Kansas
City Command (3-14) close out the regular-season on the road taking on
the Arizona Rattlers (12-5) at US Airways Arena in Phoenix. The Command
are coming off a one-point loss to the Spokane Shock last Saturday, and
the Rattlers have lost back-to-back games for the first time all
season. Kickoff from Arizona is at 9 p.m. (CT) Saturday and can been
seen on KSMO-TV, heard on SportsRadio 810 WHB, and viewed online at http://www.ustream.tv/kansascitycommand.
The
Command defense has been the backbone of the franchise all season,
holding near the top of the League on total defense from week to week.
KC has recovered a league-high 17 fumbles and leads the League in
rushing defense, allowing an average of 11.2 yards on the ground per
game. For the Week 20 matchup with the Rattlers, KC’s fourth-ranked
total defense will have their hands full with Arizona’s third ranked
total offense; led by quarterback Nick Davila who has passed for 5,137
yards, 106 touchdowns and hails as the AFL’s most-efficient QB.
The
2012 season saw an ever-changing offensive roster for the Command; 16
different players have caught a pass at wide receiver for KC, and four
different quarterbacks have settled in behind a solid front line of
Cornelius Dixon, Kimani Jones and Ken Scott. In comparison, Arizona’s
third ranked scoring offense has been consistently led by Davila, who
has started every game for the Rattlers.
Heading
into Saturday, there are a few franchise records on the line.
Defensive back’s J.C. Neal and Rashad Barksdale are tied for third in
the AFL with 109 total tackles and each are in line to surpass the
single-season franchise record of 110 tackles set by Ken Fontenette in
2011. Barksdale is coming of a record-setting 15 tackles against the
Shock in Week 19, besting his own previous franchise single-game record
of 14 tackles.
Kickoff
return specialist, Jackie Chambers ranks sixth in the League in kick
return average (20) and seventh in all-purpose yardage (157.2 yards per
game). He has recorded at least 100 kickoff return yards in each of the
last six games and at least 100 all-purpose yards in nine straight.
Chambers is just four yards shy of Jerel Myer’s single-season franchise
record of 1,023 combined kick return yards, set in 2008.
The
Command are 1-3 in their series history with the Rattlers; most
recently hosting their Week 3 matchup in Kansas City with Arizona taking
the win 56-28. This will be the first time the Command have traveled
to Arizona. While the Rattlers have already secured a playoff berth and
can best their seeding with a win, the Command look to head into the
off-season with a victory in their back pocket.
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