Watch: Kyle Sloter throws TD to beat Paxton Lynch-led team in XFL

In these parts, the XFL Mark III is known for one thing: as the circuit through which a passel of ex-Broncos attempt to keep their pro-football dreams alive.

And a Sunday-afternoon game between the Arlington Renegades and Orlando Guardians was a cavalcade of Broncos past.

It started with the quarterbacks: Kyle Sloter for Arlington and Paxton Lynch for Orlando. Both were part of the Broncos in the 2017 preseason. Lynch lost the job to Trevor Siemian, while Sloter had better statistics than both — albeit with and against third-teamers. Siemian and Lynch survived to see another Broncos day; the team waived Sloter, and he joined the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad.

But it went further. Lynch threw passes to former Denver second-round pick Cody Latimer — 6 of them for 66 yards, in fact. On defense, former Broncos practice-squad player Stansly Maponga had a tackle. When the Guardians looked to the sideline, they saw head coach Terrell Buckley, defensive coordinator Tony Carter and assistant coach Ty Warren — ex-Broncos all.

On the Arlington side, their punter is Marquette King. Their kicker is Taylor Russolino, who had a 1-game stint in 2020 when Brandon McManus was unavailable due to COVID-19 protocols. And one of their cornerbacks is De’Vante Bausby, who started 5 games for the Broncos in the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

King averaged 52.6 yards per punt Sunday. Russolino doesn’t have as much to do as NFL kickers; no extra points are place-kicked in the NFL. He hit a 21-yard field goal and handled kickoffs.

But the winner was Sloter and his Renegades. His fourth-quarter touchdown pass tied it, and a 1-yard, 1-point conversion run by De’Veon Smith provided the different in Arlington’s 10-9 triumph.

(1-point conversion run? Yeah, this league is different.)

Back in 2017, the Broncos kept Paxton Lynch coming out of training camp after he lost the QB battle to Trevor Siemian, but waived Kyle Sloter. Five-and-a-half years later, Sloter got the better of Lynch in the XFL. pic.twitter.com/FGyEp52Ptd

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) March 5, 2023

Still, Lynch actually made a decent acquittal of himself. After splitting time in the Guardians’ first two games, he played from start to finish Sunday. He missed some makeable throws, but still completed 19 of 31 passes for 219 yards. He also led Orlando with 43 rushing yards and scored its only touchdown. But the Guardians had just 9 points, although pair of lost fumbles from another player had much to do with that.

.@PaxtonLynch puts 6 more on the board ✅@XFL2023 | #XFL2023 pic.twitter.com/W2jsNa2OpW

— Orlando Guardians (@XFLGuardians) March 5, 2023

Oh, and the league’s only undefeated team? It’s coached by Wade Phillips. His Houston Roughnecks defeated the San Antonio Brahmas, 22-13 on Sunday night. Phillips probably should be some NFL team’s defensive coordinator. But as he said to the New York Post last week, he has a suspicion as to why he doesn’t have that gig.

“I hate to say it but I think it’s age,” the 75-year-old Phillips told the Post. “It’s hard to beat my record as a coordinator so there’s got to be another reason. But that’s ok. I’m glad to be doing what I’m doing.”

And that’s the thing. While the XFL may conjure up Broncos memories, ultimately it’s about another chance to play — and coach — the game.

For a sport that desperately needs a viable developmental level, pro-football would benefit from a successful launch of the XFL, the USFL, or whatever alphabet soup it conjures that ends in “FL.”

***

Related

Denver Broncos 2026 cutdown trackerAfter up-and-down camp, Broncos tight end Joly closes preseason with a flourishTight end room makes a statement in the Broncos preseason finaleEhlinger has nice game, but Broncos’ QB2 race remains unsettledAs most Broncos starters rest, Jonathon Cooper starts and playsBroncos lose Mims to foot injury on first series