The NFC West is known as the group of death this season, and not without reason. The San Francisco 49ers are one reason, the Seattle Seahawks are another, and the Arizona Cardinals are half a reason.
Last year, the Arizona Cardinals had a final record of eight wins and eight losses, ranking second in the National League West, second only to the San Francisco 49ers.
Rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson, who was born in the same class as Cam Newton and Lu Ke, came out of the blue. Although as a substitute rotation cornerback, Peterson was not able to fully occupy the starting position, but his figure fully appeared on the ball. The other positions of the team - the wide receivers of the offensive team, the returners of the special team, and the cornerbacks of the defensive team have undoubtedly become the most important all-rounders on the team.
At the end of the season, Peterson was also successfully selected to the Pro Bowl. If it weren't for last year's rookie quarterback who was so bright, he would definitely have received more attention than that.
This year, Peterson went a step further and fully took over the main cornerback position, and his performance was really outstanding; in the second week of the regular season against the New England Patriots, Peterson completed an interception of Brady at the last moment, which was absolutely amazing. Killing the game and setting the score at "20:18", the Cardinals won at home.
In this game, you can see the strength of the Arizona Cardinals this season.
By the way, Sherman intercepted Brady and the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots; while Peterson intercepted Brady and the Arizona Cardinals defeated the New England Patriots. What's interesting is that both Sherman and Peterson were rookies in 2011, and both Sherman and Peterson disliked each other with Lu Ke.
First Sherman, now Peterson. Lu Ke has now become the key defensive target of all the top cornerbacks in the league. In the future, there will only be more and more head-to-head confrontations with Mai Mang. However, since the three players are all in the same grade, the topic will inevitably become more interesting. .
However, the Arizona Cardinals' record this season has been ups and downs, and the most concentrated and direct manifestation is that they are struggling at the quarterback position.
At the beginning of the preseason, John Skelton was confirmed as the starting quarterback, but he only lasted four preseason games and most of the regular season, and faced the Seattle Seahawks in the regular season opener of this season. In the fourth quarter of the game, he unfortunately had to leave the game due to an ankle injury, and backup quarterback Kevin Kolb took over the game.
After debuting, Kolb's performance was really good. He first defeated the Seattle Seahawks, and then led the team to start the 2012 season with four consecutive victories, becoming one of the best performing teams in the league, making the National League The West End became the death panel.
But then they faced the St. Louis Rams in the divisional civil war, and their undefeated streak came to an end. Kolb suffered nine sacks in the entire game, which also allowed them to break the team's own shameful record. After the Arizona Cardinals, they were the first team in the league to allow more than eight sacks in two or more consecutive games.
Then facing the Buffalo Bills, Kolb once again proved his worth. His performance was particularly strong and outstanding. The score was tightly held throughout the game. However, in the second half of the fourth quarter, the score remained at "16 :16" During the draw, Kolb unexpectedly suffered a rib injury and had to be forced off the field. Skelton, who returned from injury, reappeared.
After Skelton came on the court, he only succeeded twice in ten passes. His disastrous passing performance ultimately directly led to the Arizona Cardinals handing over the victory in the overtime duel. "16:19", Yubu Farrobier won this ups and downs battle.
The Cardinals' nightmare is still not over.
In the seventh week of the regular season, the team lost to the Minnesota Vikings on the road again, with a score of "21:14". It was not ugly, but they suffered three consecutive losses after a four-game winning streak; the following week they lost Facing the San Francisco 49ers, who are currently undefeated this season, there is no doubt the importance of this game. It is not only a division civil war, but also will determine the competitive state of the Arizona Cardinals——
Because next, the Cardinals will face a devilish schedule, with the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, and Atlanta Falcons competing against each other. After three consecutive battles with absolutely strong teams, they will once again face a divisional civil war with the St. Louis Rams. This also means that they will face tough encounters for four consecutive weeks.
If we say that the previous three defeats were more or less affected by the turbulent impact of quarterback injuries, it is excusable; then after adapting to one game, the team should have restored order. This week Against the San Francisco 49ers, they have no retreat. Only by giving it a try can the season regain its glory!
First four wins in a row, then three losses in a row.
The Arizona Cardinals have indeed experienced a lot of ups and downs this season. The turmoil and chaos at the quarterback position have become a long-standing problem for the team. However, after one game of adjustments, they finally returned to the goal conceived by the coaching staff before the start of the season. It just looks like, is this a good thing or a bad thing? No one can be sure.
