Dallas Renegades’ Landry Jones Set To Make First XFL Start

• Former Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones will make his first XFL start on Sunday.
• Starting Jones could shift betting odds back in Dallas’s favor after a poor Week 1 showing.
• Overall, the first week of the XFL season was a big success, and Jones’s return could help ensure it stays that way.

DALLAS – After finally being cleared to play following a spring knee injury, Landry Jones is set to make his XFL debut on Sunday against the Los Angeles Wildcats.

Jones was cleared to play prior to the Renegades’ Week 1 matchup against the St. Louis BattleHawks, but head coach Bob Stoops elected to rest him for an additional week as a precautionary measure.

Backup Philip Nelson got the start against St. Louis and struggled to find a rhythm in offensive coordinator Hal Mumme’s air raid system. Nelson was sacked four times and averaged fewer than five yards per attempt despite completing 79% of his passes. With this, the Renegades lost in ugly fashion, 15-9.

Stoops crushed any notion of a quarterback controversy on Thursday, saying, “We’re planning on starting Landry and playing the whole game.”

Jones could be poised for a big debut. He played four seasons for Stoops at the University of Oklahoma from 2009 to 2012 and set numerous school records, including those for career passing yards, touchdowns, and wins.

Jones does not possess high-level physical traits like a strong arm or exceptional mobility, but he is an accurate passer with a high football IQ and excellent field vision, which are the three most important qualities in an air raid quarterback.

Fans looking to bet on the XFL will want to monitor Jones’s debut closely, as Dallas’s roster has the talent to make a championship run.

The Renegades are listed as slight road favorites for Sunday’s game, which kicks off at 3 p.m. on ABC. The current odds for the matchup look like this:

Spread:

• Dallas Renegades -4
• L.A. Wildcats +4

Moneyline:

• Dallas -200
• L.A. +150

Points Total:

• Over 47.5 (-110)
• Under 47.5 (-110)

XFL Betting Outlook

The Renegades came into the season as the favorite to win the league at +350, but their odds dropped considerably after a poor Week 1 showing. The first week of the season proved unpredictable for bettors, as league favorites stumbled out of the gate. The current XFL championship odds stand at:

• D.C. Defenders +333
• Houston Roughnecks +350
• New York Guardians +400
• St. Louis BattleHawks +550
• Tampa Bay Vipers +650
• Dallas Renegades +700
• Los Angeles Wildcats +1200
• Seattle Dragons +1600

Overall, the XFL’s opening weekend was a quiet success, with its four telecasts averaging over 3 million viewers – more than any NBA or college basketball broadcast throughout the week.

Jones’s return could draw an increase in ratings this week for the Renegades. He is a widely known figure in Oklahoma and Texas from his time with the Sooners.

The Renegades’ inaugural game brought in a league-low 2.5 million viewers, so they could certainly use the boost. Overall, the ratings for the first week of XFL play were encouraging enough that online sportsbooks removed prop bets about whether or not the XFL would fold during its debut season.

News tags: Bob Stoops | Dallas Renegades | Landry Jones | Los Angeles Wildcats | St. Louis BattleHawks | XFL