Arena Football League: Week 5 Sees Tight Race in Running, Gunning NC West

Entering their bye week, the Arizona Rattlers sit almost comfortably atop the NC West division with a record of 4-0.

However, it is too soon for them to get complacent with the way the NC West teams are playing.

They are two ahead of the Utah Blaze, who have settled at second with two wins and one loss. They have the second spot only because they have lost one less game than the San Jose SaberCats with two wins and two losses.

Last, the defending Arena Bowl champion Spokane Shock are taking up the rear with a record of 1-3 going into their bye week as well but are unpredictable and could start a winning streak at any moment.

A showdown is set in San Jose, as the SaberCats and Blaze will battle for the official No. 2 spot and to cut the Rattlers' division lead to one game. It’s going to be a battle of air superiority versus ground strength, as the SaberCats' Mark Grieb will take on the accuracy and rushing attack of Utah’s Tommy Grady.

According to the AFL website, Grieb is leading the SaberCats to the first-ranked passing game in the AFL with 1,232 passing yards and 22 touchdowns to date. Just as impressive is that Grady has only racked up 966 yards but has one less passing touchdown than Grieb. Utah is ranked as the No. 5 passing team but is also dangerous on the ground with Grady’s four rushing touchdowns and fullback Ben Stallings' four touchdowns.

Even with the Rattlers' two-game lead, the NC West Division could change at any moment. No matter what happens in San Jose, the lead will be cut to one game. Each team in the NC West is ranked in the top five passing teams right now, and the division lead could slip away at any moment.