Overwatch League 2019 Stage 1 Week 2: Excelsior's Top Plays, Prize Money

The second week of the 2019 Overwatch League wrapped up Sunday, and New York Excelsior sit alone atop the standings.

New York Excelsior were in action twice this week, beating Los Angeles Valiant on Friday and then defeating the Houston Outlaws on Sunday. New York improved to 4-0 as a result, putting one match between Excelsior and the Vancouver Titans.

Sunday Results

London Spitfire 3, Hangzhou Spark 1

New York Excelsior 4, Houston Outlaws 0

Toronto Defiant 2, Los Angeles Valiant 1

Vancouver Titans 3, San Francisco Shock 1

Full scores and standings available at the league's official site.

Los Angeles, which dropped its opening game of the Overwatch League in Week 1, took a 2-1 lead on New York. New York rebounded to win the next two rounds in Rialto and Ilios, prevailing 3-2 in overtime. The final sequence in the fourth map that led to the extra frame was a truly frenzied affair.

Excelsior didn't require anywhere near the same drama to wrap up its second victory, sweeping all four games against the Outlaws.

The Titans are hot on New York's trail after moving to 3-0. Vancouver earned a hard-fought 3-2 overtime win over Guangzhou Charge on Saturday before defeating the San Francisco Shock 3-1, which was the final match in Week 2.

The defending champion London Spitfire had a surprisingly poor start to their title defense, losing both of their games in Week 1. They responded in Week 2 with wins over Washington Justice and Hangzhou Spark. At 2-2, they're tied with the Philadelphia Fusion for the eighth-best record in the Overwatch League, which is the cutoff for the stage playoffs.

There's obviously going to be a lot more movement in the next three weeks before the $200,000 prize for the stage champion is awarded. And that's to say nothing of the $1.1 million that will go to the overall champion.

The third week of Stage 1 will begin Thursday, with Washington and Philadelphia facing off at 7 p.m. ET.