The XFL allows teams to go for one, two or three points after a touchdown, and today the DC Defenders became the first XFL team to go for three.
Blowing out the New York Guardians 27-0 with 1:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, Defenders coach Pep Hamilton decided to give going for three a shot and lined up his offense on the 10-yard line.
Hamilton then called a play that can only happen in the XFL: A double forward pass, which is illegal at all other levels of football but is legal in the XFL, as long as the passes are thrown behind the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately, the second pass fell incomplete.
“I thought it was a great time to give one a shot,” Hamilton said in a sideline interview immediately after the play. “We understand that the odds are against us, but we had a chance. They played it well.”
The opportunity to go for three, and the opportunity to throw two forward passes in one play, are among the rule changes that add some fun to the XFL. This one didn’t work, but it was an interesting moment in an otherwise boring game.
