Arizona Throttles Portland, 80-28, in Season Opener

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(photo credit: Arizona Rattlers/Twitter)

It is very possible that there have been worse outcomes for teams in their home opener in the past, but don’t try telling that to the Portland Steel today. In an opening night for the 2016 AFL season in which the closest margin of victory over the three games played was 28 points, the drubbing that occurred in the Moda Center last night placed the proverbial cherry on top.

The 28 points Portland mustered came on a total of 4 touchdowns spread over four different receivers. The 80 points the Arizona Rattlers put on the board were a product of three defensive return touchdowns, a quarterback sneak, and two different offensive players reaching the end zone four times each.

The first half belonged to Rattlers receiver Rod Windsor. He was the team leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns last year, and he managed to pick up this season right where he left off. All four of his touchdowns came before halftime as quarterback Nick Davila was either firing pinpoint passes into tight windows, finding Windsor when he was left completely uncovered. When asked about his connections with Davila through the first two quarters, Windsor commented, “He could throw to me in his sleep… I’m just open right now.”

Running back Mykel Benson lifted the Rattlers onto his 6’0”, 275-pound frame for the rest of the game. With three rushing touchdowns and a receiving score off of a screen pass, Benson’s versatility as a bruising back was met with little resistance by the Steel defense. The other Arizona offensive touchdown came on a sneak by Davila at the end of the 3^rd quarter. With the game safely in hand, Davila and his 6 touchdowns (5 passing, 1 rushing) were able to sit out the entire fourth quarter.

The rest of Arizona’s scoring came from their unrelenting defensive pressure. Portland quarterback Danny Southwick was constantly hurried and hit to the turf. Throws were rushed and forced into areas they normally would not be placed, creating multiple interception opportunities. Two of them would be returned for touchdowns, by Arkeith Brown on the Steel’s second possession of the game, and by Kerry Reed in the third quarter. Defensive end Damien Borel was a big part of that pressure. He helped create two sack fumbles, including recovering one of them in the end zone for a touchdown and recovering another one at the 1-yard line, leading to one of Benson’s rushing touchdowns. A game commentator made the following observation about Borel’s play: “Borel is playing like a man on fire tonight… He is on a mission.”

From Portland’s side of things, the game is relatively easy to explain and justify. If those four (4!) turnovers that lead directly to Arizona points are flipped and turned into scores for the Steel instead, there is a major score adjustment. Of course, that is a drastic hypothetical, but correcting even just one or two of those mistakes creates a much more competitive game. Additionally, it is relevant to keep in mind that this is a team that has been together for little more than a month.

Due to the offseason fiasco the Portland franchise endured, the coaching staff and players have only been able to work together since the end of February. In contrast, Arizona has been a contending team for the better part of a decade, with the same coach for the last 8 years and the QB-WR tandem of Davila-Windsor together for 5 of those. That is a level of cohesion that takes more than the one month to put together that the Steel have had so far.

Steel quarterback Danny Southwick never looked comfortable in the pocket and was routinely throwing to tightly-covered receivers. Many of his passes sailed over the heads of his intended targets, or fell short of them when they did not complete routes in spots he was expecting. Mirroring his counterpart, though for completely different reasons, Southwick sat out the fourth quarter in place of backup Kasey Peters.

The offense did manage to show spurts of potential at times. On the opening drive, Southwick connected on a long touchdown pass to Nick Truesdell, who made a fingertip grab and eventually tumbled into the end zone. Unfortunately, the tumble resulted in a sprained ankle that Truesdell was unable to return to the game from. Southwick was also able to take a huge hit in his own end zone near the end of the first half, but still loft a perfect pass to Jared Perry, who took it in for a 48-yard score. That play cut Arizona’s lead to 32-21 with 6:30 left in the game, seemingly creating a close game. Arizona outscored Portland 48-7 after that point, though, leaving no doubt of the outcome.

Portland will look to rebound next week at the Orlando Predators, though that looks to be a difficult task as Orlando ousted the Tampa Bay storm 76-25 yesterday. Arizona will hope to continue their dominance as they travel to Los Angeles to face the Kiss, who will play their first game later today against the Jacksonville Sharks.