Championship gameday.
We’ve been waiting two long weeks for this day to arrive, but the Arena Bowl is finally here.
Tonight, the Philadelphia Soul will face the Arizona Rattlers with the title on the line, for the third time in five years.
Tonight, the Soul can rewrite history, avenging their foes from the West that have caused so many nightmares for Philadelphia since they returned to the league half a decade ago.
There is so much riding for the Soul and the entire league when the teams kick off against each other, on a national ESPN audience, that it cannot be summed up in a short amount of words.
The bottom line is, with one win tonight, through 60 minutes, four quarters, the Philadelphia Soul can become world champions of Arena Football.
It’s by no means an easy task in front of them, heading into Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
The stadium is not the usual home for the Arizona Rattlers, but is just a short 18.5 mile trip from their confines of Talking Stick Arena in Phoenix. The Rattlers have become custom to Gila River, holding practices in the facility the past few weeks, anticipating a home match in the Arena Bowl.
And homefield advantage means a lot to this Rattlers team. Arizona has been 48-4 at home the last few seasons, and you have to go back to May 2nd, 2015 to find their last home loss, which was against the mighty San Jose Sabercats.
The Rattlers’ last playoff loss at home was in Arena Bowl XXIV, when Aaron Garcia threw a game winning touchdown on the last play of the game to escape with a victory in 2011, which was also the last time the Rattlers hosted the title game.
So there is a history of Arizona losing at home in the Arena Bowl.
One of the biggest keys for the Soul to win in the desert will be to make Arizona uncomfortable on their own turf.
It’s already going to be a bit uncomfortable for the fans aside from the change of venue, as the game will start at 4 p.m. MST time (7 p.m. Philly time), on a Friday afternoon. But the faithful will still be out, cheering on their MVP quarterback Nick Davila who has gotten the best of the Soul in both Arena Bowls he’s faced them in.
The Soul need to get pressure on Davila and his receivers. It’s easier said than done, but still one of the most crucial parts of the game. He has three wide receivers that are over 6 feet tall, in Rod Windsor, Maurice Purify and Anthony Amos that make up the best receiver trio in the game. The Soul have done a decent job containing these guys in the first two meetings this season, but the game plan needs to be amped by Tracy Belton and Dwayne Hollis.
Philly stood as the best defensive backfield in the league with those two, who led the league in interceptions, and they need to show that defense still wins championships if they’re going to finally win one.
The single most important key to the Soul earning their second Arena Bowl win in franchise history will be the play of Dan Raudabaugh. He has been stellar for the Soul the past five seasons, leading them to their third championship game. However, in the previous two title games, No. 5 threw five interceptions in the games combined, which heavily cost his team in the end.
When the Soul finally beat the Rattlers for the first time in franchise history back on May 14, Raudabaugh was nearly flawless, completing 14 of 23 passes with six touchdowns and no interceptions.
However, when Philly traveled to Arizona on June 17, three early interceptions hit the Soul hard and made a late comeback fall short, as Philly lost the game 80-63, giving the Rattlers the point differential tiebreaker in the series to host the Arena Bowl.
Turnovers need to work in the Soul’s favor, and both teams are capable of stepping up and winning that battle.
Philly's wide receivers in Ryan McDaniel, Shaun Kauleinamoku and Darius Reynolds need to step up for the biggest game of their careers.
The Soul have not played the greatest the last few weeks in the postseason, but they need to focus on playing at the top of their potential. That may be the only way they can beat the Rattlers, but it's certainly possible.
A huge beneficial for the Soul will be playing with the revenge factor.
Arizona has won three championships with this core, and it’s been pointed out many times that two of those championships were against Philly.
Raudabaugh still needs a ring, and it’s in the mind of him and many others on the team that the opponent in front of them has held this franchise back from their second trip to the promise land. That can be just as hot and dangerous as Arizona’s eight-game win streak or Philly's six-game win streak heading into the game.
So buckle up and great ready for a Friday night championship thriller.
The chance for a taste of sweet champagne revenge from the Foster Trophy is on the line, in a game that could forever be entrenched in the history of Philadelphia sports and Arena Football history.
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