The San Diego Strike Force is fighting for its first home playoff game in franchise history against the Arizona Rattlers. The hopes of hosting the playoff game are coming down to the final three games of the season. Last week’s win over Bay Area was one of the largest wins in Strike Force history. The win officially clinched the Strike Force’s second consecutive playoff appearance. However, the goal is hosting a home playoff game. So we are back to saying the next San Diego Strike Force game on July 12th against the Arizona Rattlers is a must-win game.

Let’s begin this article with a brief history lesson. Arizona is one of the most storied franchises in the history of the Indoor Football League. The Rattlers first played in the AFL (Arena Football League) back in 1992. In the team’s 33-year history, they have won a total of 7 National Championships, 7 Conference Championships, 12 Division Championships, and have been to the playoffs 28 times.

Arizona has had our number since day one. San Diego is 1-9 all-time against the Arizona Rattlers. The first-ever match-up between Arizona and San Diego was played on April 6th, 2019, in Arizona. The Rattlers defeated the Strike Force 91-58 in that game. Rattlers are the only team that has managed to score 90 or more points against San Diego in 77 career games. 

San Diego Sports Domination’s own Chris Davis has been helping me build out our stats sheets. He has also worked as the San Diego Strike Force stats guy in previous seasons. Unlike in the rivalry with the Bay Area Panthers, these games have not been historically close. The San Diego offense has scored 366 total points (37PPG) and has given up a total of 605 points (61PPG). This is the largest point differential for the Strike Force amongst Western Conference teams.

I wanted to deep dive into the coaching stats and see how current Strike Force Coach Taylor Genuser has fared against the Rattlers. Maybe the 1-9 series record is a bit skewed. Genuser is 1-3 against Arizona, and is 1-2 during the regular season. His Strike Force teams score an average of 43 points per game and allow an average of 52 points per game. The outlier here is last year’s playoff dismantling of San Diego. Remove that game, Strike Force scores an average of 50 points per game and allows an average of 50 points per game.

In the history of the series, six games have been decided by four or more touchdowns. However, only one of these games has been played during Genuser’s tenure (a 35-point loss during the 2024 Western Conference Championship Game). During Genuser’s tenure, three of four games have been decided by 10 points or less. San Diego’s only victory over the Rattlers came on April 14th, 2024, at Arizona (55-45). 

The Strike Force and Rattlers will kick off at 6:00pm Pacific time from Arizona on Saturday, July 12th, 2025. The game will be televised live and on demand via the IFL Network. I personally will not be able to watch the game live as I will be on assignment photographing the San Diego Padres. So I will watch the game later in the evening.

Players to watch for San Diego

• QB Nate Davis 183-283 for 1,983 yards, 34TD, 10 INT, and a completion rate of 64%. Nate Davis will also run the ball from time to time, but not with a ton of success. He has 25 carries for 51 yards and 3 TDs. Look for Davis to be most effective in the passing game. He is the all-time passing leader in Strike Force history, 651-1,080 for 7,334 yards, 156TD, 39 INTS, and a completion rate of 60%.
• The Swiss Army Knife of the Strike Force is Rudy Johnson. Rudy has seen time at QB, RB, and WR this season. Johnson, as backup quarterback, is 10-21 for 72 yards, 2 TD, 2INT, and a completion rate of 48%. Johnson will make his impact from the RB or WR position. Johnson leads the Strike Force in carries (95) and TDs (14). Johnson is currently tied with 14 TDs for the franchise record for most rushing TDs in a single season. Johnson is second in receptions (33) and yards (325). Johnson has combined for 682 all-purpose yards and 19 TDs.
• WR Dallas Daniels leads the Strike Force in receptions (40), yards (451), and TDs (11).
• WR John Maldonado is 3rd in receptions (25), yards (315), and second in TDs (6). Of late Maldonado has been one of Davis’s favorite targets, and with the injury to Sample.. I expect him to become Davis’s number one target in the passing game this week.

Players to watch for Arizona

• QB Dalton Sneed 181-333 for 2,091 yards, 35 TD, 9INT, and a completion rate of 54%. Sneed is a dual threat in the backfield as he is second in rushing with 78 carries for 335 yards and 14 TDs. 
• WR Isaiah Huston leads the Rattlers in receptions (56), yards (720), and TDs (11). Huston averages about 60 yards per game. 
• Ethan Caselberry leads the Rattlers’ defense in pass breakups (10), second in tackles (50), and interceptions (4).

*Note: This matchup will feature two of the best quarterbacks in the IFL. Arizona QB Dalton Sneed leads the IFL in passing yards (2,091) and is fourth in passing touchdowns (35). San Diego QB Nate Davis is second in the IFL in passing yards (1,983), sixth in passing touchdowns (32), and fourth in passing efficiency (153.8). For passing efficiency … I am using players who have played a minimum of 10 games. One of our keys to victory below is turnovers. Both Nate Davis and Dalton Sneed have combined for 19 INTS in 23 games this season. Davis ranks third (10INTS) and Sneed is tied for fourth with (9INTS). Sneed has played one more game (12) than Davis (11).

Our San Diego Sports Domination keys to the game for San Diego!

• The Strike Force needs to find a way to get QB Nate Davis firing at full speed. When playing the majority of the minutes, Davis is 0-3 against Arizona. Davis was taken out at the start of the second quarter when the Strike Force defeated Arizona on 4/14/24, with Rudy Johnson playing three of the four quarters. 
• San Diego must get the ground game running. San Diego is 1-0 all-time against Arizona when rushing for more than 110 yards and scoring four or more TDs. 
• LIMIT TURNOVERS. This has been an issue for the Strike Force in this series. They have given up 19INTS and have only collected 6INTS. 

Our San Diego Sports Domination keys to the game for Arizona!

• Apply and bring pressure on QB Nate Davis. Davis has thrown 10 INTs in the series, including 4 in last year’s Western Conference Championship game. 
• Get the ground game working to complement the passing game. The Rattlers are 7-0 against San Diego when they rush for 4TDs or more, and are 6-0 when they rush for more than 100 yards per game. 

San Diego Sports Domination keys to the game for both teams!

• Special teams. San Diego lost to Arizona on 6.8.24 by one point. San Diego left 6 points off the board due to two missed field goals. Both teams have left 18 points in PATs off the board and have left 48 points from field goals off the board. A total of 66 missed points. 
• Turnovers. Turnovers. Turnovers. The team that wins the turnover battle wins the game. Sometimes this is not the case, but in this series, the team that wins the turnover battle has won 100% of the matchups.  

PS: One of my friends, Dustin Jackson (Action Jackson), is a die-hard Arizona Rattlers fan. He was able to sit down and talk with Strike Force Coach Taylor Genuser about the game. Click here to watch the interview on Jackson’s public Facebook page.

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