Chapter 763: The Target of All
Once again, the San Francisco 49ers became the focus of attention. Once again, Lu Ke became the center of discussion.
For football fans, this was slowly becoming a habit.
Over the past year, they had grown used to having a Chinese quarterback in the league. They were used to witnessing an undrafted rookie's miraculous journey to success. They were used to the fact that victory was often associated with San Francisco. They were also used to the 49ers being a frequent topic of discussion for countless people inside and outside the industry.
Most importantly, they were used to Lu Ke's rapid ascent to the ranks of the league's most popular quarterbacks.
In fact, there were many hot topics in the second week of the regular season.
Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Drew Brees, three elite quarterbacks, all lost this week, which was a minor upset. Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, and Philip Rivers, three veteran quarterbacks, all had a struggling performance in the first week but bounced back this week and all won.
Cam Newton and Andy Dalton, two second-year quarterbacks, were also in a similar situation. They both lost in the first week but both won in the second week. Their quarterback ratings also improved significantly. They were also trying to break through the rookie wall and replicate their excellent performance from last season.
In addition, the rookie quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, the absolute focus of the season "Luck vs. Griffin," also predictably stole all the attention in the second week.
Luck won, and Griffin lost.
The Indianapolis Colts played against the Minnesota Vikings at home. With eight seconds left in the game, Luck led a game-winning drive, leading the team into field goal range. They ultimately won the game "23-20" with a fifty-three-yard field goal.
In this game, Luck's performance was perfect. He completed 20 of 31 passes for 224 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. His stats were basically on par with Lu Ke's performance this week. His rapid growth was truly astonishing. His understanding of the playbook and his ability to read the game showed the calm and experienced style of a true leader, earning him praise from all over the league.
No one would forget that in college at Stanford, Luck had already shown the playing style of a professional quarterback. At the time, head coach Jim Harbaugh led Stanford to an amazing four consecutive seasons of dominance with his West Coast offense, which had already paved the way for Luck.
Now that he was in the league, Luck only needed one game to adapt to the intensity and rhythm of professional competition.
Last year's Lu Ke, this year's Luck. The common point between these two quarterbacks is Jim Harbaugh. The former was last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year, and the latter was considered one of the "top five rookies in history" in this year's draft. Throughout the rest of the season, the comparison between these two quarterbacks is bound to appear frequently in the media.
The Washington Redskins lost to the St. Louis Rams on the road. The final score was "31-28," also a field goal difference, but Griffin didn't replicate Luck's miracle and was on the losing side.
Although Griffin's performance dropped a bit, the loss could not be blamed on him. In the fourth quarter, the Redskins' defense and offense had several yellow flag penalties, which completely ruined their hopes of tying the score. Griffin was also helpless.
Throughout the game, Griffin ran and passed, doing his best. Although he had his first career interception, he maintained a high level of focus and tried to lead his team to victory with his performance. Unfortunately, his teammates' irrational plays and unnecessary penalties ruined all of Griffin's efforts.
After the game, Griffin was once again the best player on the entire team, receiving unanimous praise and recognition from all the media. As a mobile quarterback, Griffin even surpassed last year's Cam and dominated the headlines in the first two weeks of the new season with his breakout performance.
Griffin and Cam were proving that mobile quarterbacks can indeed change the tactical plays of the professional league.
On a side note, the Seattle Seahawks' rookie quarterback Russell Wilson is also a mobile quarterback. After losing to the Arizona Cardinals in the first week, he easily defeated the Dallas Cowboys this week with a score of "27-7." However, Wilson was still adapting to the rhythm of professional games.
After two weeks of the regular season, the rookie number one and two picks in this year's draft became the undisputed absolute focus, just like last year's Cam and Lu Ke. In the current comparison, although both of them have a win-loss record of 1-1, just looking at their performance and stats, Griffin, the number two pick, is slightly better.
During the draft, the Washington Redskins sacrificed the next three years of their team's future for Griffin, which was mocked and criticized by countless people. Now, they can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
From the rise of three rookie quarterbacks last year to the brilliant performance of two rookie quarterbacks this year, the league has seen a new atmosphere and a new pattern for two consecutive years. It has been many years since there has been such a spectacular scene of quarterbacks!
