kicked the ball short of the 20-yard line, which handed St. Louis the ball at the Vipers' 45-yard line.

A heavy does of running back Brian Hill put the Battlehawks in scoring position, and McCarron found Shepard for a six-year touchdown and a 29-6 lead.

Vegas' final desperation drive stalled, and St. Louis walked out with its fourth win of the season.

McCarron finished the game 23-of-29 for 236 yards and three touchdowns. Hill logged 71 yards on 15 carries, while Shepherd had seven catches for 79 yards and two scores.

Hundley finished 9-of-18 with a touchdown for the Vipers.

The second game drew more of a mixed reaction on social media, with some fans loving St. Louis' potential as a playoff team and others lamenting Vegas' poor play.

Week 6 will continue Sunday afternoon when the Renegades host the San Antonio Brahmas in a rematch of Week 5. That game is slated for a 3 p.m. ET kickoff and will air on ABC and ESPN+