Rattlers waste big 2nd-half comeback as Drew Powell falters in 1st-round loss to NAZ

The Rattlers were about to celebrate the greatest second-half comeback in playoff history Saturday night.

But, after erasing a 28-point deficit, with the pressure mountain, quarterback Drew Powell once again faltered down the stretch, and another Rattlers season ended in frustration and agony and questions after losing to defending champion Northern Arizona 62-53 before 8,078 fans at Footprint Center.

This was the fourth straight postseason that the Rattlers fell short with Powell, the two-time reigning Indoor Football League MVP, struggling. It was the fifth straight postseason failure for a franchise that only expects championships every year.

This was the quickest postseason exit by a Kevin Guy-coached Rattlers team since they were playing in the Arena Football League. This might have been the worst playoff loss in the Guy era, considering the Rattlers were 3-0 this year against NAZ (8-0), a team that came into the postseason with a losing record and a 13 1/2-point underdoog coming into the game.

Powell threw three interceptions in last year's one-point loss to Northern Arizona at Footprint in the Western Conference finals.

This time, he had his worst passing performance in his career, coming in the first round of the Indoor Football League playoffs. And all five of his interceptions were nowhere near a receiver.

Powell completed just 1 of 11 passes in a first half that saw him throw three interceptions, and have the ball stripped from him in the end zone that was recovered for a NAZ touchdown and a 34-14 halftime lead.

Last week, Powell was spot-on in a 55-39 win over NAZ in Phoenix. Guy harped in practice that NAZ wasn't going to show man-to-man coverage again. That it would be zone. And that Powell would have to be ready to run more. But Powell was forcing throws. He was throwing under duress. Showing nerves of a do-or-die game.

Baffled by the zone coverage Powell was seeing, he turned to his legs (he ran for 74 yards and two TDs). That helped in the second half when the defense bailed the Rattlers out of a 42-14 hole with a relentless pass rush and stops that included a defensive touchdown by linebacker Connor Taylor during a 33-0 run. But, in the end, Powell needed to make some throws, and he didn't deliver.

He was intercepted twice in the last minute, one that resulted in a 25-yard return for a touchdown by Dorian Walker that gave the Wranglers a 62-53 lead. It should have been 60-53, but, after Ulric Jones was called for batting the ball down the field after a blocked extra point, NAZ was given another opportunity. This time, Conor Mangan did what he does best and drop-kicked the PAT for two points and a two-possession lead with 16 seconds left.

Game over.

Time for changes?

Powell finished with six turnovers and only 8 of 21 completions for 80 yards and two TDs with a career-high five interceptions.

"It's really frustrating," Guy said. "I felt like our staff had put a championship team together the last two or three years. Turnovers have cost us in the playoff games. But this first half was probably the worst since I've been with the Rattlers. Just how we played.

"I thought when we got into the locker room, the coaches did a good job of sitting down. We talked through what they were doing, and made some adjustments. It seemed to be working. The big thing was we started playing with some energy and some passion and executing. When you turn the ball over that many times, it's going to knock the wind out of you."

Guy said this is going to be a long offseason with some big decisions to make.

Could one of those involve moving on from Powell? Powell was in MVP form during the eight-game winning streak. But on Saturday he looked lost.

"It's easy to sit here and blame Drew," Guy said. "There was some pressure at times. We have to be able to beat zone coverage. I have to see the film. They had so many guys dropping."

Guy said his team's iPads weren't working in Footprint all season. But that was the same for the visiting teams.

This was the fourth meeting between the teams since May 20, and the second week in a row they met. But the Rattlers (11-5) couldn't make it 4-0 against the Wranglers with Powell the shakiest he has ever been in the first half of a game in his Rattlers career.

The little things

There were a lot of little things that piled up and hurt the Rattlers. Such as kicker Shane McInerney unable to get an extra point off to tie the score at 42 early in the final quarter, because of bad snap. Holder and backup quarterback Jorge Reyna, instead of picking the ball up and trying to make a pass into the end zone, fell on it with no defenders around.

On fourth-and-10 at the Rattlers' 13 with 3:40 to play, the Rattlers' defense was called for mimicking the quarterback's cadence as Wranglers receivers blew past the line before the ball was snapped. That moved the ball up five yards, and Nick Watson connected with favorite receiver Ramaud Chiaokhi for a touchdown and a 48-47 lead.

Chiaokhi burned the Rattlers with eight catches for 158 yards and five TDs on the night.

Powell gave the Rattlers the lead, 53-48, with 53 seconds left with a 2-yard run. But again, there was Chiaokhi srtreaking down the field to catch a 38-yard TD pass with 34 seconds left. Mangan missed the drop kick and NAZ led 54-53.

Then, receiver Jamal Miles, who caught one TD pass and ran for three scores, struggled fielding the kickoff in the corner of the end zone. By the time he got the ball, he tried turning toward the middle of the field and was met by Wranglers at his half-yard line.

Pressure kept coming and Powell lofted a pass in the middle of the field that was easily picked off and returned for the score by Walker. Powell again, in desperation mode, threw an interception on the next possession.

Powell did not attend the postgame media conference.

"In a way, I was kind of happy that we were in the same position as last year," Guy said. "Let's go out and finish. I can't tell you how many times we worked that situation this year in practice, giving our offense a lot of different looks in situational football. It's frustrating to get back in that same situation and we can't execute."

This was the fourth time that the Rattlers lost at home the playoffs with Powell at quarterback. In 2019, they fell to the Sioux Falls Storm in the championship game, 56-53, in Glendale. There was no season in 2020 due to the pandemic. In 2021, they lost to the Massachusetts Pirates 37-34 in the championship game at home in overtime. Last year, they lost 52-51 to NAZ in the IFL semifinals.

Powell had late mishaps in each of those losses. The title has eluded the Rattlers since 2017 when they won in their first year in the IFL, after breaking away form the Arena Football League.

"We're going to have to make some tough decisions this offseason and really look at this organization," Guy saiid. "We expect to compete for championships. I expect every year when we put a roster together we're going to be good enough to win it. The last three years or so we had our opportunities.

"All of these losses seem to be last second, down to the last drive, down to the last play. We're going to have to look in the mirror and figure out how we're going to get better in these situations. We practice these situations all the time. I can't put 10-12,000 people out at practice. All we can do is give you the defenses you're going to see and hope that these guys are going to be dialed in. But it's frustrating for sure."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Rattlers fall to NAZ in 1st rouind, as QB Drew Powell struggles