Whether the current Arizona Cardinals are the unyielding team that has won four consecutive games or the embarrassing team that has lost three consecutive games, I am afraid that even the coaching staff themselves can’t tell: all the personnel configurations are basically the same. Under the circumstances, it is just the difference between the two quarterbacks John Skelton and Kevin Kolb. Is the chemical reaction so different?
The problem is that Kolb is not a top quarterback. After entering the league with the 36th pick in the second round in 2007, he has always served as the backup quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 2010, he was appointed as the starting quarterback, but he was plagued by injuries. Both he and Michael Vick were injured. The two took turns being injured throughout the season, and they were never able to connect. After the season, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Vick over Kolb, who then came to the Arizona Cardinals.
The same was true for the Cardinals last year. In the first game of the regular season, Kolb delivered a super high performance with a quarterback rating of 130.0, but then he got injured. The whole season was full of stops, ups and downs. The excellent passing performance could not be coherent at all, and before the start of this season's preseason, the team chose Skelton as the starting quarterback.
It can be said that Kolb has certain abilities, but is limited by injuries.
So, are the Arizona Cardinals, now taken over by Skelton, the original starting quarterback this season, still the same team that defeated the New England Patriots on the road in Foxborough in the second week of the regular season? Next, facing the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, and Atlanta Falcons, what kind of answer can the Arizona Cardinals deliver?
By the way, among the three consecutive losses, there are two away games and one home game; while among the four consecutive wins, there are one away game and three home games.
It can be seen that although the Arizona Cardinals are not a typical team with a huge performance gap between home and away games, playing at home is still a big plus. This week they will face the San Francisco 49ers, and the game will be held at the University of Phoenix Stadium, the Cardinals’ home stadium. , this should be taken into consideration as a factor affecting the direction of the game.
Although the status is a mystery and the direction of the game is really difficult to predict; what is certain is that no one can and no one should underestimate the Arizona Cardinals.
Of course, for the San Francisco 49ers, especially for Lu Ke, no matter what, they have never lacked the motivation to defeat the Arizona Cardinals. Whether they lost to their opponents at home last year or suffered poor treatment on the road, this made the team They are full of high morale from top to bottom, and an all-out victory is their only goal.
In a sense, it is even more unforgettable than the Seattle Seahawks——
Because against the Seattle Seahawks, the San Francisco 49ers have remained undefeated for two seasons and have a psychological advantage; but against the Arizona Cardinals, the San Francisco 49ers have the shadow of losing their undefeated streak, as well as the storm of discrimination that they have personally experienced. In general, this is an opponent that absolutely cannot lose.
Even if the opponent is experiencing quarterback turmoil, even if the opponent has just suffered a three-game losing streak, the San Francisco 49ers will never take it lightly.
This is the real mortal enemy in the same district. It has nothing to do with the strength of the opponent, the state of the opponent, or the ranking of the opponent. As long as the two sides stand on the court, they will definitely fight with all their strength, and will not give up or die, even if He tramples his opponents under his feet again and again, and he will never be satisfied——
Because there will always be another confrontation; and when the next confrontation comes, it will be reincarnation again.
What's more, the current San Francisco 49ers are not invincible. They are prepared for danger in times of peace. After winning one victory after another, the team still needs to face up to its own hidden dangers.
Jim Hubble opened his mouth slightly and looked at Lu Ke in front of him with a look of surprise on his face, "Are you sure?"
Lu Ke nodded seriously and expressed his affirmation, "Yes, I'm sure."
Hubble couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Bambi, I know you are worried about the state of the team, but this is the job of the coaching staff. As a quarterback, it is your task to concentrate on completing the training. As for the content of the training, that's it. Let the coaching staff worry about it. I think Colin and Scott performed well in the second team training. Are you sure you want to take the initiative to demote yourself?"
"Ha, no, no, you misunderstood. I am not asking for demotion, but for assuming the responsibility of captain of the offensive team." Lu Ke laughed happily and waved his hands to deny it, "I know, Colin and Scott Te has always performed well in training, which also urges me to work harder, otherwise my starting position will be unstable. For now, I have no intention of giving up."
The joking words made Hubble chuckle. It could be seen that he was still in a very relaxed mood.
"But during the passing training, the current second team's receiving players still lack cooperation and tactics. I think they need to quickly integrate into the team's tactical system." Lu Ke went on to express his thoughts.
