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.

2020 Tampa Bay Vipers season
Owner	Alpha Entertainment, LLC
General manager	Marc Trestman
Head coach	Marc Trestman
Home field	Raymond James Stadium
Results
Record	1–4
League place	4th XFL East
Tampa Bay Vipers 2023 →

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.^[1]

Standings

2020 XFL standings v t e
East Division^[2]
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^[2]
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		Location
						Score	Record
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		Raymond James Stadium
7	Saturday	March 21	2:00 p.m.	ABC	Dallas Renegades			Raymond James Stadium
8	Saturday	March 28	2:00 p.m.	ABC	at DC Defenders			Audi Field
9	Sunday	April 5	Noon	ESPN	at St. Louis BattleHawks			The Dome at America's Center
10	Sunday	April 12	TBA		New York Guardians			Raymond James Stadium

^[3]

Final roster

2020 Tampa Bay Vipers final roster

	Quarterbacks  4 Taylor Cornelius  9 Quinton Flowers 11 Aaron Murray Running backs 36 Tarean Folston 29 Jacques Patrick 24 De'Veon Smith 34 Brandon Wilds Wide receivers 83 Ryan Davis  1 S. J. Green 18 Reece Horn 15 Seantavius Jones 16 Jake Lampman 19 Tanner McEvoy 17 Jalen Tolliver 81 Daniel Williams Tight ends 80 DeAndre Goolsby 89 Pharoah McKever 86 Colin Thompson 85 Nick Truesdell		Offensive linemen 76 Daronte Bouldin G 67 Jerald Foster G 73 Martez Ivey T 78 Marquis Lucas T/G 63 Jordan McCray C 69 Na'Ty Rodgers T 75 Andrew Tiller G 71 Isaiah Williams T 50 John Yarbrough C/G Defensive linemen 92 Josh Banks DT 94 Shane Bowman DT 58 Obum Gwacham DE 53 Deiontrez Mount DE 96 Jason Neill DE 91 Bobby Richardson DE 93 Kellen Soulek DT 97 Ricky Walker DT 49 Nikita Whitlock DT		Linebackers 57 Thurston Armbrister 43 Emmanuel Beal MLB 52 Reggie Northrup OLB 41 Terrance Plummer OLB 45 Lucas Wacha MLB Defensive backs 35 Marcelis Branch FS 31 Trey Caldwell CB 28 Bryce Canady FS 27 Micah Hannemann CB 30 Demontre Hurst SS 23 Anthoula Kelly CB 20 Tarvarus McFadden CB 21 Robert Priester SS 37 Robenson Therezie S 26 Herb Waters CB Special teams  3 Andrew Franks K 42 Nick Moore LS 10 Jake Schum P		Reserve lists  5 Antonio Callaway WR (IR)   22 Rannell Hall CB (IR)   33 Shelton Lewis CB (IR)   -- Christian Morris OT (IR)   55 active, 4 inactive

Staff

2020 Tampa Bay Vipers staff

Front office President – Josh Bullock Director of player personnel – Josh Hinch Director of Football Operations – Josh Moore Manager of Football Operations/Scout – Ron Selesky Head coaches Head coach/general manager – Marc Trestman Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator/Receivers – Jaime Elizondo Quarterbacks – Josh Neiswander Running backs – Justin Poindexter Tight ends – Pete Mangurian Offensive Line – Jonathan Himebauch

Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Jerry Glanville Defensive line – Bert Hill Linebackers – Mike Archer Secondary – William Fields Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – Billy Parker Assistant teams coordinator – Frank Gansz Jr.

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

Week 1 — Tampa Bay at New York

Period	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^[4]
• 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,^[5] 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

Week 2 — Tampa Bay at Seattle

Period	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^[6]
• 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

Week 3 — Houston at Tampa Bay

Period	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^[7]
• 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

Week 4 — DC at Tampa Bay

Period	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^[8]
• 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

Week 5 — Tampa Bay at Los Angeles

Period	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^[9]
• 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 –

References

1. "A THANK YOU TO OUR FANS". Retrieved March 23, 2020.
2. "XFL Standings". XFL.com. February 9, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
3. "XFL 2020 Schedule Released, First Game Dragons @ Defenders". Retrieved October 22, 2019.
4. Filipe, Cameron (6 February 2020). "XFL Week 1 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
5. "Tampa Bay Vipers at New York Guardians XFL odds, picks and best bets". Sportsbook Wire.
6. Filipe, Cameron (13 February 2020). "XFL Week 2 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
7. Filipe, Cameron (20 February 2020). "XFL Week 3 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
8. Filipe, Cameron (27 February 2020). "XFL Week 4 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
9. Filipe, Cameron (5 March 2020). "XFL Week 5 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved March 7, 2020.