Houston Roughnecks: 2020 Season Review
In the 2020 Season Review series, we're recapping the results, highlights, and stats from the first XFL season.
Read all eight team wrap-ups as we roll them out:
- Tuesday, 4/7: DC Defenders, New York Guardians
- Wednesday, 4/8: St. Louis BattleHawks, Tampa Bay Vipers
- Thursday, 4/9: Dallas Renegades, Houston Roughnecks
- Friday, 4/10: Los Angeles Wildcats, Seattle Dragons
2020 Season Review
Record/Results | Statement Win | Breakout Players
Best Moment | Photos | Team Stats | Player Stats
5-0 (1st, West)
- Home: 3-0
- Away: 2-0
- vs. West: 3-0
- Against The Spread: 2-3
Week | W/L | Opponent | Score | ATS | Over/Under |
| 1 | W | LA | 37-17 | W | O |
| 2 | W | STL | 28-24 | L | O |
| 3 | W | at TB | 34-27 | L | O |
| 4 | W | at DAL | 27-20 | W | U |
| 5 | W | SEA | 32-23 | L | O |
Week 4 Highlights: Houston Roughnecks 27, Dallas Renegades 20
Week 4: Houston Roughnecks 27, Dallas Renegades 20
The 3-0 Roughnecks further separated themselves from the pack by winning the first Texas Throwdown on the road.
Quarterback P.J. Walker (more on him later) had one of his quieter games, but Houston conquered its West division and intrastate rivals through its devastating defense.
The Roughnecks registered three first-half interceptions and recovered two fourth-quarter fumbles: Edmond Robinson returned one for a touchdown, and DeMarquis Gates secured the other near the Roughnecks end zone in the final minutes to seal the victory.
QB P.J. Walker
Arguably the strongest candidate for the league's MVP, Walker, a former NFL practice squad member, became a force from the onset of the XFL.
He finished as the leader in passing yards (1,338), passing touchdowns (15) and completions (119) while finishing third in yards per attempt (7.3) and adding a rushing score.
The mobile signal-caller displayed exceptional pocket presence and instincts while leading the league's top statistical offense.
WR Cam Phillips
Following Walker's dominant lead, the Virginia Tech alum won the XFL's triple crown of receiving stats, leading in receptions (31), receiving yards (455) and touchdown catches (nine) -- the last one backed by back-to-back, three-TD efforts in Weeks 2 and 3.
Phillips also led in targets (44); posted the single-game high with 194 receiving yards; and registered the longest reception, an 84-yard connection with Walker in Week 3.
LBs DeMarquis Gates and Edmond Robinson
Gates found himself in the right place for much of the season, leading the squad in solo tackles, contributing two sacks, and registering three fumble recoveries -- leading the league -- in key parts of late-season victories.
Like Gates, Robinson did a little bit of everything, recording two sacks, ranking among the team's tackle leaders, and causing a strip-sack score in that aforementioned Week 4 win.
P.J. Walker drops to sidearm to find Cam Phillips
Week 2: P.J. Walker drops to sidearm to find Cam Phillips
Walker made jaws drop by threading the needle of defenders with this throw to TD machine Phillips.
Nick Holley makes a tough catch in Week 1 (Eddie Clarke)
OFFENSE: EFFICIENCY
| Category | Stat (Rank) |
| Pts/G | 31.6 (1) |
| Pts/Play | 0.552 (1) |
| Avg Score Margin | 9.4 (1) |
| Yds/G | 343.4 (3) |
| Yds/Play | 6.0 (1) |
| Plays/G | 57.2 (5) |
| Rush Play% | 33.5% (7) |
| Pass Play% | 64.33% (2) |
PASSING
| Category | Stat (Rank) |
| Pass Yds | 1338 (1) |
| Comp% | 64.7% (3) |
| Yards/Pass | 7.3 (2) |
| Pass TD | 15 (1) |
| Interceptions thrown | 4 (T2) |
RUSHING
| Category | Stat (Rank) |
| Rush Yds | 418 (7) |
| Yards/Rush | 4.35 (4) |
| Rush TD | 5 (T2) |
EXTRA POINTS
| Category | Stat |
| 1-pt | 1/4 (25%) |
| 2-pt | 5/11 (45%) |
| 3-pt | 2/6 (33%) |
| TOTAL | 8/21 (38%) |
Notable: Houston tied with Los Angeles for most extra points converted.
