AFL 2011: The Showdown for Second Place in the NC West

There has been a collapse of power in the NC West. With the Arizona Rattlers six game lead over the pack the battle will now be for the open playoff spot that will go to the number two team from the west.

With the rest of the NC West currently having identical records of 5-7 the race is wide open going into the last six weeks of the regular season.

At the beginning of the 2011 season the NC West appeared to be the powerhouse of the AFL with a tight race between the Utah Blaze, the San Jose Sabercats, and the Arizona Rattlers.

Now looking toward the end of the season only the Rattlers have a winning record. The Blaze lost their last three games and the Sabercats are suffering from a five game losing streak.  Only the Spokane Shock won a game in the last three weeks.

This is when an opponent is most dangerous. All of the other NC West teams have losing records and will put up a final flurry to fight their way into the postseason.  Just looking at these team’s websites you will find their rosters are swirling as they add and subtract players for the last stretch.

The Rattlers still have the Sabercats and the Shock on their schedule and will need to be cautious in protecting their home play-off field advantage. The Shock are one of the two teams that have dealt the Rattlers a defeat and a single loss could rearranged the Rattlers post season hopes.