The St. Louis Battlehawks' three-game road trip to start the season rolls through Seattle on Thursday when they square off against the Seattle Sea Dragons in the first XFL game of Week 2, at Lumen Field. Last week the Battlehawks (1-0) rallied for an improbable 18-15 victory at San Antonio. After facing Seattle, they will hit the road next week to play the DC Defenders before their first home game, in Week 4. Meanwhile Thursday's game is the home opener for the Sea Dragons (0-1), who lost on Sunday at DC, 22-18.
Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. ET. Seattle is a 4-point favorite in the latest Sea Dragons vs. Battlehawks odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 38. Before making any Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons picks, you need to see what SportsLine pro football expert R.J. White has to say.
White, a Fantasy and gambling editor for CBS Sports, consistently crushes against-the-spread picks and went 535-450-30 on his ATS picks from 2017-22, which returned more than $3,500 to $100 players. He also closed the NFL season on an incredible 107-80-6 on his last 193 against-the-spread and total NFL picks during the 2022 NFL season, returning more than $1,800 for $100 bettors.
White has crushed not only the NFL but also the XFL during its abbreviated 2020 season, going 16-4 on XFL ATS picks before the league suspended operations. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, he has locked in on Sea Dragons vs. Battlehawks and released a confident against-the-spread pick. You can head to SportsLine now to see White's pick and analysis. Here are the XFL lines and trends for Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons:
- Sea Dragons vs. Battlehawks spread: Seattle -4
- Sea Dragons vs. Battlehawks over/under: 38 points
- Sea Dragons vs. Battlehawks money line: Seattle -190, St. Louis +158
- SEA: Jahcour Pearson leads team in receiving (12 catches, 95 yards)
- STL: Austin Proehl leads team in receiving (four catches, 49 yards and one touchdown)
- Sea Dragons vs. Battlehawks picks: See picks here
Why the Sea Dragons can cover
Despite losing, Seattle arguably outplayed DC last week. The Sea Dragons outgained the Defenders 331-177 and had 20 first downs to DC's 12. Seattle also had 35 minutes, 30 seconds of possession to the Defenders' 24:30.
In addition, the Sea Dragons should prove to be a hard team to face on a short week. Offensive coordinator June Jones has brought his pass-happy Run-and-Shoot offense to Seattle, and the team attempted 56 passes last week. Meanwhile the Battlehawks faced just 36 pass attempts last week and don't get the benefit of a full week to prepare for the Sea Dragons' unique attack.
Why the Battlehawks can cover
St. Louis has a playmaking receiver in Austin Proehl. The son of former St. Louis Rams receiver and current Battlehawks assistant coach Ricky Proehl, the younger Proehl had four catches for 49 yards and the game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds remaining against the Brahmas last week. On the game-winner, Proehl made the catch despite being the target of three San Antonio defenders.
In addition, St. Louis faces a quarterback, Ben DiNucci, who had trouble taking care of the ball last week. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback had three turnovers against the Defenders. One of those was a pick-six, which started the DC comeback, and the last was a fumble at the Defenders' 1-yard line that thwarted the Battlehawks' comeback attempt and ended the game.
How to make Sea Dragons vs. Battlehawks picks
White has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he's leaning Under on the point total, he has discovered a crucial x-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's only sharing what it is and which side to back at SportsLine.
Who wins Sea Dragons vs. Battlehawks? And what critical factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Battlehawks vs. Sea Dragons spread you should jump on -- all from the top NFL expert who closed the NFL season on an incredible 107-80-6 run, and find out.
