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The NFL is beyond us, but football isn’t. Thanks to the XFL, there are more ‘Cats to monitor in the world of professional football through the end of winter and beginning of spring, and we’ll be tracking them each week.
This week, we had a nomination for player of the week, a touchdown and an interception. Let’s look at how the Pro ‘Cats made their presence felt in the league taking the nation by storm;
Godwin Igwebuike, S - Seattle Dragons
After having two solid games, Igwebuike broke out in his third, wreaking havoc in the secondary for Seattle. The safety amassed an interception, seven tackles and two passes defended, establishing himself as one of the best players on the field.
Godwin Igwebuike with the INT.#ForTheLoveOfFootball | #BreathingFire pic.twitter.com/aYppk309m6
— Seattle Dragons (@XFLDragons) February 22, 2020
Godwin Igwebuike how are you feeling after that INT for the @XFLDragons? “Blessed and highly favored.” pic.twitter.com/9Y3ckxxfaf
— Maura Dooley (@Maura_Dool) February 22, 2020
He wasn’t able to guide his team to victory, as his Dragons fell to Flynn Nagel’s Dallas Renegades, but it’s hard to fault his individual performance.
Hunter Niswander, P - DC Defenders
Niswander is the first Northwestern player to be nominated for player of the week in the XFL. The punter had another stellar game, averaging 50.5 yards on four boots, with two of them landing inside the LA 20.
BOOM @HunterNiswander went off and averaged 5️⃣0️⃣.5️⃣ yards/punt for the @XFLDefenders. #GoCats | #ProCats
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) February 24, 2020
pic.twitter.com/XGcQfbeiGG
It wasn’t a perfect game for Niswander, however, as he did have a fumble on the day. The Defenders also suffered a 30-point loss to the previously winless LA Wildcats.
Flynn Nagel - WR, Dallas Renegades
The first Wildcat to reach an XFL end zone, Nagel continued his solid pace, garnering five catches for 39 yards and scoring on one of them. Dallas notched its second win of the year on the day, moving to second in the West conference.
Flynn Nagel ➡️➡️ end zone. #GoCats | #ProCats
— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) February 22, 2020
pic.twitter.com/Esq9JTIQDG
Kyle Queiro, LB - Seattle Dragons
Last week was a monumental one for Queiro, but this week was not more of the same. The linebacker notched only two tackles, with one of them coming on special teams, in the Dragons’ loss to Dallas.
Jordan Thompson, DT - Seattle Dragons
After Week 2 saw Thompson record his first start and first sack with Seattle, Thompson failed to record a stat in Saturday’s loss to Dallas.
Next Week’s Slate of Games
Seattle Dragons (Querio, Thompson, Igwebuike) vs. St. Louis Battlehawks — 5:00 p.m. Eastern on FOX
Houston Roughnecks vs. Dallas Renegades (Nagel) — 4:00 p.m. Eastern on FS1