GAME CONTROL
| Category | Stat (Rank) |
| Takeaways | 13 (T1) |
| Turnovers | 5 (T2) |
| TO Margin | +8 (1) |
| 3rd Down Conv% | 42.6% (3) |
| 4th Down Conv% | 0.0% (8) |
| Red Zone TD% | 78.9% (2) |
| Team Pen Yds | 187 (1) |
DEFENSE: EFFICIENCY
| Category | Stat (Rank) |
| Opp Pts/G | 22.2 (5) |
| Opp Pts/Play | 0.311 (4) |
| Opp Yds/G | 307.2 (3) |
| Opp Yds/Play | 4.5 (1) |
| Opp Plays/Game | 68.2 (8) |
| Opp Rush Yds/G | 107 (3) |
| Opp Pass Yds/G | 200.2 (4) |
| Opp Yards/Rush | 3.3 (1) |
| Opp Yards/Pass | 5.95 (2) |
DEFENSE: EVENTS
| Category | Stat (Rank) |
| Sacks | 15 (1) |
| QB Hits | 32 (1) |
| Interceptions | 8 (2) |
| Passes Defensed | 31 (1) |
| Fumble Recoveries | 5 (1) |
| Forced Fumbles | 5 (T1) |
| Defensive/Special Teams TDs | 1 (T3) |
More: HOU Team Stats
PASSING
| Name | COMP | ATT | % | YDS | AVG | LG | TD | INT | RUSH | RUSH YDS | AVG | RUSH TD | LG |
| P.J. Walker | 119 | 184 | 65 | 1338 | 7.3 | 84 | 15 | 4 | 24 | 99 | 4.1 | 1 | 28 |
Notable: Walker led the league in all highlighted categories.
RUSHING
| Name | RUSH | RUSH YDS | AVG | RUSH TD | LG | REC | REC YDS | AVG | REC TDS | LG |
| James Butler | 46 | 221 | 4.8 | 4 | 30 | 11 | 20 | 3.8 | 1 | 16 |
| P.J. Walker | 24 | 99 | 4.1 | 1 | 28 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Andre Williams | 23 | 92 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 12 | 6.3 | 0 | 13 |
Notable: Butler led the league in rushing touchdowns, finished fourth in yards per carry, and ranked sixth in rushing yards.
RECEIVING
| Name | TAR | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LG |
| Cam Phillips | 44 | 31 | 445 | 14.7 | 9 | 84 |
| Nick Holley | 28 | 21 | 267 | 12.7 | 2 | 50 |
| Kahlil Lewis | 40 | 24 | 220 | 9.2 | 1 | 33 |
| Sam Mobley | 19 | 10 | 187 | 18.7 | 1 | 42 |
| Sammie Coates | 19 | 6 | 61 | 10.2 | 0 | 23 |
| Blake Jackson | 7 | 5 | 50 | 10 | 1 | 19 |
Notable: Phillips led the XFL in all bolded categories.
Lewis finished third in targets and tied for fifth in receptions. Holley finished sixth in receiving yards.
KICKING
| Name | FGM | FGA | FG% | LG |
| Sergio Castillo | 5 | 9 | 55.5 | 44 |
DEFENSE: TACKLES
| Name | TAK | AS | CMB |
| Beniquez Brown | 24 | 12 | 36 |
| DeMarquis Gates | 25 | 7 | 32 |
| Cody Brown | 19 | 5 | 24 |
| Deatrick Nichols | 16 | 8 | 24 |
| Ajene Harris | 17 | 6 | 23 |
| Edmond Robinson | 14 | 8 | 22 |
| Marqueston Huff | 14 | 6 | 20 |
DEFENSE: SACKS
| Name | SK | YDS | QBH | TFL |
| Edmond Robinson | 2 | 17 | 3 | 3 |
| LaTroy Lewis | 2 | 12 | 3 | 2 |
| DeMarquis Gates | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Carl Bradford | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Gabe Wright | 1.5 | 11 | 3 | 3 |
| Ty Schwab | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Caushaud Lyons | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Deatrick Nichols | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Cody Brown | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Walter Palmore | 0.5 | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Kony Ealy | 0.5 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Corey Crawford | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
DEFENSE: INTERCEPTIONS
| Name | INT | PD |
| Deatrick Nichols | 3 | 6 |
| Cody Brown | 2 | 3 |
| DeMarquis Gates | 1 | 3 |
| Jeremiah Johnson | 1 | 3 |
| Kaelin Burnett | 1 | 1 |
Notable: Nichols led the league in interceptions and tied for third in passes defensed.
Though he didn't record an interception, Ajene Harris finished second with seven passes defensed.
More: HOU Player Stats