# 2020 Tampa Bay Vipers season

The 2020 Tampa Bay Vipers season was the only season for the Tampa Bay Vipers as a professional American football franchise. They played as charter members of the XFL, one of eight teams to compete in the league for the 2020 season. The Vipers played their home games at Raymond James Stadium and were led by head coach Marc Trestman.
Their inaugural season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the XFL officially suspended operations for the remainder of the season on March 20, 2020.

## Standings

2020 XFL standingsvte :
| East Division ||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | TD+/- | TD+ | TD- | DIV | PF | PA | DIFF | STK |
| DC Defenders | 3 | 2 | .600 | -3 | 9 | 12 | 2–1 | 82 | 89 | -7 | W1 |
| St. Louis Battlehawks | 3 | 2 | .600 | 3 | 11 | 8 | 1–1 | 97 | 77 | 20 | L1 |
| New York Guardians | 3 | 2 | .600 | -1 | 8 | 9 | 1–2 | 79 | 85 | -6 | W2 |
| Tampa Bay Vipers | 1 | 4 | .200 | -4 | 11 | 15 | 1–1 | 98 | 115 | -17 | L1 |
| West Division ||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | TD+/- | TD+ | TD- | DIV | PF | PA | DIFF | STK |
| Houston Roughnecks | 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 7 | 21 | 14 | 3–0 | 158 | 111 | 47 | W5 |
| Dallas Renegades | 2 | 3 | .400 | -3 | 9 | 12 | 2–1 | 90 | 102 | -12 | L2 |
| Los Angeles Wildcats | 2 | 3 | .400 | 4 | 18 | 14 | 0–2 | 129 | 122 | 7 | W1 |
| Seattle Dragons | 1 | 4 | .200 | -3 | 12 | 15 | 0–2 | 87 | 119 | -32 | L3 |
| (x)–clinched playoff berth; (y)–clinched conference; (e)–eliminated from playoff contention ||||||||||||

## Schedule

All times Eastern
| Week | Day | Date | Kickoff | TV | Opponent | Results | Results | Location |
| Week | Day | Date | Kickoff | TV | Opponent | Score | Record | Location |
| 1 | Sunday | February 9 | 2:00 p.m. | Fox | at New York Guardians | L 3–23 | 0–1 | MetLife Stadium |
| 2 | Saturday | February 15 | 5:00 p.m. | Fox | at Seattle Dragons | L 9–17 | 0–2 | CenturyLink Field |
| 3 | Saturday | February 22 | 2:00 p.m. | ABC | Houston Roughnecks | L 27–34 | 0–3 | Raymond James Stadium |
| 4 | Sunday | March 1 | 7:00 p.m. | ESPN2 | DC Defenders | W 25–0 | 1–3 | Raymond James Stadium |
| 5 | Sunday | March 8 | 9:00 p.m. | ESPN | at Los Angeles Wildcats | L 34–41 | 1–4 | Dignity Health Sports Park |
| 6 | Saturday | March 14 | 5:00 p.m. | FS2 | St. Louis BattleHawks | Not played | Not played | Raymond James Stadium |
| 7 | Saturday | March 21 | 2:00 p.m. | ABC | Dallas Renegades | Not played | Not played | Raymond James Stadium |
| 8 | Saturday | March 28 | 2:00 p.m. | ABC | at DC Defenders | Not played | Not played | Audi Field |
| 9 | Sunday | April 5 | Noon | ESPN | at St. Louis BattleHawks | Not played | Not played | The Dome at America's Center |
| 10 | Sunday | April 12 | TBA | TBA | New York Guardians | Not played | Not played | Raymond James Stadium |

## Season summary

In the first week of the season, the Vipers took a loss to the New York Guardians, only scoring a field goal in the 3rd quarter. They then lost to the Seattle Dragons in the second week of the season, losing 17–9 in Seattle. Even after the two losses, they put up a fight against the then 2-0 Houston Roughnecks, only losing by a mere 7 points at home. They got their first win of the XFL season against the DC Defenders, shutting them out 25–0 to advance to 1–3. In week 5, they blew an 18-point lead and lost to the Los Angeles Wildcats on the road 41–34.

## Game summaries
### Week 1: at New York Guardians

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vipers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Guardians | 7 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: Sunday, February 9
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 42 °F (6 °C) • Wind: E 6 mph
* Game attendance: 17,634
* Referee: Jeff Heaser
* TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play), Greg Olsen (analyst), Jenny Taft (sideline)
Game information :
First quarter
NY – Matt McGloin 1-yard rush (1-pt. good), 9:55. Guardians 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 5:08.
Second quarter
NY – Colby Pearson 12-yard pass from Matt McGloin (1-pt good), 13:38. Guardians 14–0. Drive: 3 plays, 57 yards, 1:21.
NY – Matt McCrane 49-yard field goal, 0:05. Guardians 17–0. Drive: 3 plays, 37 yards, 0:31.
Third quarter
TB – Andrew Franks 23-yard field goal, 1:05. Guardians 17–3. Drive: 16 plays, 77 yards, 7:42.
Fourth quarter
NY – Jamar Summers 27-yard fumble return (1-pt. failed), 12:09. Guardians 23–3.
Top passers
TB – Aaron Murray – 16/34, 231 yards, TD, 2 INT
NY – Matt McGloin – 15/29, 182 yards, TD
Top rushers
TB – De'Veon Smith – 16 carries, 79 yards
NY – Darius Victor – 9 carries, 32 yards
Top receivers
TB – Daniel Williams – 6 receptions, 123 yards
NY – Mekale McKay – 3 receptions, 58 yards :
Tampa Bay entered the game as a 3½ point favorite, but went on to suffer a 20-point blowout loss on the road. The Vipers suffered 4 turnovers and gave up 3 touchdowns while only getting 1 field goal, despite getting inside the 5-yard line multiple times.