As mentioned above, there were countless hot topics in the entire league, and these were just the focuses on the offense. Many players on the defense also contributed brilliant performances. The social media was abuzz with excitement. But even so, Lu Ke and the San Francisco 49ers still held a firm position.
After the official power rankings were released, Chuck's choices and rankings became the absolute focus. Fans of the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, and Arizona Cardinals all expressed strong protests and fierce criticism. Everyone was questioning the 49ers' status as a "strong team," stating that this dominance would not last long.
Originally, after their rise last season and the invasion of an outsider like Lu Ke, the San Francisco 49ers had already become the target of the other thirty-one teams in the entire league—not to say they were enemies, but they were definitely a team to be wary of and a team to be defeated. They could be said to be the target of a group attack.
Now, this sentiment was slowly brewing among the fans again. Vaguely, the San Francisco 49ers seemed to have become a "public enemy." Fans of the thirty-one teams were all discussing who could defeat this team and bring down their "arrogant and overbearing" attitude.
Competitive sports are always like this. Everyone is competing for victory, and the team that keeps winning will become the biggest target. The New England Patriots in 2007 and the Green Bay Packers in 2011 were both like this.
The current San Francisco 49ers are far from reaching such a height, but it is certain that every team they will face next is itching to play them. From this perspective, Chuck's league power rankings were like a hate-generating machine, which truly attracted a lot of fire for the San Francisco 49ers.
In an instant, pressure came!
Whether it's a coincidence or fate, in the third week of the regular season, the San Francisco 49ers are facing a tough opponent, once again proving the difficulty of this season's schedule:
They will be on the road to challenge the Minnesota Vikings!
The Minnesota Vikings, located in the NFC North, are definitely a team that cannot be ignored in the league. The Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers in the same division are the second and third oldest teams in the league's history, and the Vikings also have a prominent history.
Although the Vikings were founded in 1960 and don't have a long and rich history, they are one of the teams with the highest all-time winning percentage in the history of the NFL. Since entering the league, they have only had one season in 1962 with less than three wins. They are also one of only six teams in the history of the league that have won more than fifteen regular-season games in a single season.
In the team's history of just half a century, the Vikings have made it to the playoffs twenty-six times, ranking third in the entire league. They have also made it to the Super Bowl four times, but unfortunately, they all lost. They are also one of only two teams that have lost all four of their Super Bowl appearances. The other team is the Buffalo Bills.
In the past few years, the Minnesota Vikings have been going through a painful period of a new and old transition. After winning the division title for two consecutive years in 2008 and 2009, they finished at the bottom of the division for two consecutive years in 2010 and 2011. Last year, they only had three wins, which was the second-worst record in the team's history.
Despite this, no one can underestimate this team.
Among the thirteen games they lost last year, nine of them were decided by a touchdown or less. They were unable to make a game-winning play at crucial moments, which has become the Vikings' biggest weakness. But their overall strength cannot be underestimated. The only thing they are lacking is a quarterback who can create chemistry.
This season, the Minnesota Vikings have made it clear that last year's first-round twelfth overall pick, Christian Ponder, will be their starting quarterback.
Ponder did not let the coaching staff down. After getting some playing time in the second half of last year's season, he finally released his energy. After a brilliant performance in the preseason, he was voted by ESPN as the second-year player most likely to have a breakout season.
In the first week of the regular season, facing the Jacksonville Jaguars at home, with fourteen seconds left in the game, Ponder became the key player. With two passes, he led the team into field goal range, and the kicker tied the game, forcing it into overtime. Then, with two more crucial passes, he allowed the team to score a field goal first, and with the defense's toughness, they maintained the lead until the end and won the season opener.
In the second week of the regular season, on the road against the Indianapolis Colts, they also fought until the last moment, unfortunately losing the game by a field goal.
Now, they are about to host the San Francisco 49ers. Although the Vikings are the underdog, no one can underestimate the explosive power of this team. They have proven this in the past two weeks.
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 30 chapters in advance!