With five games left, there's a lot on the line with the Panthers looking to increase the chances of earning the top seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a trip to Phoenix to take on the Arizona Rattlers.

At 7-3, Bay Area leads the 6-4 Rattlers by a game in the conference race and would secure the second tiebreaker with Arizona by virtue of a season sweep.  The first tiebreaker is conference winning percentage. 

The Panthers won the first meeting 47-46 with Darin Hungerford dropping Rattlers' star quarterback Drew Powell on a two-point try to preserve the win.  Arizona was not stopped offensively until Hungerford's fourth quarter interception set up Dalton Sneed's 12-yard run for Bay Area's first lead of the game. 

Sneed threw three touchdown passes, two to JT Stokes and Justin Rankin ran for 59 yards and three scores.

Powell ended his night 13-21 for 127 yards with one touchdown passing and three scores rushing.

There has been no bulletin board material coming from the Panthers with a lot of respect for Arizona Head Coach Kevin Guy and an Arizona franchise that has been the gold standard in the IFL.  A lot of "we'll have our hands full", "need to execute", "play well in all three phases" and "they're a great team playing at a high level."

Powell missed four games after a hand injury with the team going 2-2 in his absence.  He was working out the kinks in a one-point loss at Vegas.  The offense has ramped up with the Rattlers scoring at least 60 points in three straight wins.
 
Arizona put itself in position to grab a share of the lead after a 63-62 double overtime classic at Northern Arizona.  Powell became the all-time franchise leader in rushing touchdowns with three on the night, giving him 84 for his career.

The recent surge boosted the Rattlers to second in the IFL in scoring at 53.3 points a game (Frisco at 56.3 is #1) with the Panthers ranked fifth at 50.1 points per game.  Arizona ranks ninth in scoring defense at 47.7 points a contest with the Panthers number five at 43.1 points per game.

Rankin is on a tear with 12 touchdowns scored in his last three games.  Rankin ran for 100 yards and four scores in the win over Duke City.  He'll try to pierce a Rattlers' defense that ranks seventh against the run
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Never unnoticed is the challenge of playing the game at the Footprint Center.  Since May 2018, the Rattlers have lost only two regular season home games—last season to Frisco and this year's Game 3 loss to Tucson. 

It's the first of three straight road games for the Panthers who will not play at home until July 10 against San Diego.  How they navigate this road stretch will go a long way in determining if Bay Area makes the playoffs and playoff seeding.  A win would put the Panthers in control of their own destiny for the top overall seed. 

Kickoff is set for 3:05 on Sunday, June 11.  You can watch the game on the IFL YouTube Channel or listen on the radio on 95.7 The Game.