Seattle Sea Dragons wide receiver Josh Gordon is easily the most talented receiver in the XFL, and he made perhaps the greatest play of this XFL season on Saturday night.
Gordon caught a 65-yard touchdown pass with 59 seconds left to give Seattle a 30-26 win over the Vegas Vipers.
Seattle faced fourth-and-2 on the play and needed a first down just to remain alive. Quarterback Ben DiNucci threw deep downfield to Gordon, who caught the ball over a diving Viper, backpedaled for five yards as two more Vipers chased him, cut back inside to evade both defenders, and then waltzed into the end zone for the touchdown.
The thrilling touchdown was enhanced for the home audience by the XFL’s innovative audio, which featured the play being called from the sideline to DiNucci, and then from DiNucci to the rest of the offense, in real time. (Unfortunately the ESPN on FX broadcast audio went silent immediately after the play, so the audience missed the players’ on-field celebration.)
It was the highest-scoring game of this XFL season and perhaps the most exciting. It also featured an interesting use of the XFL’s three-point conversion, when Seattle scored a fourth-quarter touchdown to cut the Vegas lead to 26-24. The XFL allows teams to go for three from the 10-yard line, and Seattle wanted the three points to take the lead, but the conversion failed.
That didn’t matter, as Seattle’s defense stopped the Vegas offense, and then Gordon made that spectacular catch. Gordon may have run out of chances in the NFL, but he’s getting the job done in the XFL.