Arizona Rattlers at Iowa Barnstormers (-2), 8 p.m. ET

Much like the NFL, arena football is a league of parity. During the last three weeks, at least one favorite of 10 points or more has lost straight up.

“There’s a lot of parity in the league this year,” Rattlers coach Kevin Guy said. “A lot of scoring, a lot of games coming down to the last play or last few seconds.”

This Friday’s NFL Network Arena Football Game of the Week showcases two National Conference foes as the Arizona Rattlers (2-3 SU, 2-3 ATS) take on the Iowa Barnstormers (3-3 SU, 3-3 ATS).

These teams haven’t played in nearly 10 years but the series history is one-sided. Arizona has won five consecutive games against the Barnstormers (5-2 all-time) and has never lost a meeting on Iowa turf.

Bye the way

The Rattlers are coming off their second, and final, bye week of the season and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Coach Guy said the team has suffered little, nagging injuries every game and the down time allowed some of his players to heal. The week also afforded Guy and his staff a chance to evaluate player personnel.

“We might be moving guys around to different positions and we’re getting guys back from injury,” he said.

Receiver Tod Devoe is likely to be back on the field after missing the last three games. Defensive back Brandon Freeman will return to action and Guy also mentioned that rookie Marcus Pittman could make his first start of the season on the defensive line.

Not only did the bye week allow Arizona to recoup physically, but also from a mental standpoint. The Rattlers are coming off two straight outings where the team lost on the final play of the game.

One defensive lineman said he took the week off by “having amnesia” in order to put those losses behind him.

Storming turnaround

In the NFL Network opener eight weeks ago, the Barnstormers were embarrassed on national television at home, losing to the Chicago Rush 61-43. Sharp bettors were all over that matchup as the ‘Stormers opened as 2-point favorites but were 8-point underdogs by kickoff.

But Iowa looks to have come down with a case of Jekyll and Hyde as the team went to Chicago last week and handed the Rush its second loss of the season. Iowa was initially installed as a 14-point pup in that contest and were getting almost 17 points by gametime.

“I think they are a mentally tough team,” said Guy of Iowa’s turnaround. “When you watch them on film they don’t do a lot of things but they do a few things very well. They are a blue-collar team that plays within themselves and plays within their scheme.”

Iowa’s offense continues to struggle, ranking 13th in the league in scoring (51.5 ppg) and total offense (277.2 ypg). But the defense is starting to find its form after holding Chicago to 30 points last week.

After Chicago quarterback Russ Michna torched the Barnstormers for six scores in Week 1, Iowa forced him into three interceptions and surrendered only two passing touchdowns last Saturday.

“That was by far the best defense we put on the field all year,” coach John Gregory said after the game. “Our pass rush was relentless and I think our secondary coverage was what we expected all year.”

Square one

Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White is the mastermind behind Arizona’s league-leading offense. The Rats rank first in the AFL in total offense (355.2 ypg) and post more than 62 points per game, but the shortcomings for this squad have come on the other side of the ball.

Arizona is the only team in the league that has failed to record a sack this season and the defensive unit as a whole gives up the second-highest point total per game (65.4).

“We have to get more pressure on the quarterback and that is why we went back to training camp and the basics this week,” Guy stated. “[The coaching staff] started challenging the players and kind of got after them. I’m not concerned with injuries anymore; we are going to play physical.”

Packing the barn

Wells Fargo Arena has been called one of the toughest and loudest venues in the AFL, and the fans in Des Moines will create a raucous atmosphere for the visiting Rattlers Friday night.

The nationally televised game has been dubbed “Kurt Warner Night.” Warner will serve as a guest analyst for the NFL Network and the Barnstormers will honor their former quarterback with a number retirement ceremony and induct him into the team’s Hall of Fame.

“When you watch Iowa they have been getting better, and we’re going to go up there in what will no doubt be a hostile environment,” said Guy. “We are going in there with the mindset that this is a business trip.”

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