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
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 12TBA New York Guardians Raymond James Stadium
Final roster
Staff
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
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
Week 3: Houston Roughnecks
Week 4: DC Defenders
Week 5: at Los Angeles Wildcats
References