ArenaBowl XXV was played at theNew Orleans Arena inNew Orleans, Louisiana. It was the first ArenaBowl at a neutral site since 2008. From 2005 to 2008, the ArenaBowl were hosted at neutral sites (Las Vegas and New Orleans). In 2010 and 2011, the games went to the highest seed in the game, which wereSpokane, Washington andPhoenix, Arizona. The last two ArenaBowls at a neutral site (ArenaBowl XXI andArenaBowl XXII) were also played in New Orleans in 2007 and 2008.[5]
ArenaBowl XXV was televised onNFL Network after the AFL and NFL Network agreed on a third straight contract to carry games. The game was pushed back to a kickoff at 10:30 pm ET. NFL Network bumped the ArenaBowl back and instead broadcastTim Tebow's preseason debut with theNew York Jets, who faced the Cincinnati Bengals in the preseason.[6][7]
In the previous season, the Rattlers lostArenaBowl XXIV to theJacksonville Sharks on the final play of the game. In 2012, they won a tightly contested West division with a 13–5 record for their third consecutive division title. They defeated division rivalsSan Jose andUtah, respectively, to win the National Conference championship. They returned to the ArenaBowl for the seventh time in their franchise's history, looking for their first league championship sinceArenaBowl XI in1997.
After missing the playoffs in the prior season, the Soul compiled a league-best 15–3 record. They averaged 68.2 points per game, the most by one team in a single season. They beat theNew Orleans VooDoo in the conference semifinals, then blew out the defending championJacksonville Sharks in the American Conference championship 89–34, the most one-sided victory in AFL postseason history.[8] For Philadelphia, it was their second ArenaBowl appearance in franchise history, and their second in three seasons of play. Their prior ArenaBowl appearance occurred in2008 when they wonArenaBowl XXII against theSan Jose SaberCats 59–56. Following that season, the league suspended operations, and the Soul would not field a team again until2011.
