In this year's playoffs, in the wild card round, there was only one game in which a lower-ranked seed defeated a higher-ranked seed. The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Washington Redskins. But strictly speaking, this cannot be considered an upset. Between the two teams, The time is originally between equals, and the result of victory or defeat should still be within the expected range.
In the divisional round, the first two games were played yesterday, but the ending was shocking-this description is not entirely correct, but it should be said that the direction and trend of things did not meet people's expectations.
In the American League, the top-seeded Denver Broncos faced the fourth-seeded Baltimore Ravens.
The two teams were inseparable, and the whole process was full of ups and downs. In the first quarter, "14:14"; in the second quarter, "7:7"; in the third quarter, "7:7"; in the fourth quarter, "7:7". 7".
The progress of the game can be said to be extremely neat. No matter which side takes the lead first, the other side can quickly catch up. The entire score is deadlocked throughout the game.
Originally, the Denver Broncos had hopes of squeezing the game in the regular season, but the defense, which ranked fifth in the league this season, made a critical and fatal mistake. When the game was about to end with 75 seconds left, the Baltimore Ravens' four Shooting guard Joe Flacco found his wide receiver Jaby Jones with a 70-yard super long pass, completing the touchdown and tying the score with a Hail Mary.
After entering overtime, the Ravens won the coin toss, but they suffered a strikeout, handing the victory initiative to the Broncos. Unfortunately, the Broncos failed to seize the opportunity. The two sides just went back and forth, but at the same time they fell into a mistake dilemma and were unable to score.
With 61 seconds left in overtime, Peyton Manning's pass was intercepted by the opponent's No. 24 cornerback Kerry Graham (Reygraha), which also won the Ravens the win. The opponent had a chance to start the attack forty-five yards in the half. Unfortunately, Flacco was not able to score immediately.
The first overtime ended, and since this was the knockout round of the playoffs, both teams entered the second overtime.
Flacco stumbled through sixth down and struck out, but still earned the Ravens a 47-yard free kick, which was converted by Ravens kicker Justin Tucker (JTTucker). Eliminated the Denver Broncos, the top seed in the American League, and reached the American League finals for the second consecutive year.
Manning had a brilliant and strong comeback season from injury, but regrettably and tragically lost the game in two overtimes.
NFC, second-seeded Atlanta Falcons vs. third-seeded Green Bay Packers.
The two teams also faced each other, and each side played well for half the game.
In the first half, the Atlanta Falcons, playing at home, showed excellent game temperament. Both ends of the offense and defense accelerated and exploded. "23:0", they actually shaved their opponent's head, which was extremely shocking.
In the second half, the Green Bay Packers played away from home and fully recovered. Aaron Rodgers led the offensive team to a full recovery. In the third quarter alone, they scored three touchdown passes and the score was as close as "21:23" in one go. ".
In the fourth quarter of the game, the two sides launched a scoring battle. Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers both showed their peak touch and each passed two touchdown passes. Especially Rodgers' 50-point touchdown pass before the end of the game. A three-second Hail Mary successfully kept the score gap at two points.
Then the Packers chose to gamble, but unfortunately failed. The ball came to the hands of the Falcons. Ryan made no mistakes and consumed all the remaining game time. In the end, they defeated their opponents "37:35" and advanced to the National League finals with high heads. .
Last season, the Atlanta Falcons were completely misfired in the wild card round. They only created one safety point through the defensive team and scored two points. That was all. Ryan completed 24 of 41 passes for 199 yards in the game. There was no touchdown or interception, and the entire game was almost invisible; this season, Ryan finally vindicated himself through a hearty performance.
The Green Bay Packers fell in the divisional round for the second consecutive year. Last year they lost to Eli Manning who cheated, and this year they lost to Matt Ryan who cheated. Even Aaron Rodgers himself cheated. However, the weakness of the defensive team at critical moments and the lack of details of the special teams team ultimately caused them to lose to their opponents.
Before the start of the divisional round, "Sports Illustrated" has been working hard to describe and exaggerate the beautiful blueprint of "the four elite quarterbacks entering the conference finals." Although this is mainly to praise Lu Ke, it is undeniable that those neutral Fans have begun to look forward to it. Just imagining it in their minds is extremely beautiful.
The ideal is plump, the reality is skinny. The two elite quarterbacks who took the lead both lost, and those unrealistic dreams immediately came to nothing.
