FOX!Tampa Bay Vipers vs New York Guardians LiveStream: (Vipers vs Guardians) online Week-1 Preview (XFL Football)

Sunday’s XFL opening weekend slate will feature a duel between a pair of expected contenders. The New York Guardians will host the Tampa Bay Vipers in game three of this weekend’s four-game slate. The Guardians are the second XFL franchise to call the Big Apple home. The 2001 XFL featured the New York/New Jersey Hitmen, who played their games at the old Giants Stadium. The team finished with a 4–6 record and missed the postseason. 

The Guardians are looking to fix that, especially in light of the Giants’ and Jets’ struggles in recent seasons. Meanwhile, the Vipers are the second Florida-based team for the XFL, following the Orlando Rage back in 2001. In XFL 1.0, the Rage posted the league’s best record at 8–2 but came up short in the 2001 playoffs. So the Vipers have some history to live up to in 2020.

Before either team can think about long-term goals, they’ll have to play one another to start the season. Let’s get you ready for what should be an entertaining game.

Tampa Bay at New York

Kickoff: Sunday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. ET

Where: MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.)

TV: FOX

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Spread: Vipers -2.5

Three Things to Watch

1. Both head coaches have something to prove

The matchup between the head coaches could wind up being the most interesting part of this game. New York’s Kevin Gilbride and Tampa’s Marc Trestman both have something to prove this season. Gilbride wants to show that he can still lead a team after a six-year retirement. Gilbride had a memorable run as the Giants offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2004–13), where he won two Super Bowl rings (XLII, XLVI), and molded Eli Manning into a future Hall of Famer.