### Week 2: at Seattle Dragons

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vipers | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| Dragons | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 17 |
at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
* Date: Saturday, February 15
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 46 °F (8 °C) • Wind: S 12 mph
* Game attendance: 29,172
* Referee: Tra Blake
* TV announcers (Fox): Curt Menefee (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst)
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring
Second quarter
TB – Andrew Franks 36-yard field goal, 2:36. Vipers 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 44 yards, 4:58.
Third quarter
TB – Tarvarus McFadden 78-yard interception return (1-pt failed), 12:18. Vipers 9–0.
SEA – Keenan Reynolds 68-yard pass from Brandon Silvers (2-pt failed), 11:26. Vipers 9–6. Drive: 2 plays, 69 yards, 0:33.
SEA – Marcell Frazier 1-yard interception return (2-pt good), 5:31. Dragons 14–9.
Fourth quarter
SEA – Ernesto Lacayo 27-yard field goal, 1:07. Dragons 17–9. Drive: 7 plays, 35 yards, 1:38.
Top passers
TB – Taylor Cornelius – 16/27, 154 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
SEA – Brandon Silvers – 7/18, 91 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Top rushers
TB – Jacques Patrick – 14 carries, 73 yards
SEA – Trey Williams – 11 carries, 45 yards
Top receivers
TB – Reece Horn – 5 receptions, 51 yards
SEA – Keenan Reynolds – 3 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD :

### Week 3: Houston Roughnecks

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Roughnecks | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 34 |
| Vipers | 3 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 27 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
* Date: Saturday, February 22
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 69 °F (21 °C) • Wind: ENE 13 mph
* Game attendance: 18,117
* Referee: James Carter
* TV announcers (ABC): Steve Levy (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), Tom Luginbill and Dianna Russini (sideline)
Game information :
First quarter
TB – Andrew Franks 48-yard field goal, 12:34. Vipers 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 29 yards, 2:26.
HOU – Cam Phillips 84-yard pass from Phillip Walker (3-pt. good), 3:49. Roughnecks 9–3. Drive: 1 play, 84 yards, 0:13.
Second quarter
TB – Quinton Flowers 7-yard rush (1-pt. good), 9:17. Vipers 10–9. Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 2:51.
HOU – Phillip Walker 8-yard rush (3-pt. failed), 5:06. Roughnecks 15–10. Drive: 8 plays, 76 yards, 4:12.
HOU – Sergio Castillo 28-yard field goal, 1:00. Roughnecks 18–10. Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 2:17.
TB – Taylor Cornelius 1-yard rush (2-pt. good), 0:03. Tied 18–18. Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, 0:56.
Third quarter
HOU – Cam Phillips 24-yard pass from Phillip Walker (2-pt. good), 12:13. Roughnecks 26–18. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:27.
TB – Daniel Williams 20-yard pass from Taylor Cornelius (2-pt. failed), 2:13. Roughnecks 26–24. Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 3:45.
Fourth quarter
TB – Andrew Franks 43-yard field goal, 12:51. Vipers 27–26. Drive: 6 plays, 23 yards, 2:06.
HOU – Cam Phillips 17 yard pass from Phillip Walker (2-pt. good), 10:31. Roughnecks 34–27. Drive: 5 plays, 63 yards, 2:24.
Top passers
HOU – Phillip Walker – 24/36, 306 yards, 3 TD
TB – Taylor Cornelius – 16/31, 193 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
HOU – James Butler – 7 carries, 72 yards
TB – De'Veon Smith – 15 carries, 49 yards
Top receivers
HOU – Cam Phillips – 8 receptions, 194 yards, 3 TD
TB – Jalen Tolliver – 8 receptions, 104 yards :

### Week 4: DC Defenders

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Defenders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vipers | 7 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 25 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
* Date: Sunday, March 1
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Mostly cloudy • Temperature: 60 °F (16 °C) • Wind: NNE 3 mph
* Referee: Jeff Heaser
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Joey Galloway (analyst), Pat McAfee (sideline)
Game information :
First quarter
TB – Jacques Patrick 8-yard rush (1-pt. good), 8:43. Vipers 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:29.
Second quarter
TB – DeAndre Goolsby 13-yard pass from Taylor Cornelius (1-pt. failed), 13:41. Vipers 13–0. Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 6:48.
TB – Andrew Franks 40–yard field goal, 3:45. Vipers 16–0. Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 4:46.
Third quarter
TB – Taylor Cornelius 17-yard rush (2-pt. failed), 4:36. Vipers 22–0. Drive: 3 plays, 23 yards, 1:05.
Fourth quarter
TB – Andrew Franks 26-yard field goal, 10:17. Vipers 25–0. Drive: 17 plays, 71 yards, 7:22.
Top passers
DC – Cardale Jones – 9/22, 72 yards, INT
TB – Taylor Cornelius – 24/31, 211 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
DC – Donnel Pumphrey – 7 carries, 34 yards
TB – De'Veon Smith – 24 carries, 122 yards
Top receivers
DC – Donnel Pumphrey – 3 receptions, 32 yards
TB – Daniel Williams – 7 receptions, 72 yards :

### Week 5: at Los Angeles Wildcats

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vipers | 10 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 34 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 20 | 7 | 14 | 41 |
at Dignity Health Sports Park, Los Angeles, California
* Date: Sunday, March 8
* Game time: 9:00 p.m. EST / 6:00 p.m. PST
* Referee: Reggie Smith
* TV announcers (ESPN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Joey Galloway (analyst), Pat McAfee (sideline)
Game information :
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
TB –
LA –
Top rushers
TB –
LA –
Top receivers
TB –
LA – :