Now before the fans is another question: Is Matt Bu of the Houston Texans capable of overthrowing Tom Brady? And can Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks defeat Lu Ke in one go?
Thinking carefully about it, the heated brains of neutral fans gradually calmed down. Obviously, as a sophomore, it is still too early for Lu Ke to be called an "elite quarterback". It has nothing to do with the Super Bowl championship ring, but has to do with stable and consistent performance over multiple seasons——
Only then did people realize that the strength gap between Brad and Brady was relatively obvious, while Lu Ke and Russell were still newcomers to the league.
?pB is a veteran who entered the league in 2004. He once entered the Pro Bowl in 2009, but last year he was reimbursed for the season due to injuries. The main quarterback position is occupied by rookie quarterback TJ Yates. After returning from injury this year, he regained his starting position and gave the best performance of his career.
If it weren't for Manning's existence, this year's comeback award would have been awarded.
Facing Brady, Bubu is not without a chance. The Texans' defensive team will determine the direction of the game. Especially in the horizontal comparison between the two veterans, the youth of Lu Ke and Russell became more and more prominent.
One is a second-year player and the other is a rookie. Relatively speaking, they are completely "pink" newcomers who have just entered the league.
However, because Lu Ke's performance in the past two seasons was so amazing and so sophisticated that people always thought that he seemed to have been in the league for ten years, so when "Sports Illustrated" started to hype , the idea naturally fermented, and now it finally cooled down.
Manning lost to Flacco and Rodgers lost to Ryan. So, is it possible that Brady will lose to Brady? As for Lu Ke and Russell, the outcome is even more full of countless possibilities. Even if Russell really wins, it does not seem to be a huge upset. After all, on the playoff stage, everything is possible. Probably, isn't it?
This is exactly what the last fan said just now. Everyone is looking forward to the top quarterback to win. The conference finals are bound to be sparks hitting the earth, but Lu Ke is far from being a proficient player and sitting firmly on the mountain. At this point, facing two consecutive upsets in the divisional round, no one can be 100% sure of the outcome.
Li Mo Nian understood it instantly.
Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning also exchanged glances knowingly: In competitive sports, nothing is 100%, and there must be a 1% possibility of accidents in any game; but they cannot let go of this suspicion. The seeds have taken root and sprouted, otherwise it would have had an impact on the atmosphere at the home court today.
But, what should they say?
"We are standing here to discuss, after all, it is just talking. What is the strength and level? You still need to go on the court to compete and compete to know, right?"
A crisp and bright voice came to his ears, and his eyes shifted, and then he saw Candice's bright and bright smile.
"We should believe in ourselves, because the Nine are the most united fans and will never give up easily under any difficulties or setbacks. Remember that golden ocean? Remember Ryan Baldwin? Even the footsteps of death must be avoided. , this is the spirit and soul of Candlestick Stadium! Our belief and our persistence, this is the most important thing!"
Candice shouted loudly, raising her right fist high, "The fight never stops!"
That familiar and simple slogan sounded again. Li Mo Nian exchanged glances with Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning. They all showed big smiles and joined in. Then other fans around them also started shouting one after another. Like a small stone thrown into the lake, ripples began to spread, and finally stirred up thousands of waves.
When other fans who were marching in the aisle next to them heard such slogans, they clenched their fists and chanted together. It only takes a shout and a look to connect them to each other, unite them into a community, and then become independent one by one. Individual faces begin to blur, and everyone has the same name:
Nine people.
At this moment, they were a drop of water in this red ocean, causing a storm at Candlestick Stadium.
Facing opponents who have just won the wild card game and are in high morale, opponents whose strength has improved by leaps and bounds this season, opponents who are moving forward with high morale... they will never be timid or shrink back.
Not because they have successfully defeated their opponents this season, but because they are an invincible team. No matter who the opponent is on the other side of the court, they will move forward without hesitation! Facing the Seattle Seahawks for the third time in a single season, they are ready to start from scratch and go all out!
"Fight! Keep fighting!"
"Fight! Keep fighting!"
"Fight! Keep fighting!"
The shouts and roars are getting more and more turbulent, surging, and majestic. The entire Candlestick Park can feel the resonance and collision of the sound waves, echoing under the sky of the Bay Area for a long time!
