AFC Finals, Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots.
In the National League Finals, the San Francisco 49ers faced the Atlanta Falcons.
The raging playoff war is getting more and more intense. All eyes of the United States are focused on the NFL conference championship game. Analysis of the strength and situation of the four teams are flying all over the sky. Professional analysis commentators, senior Coaches, players, and eager neutral fans all began to join in the feast impatiently:
Can the Patriots make it to the Super Bowl two years in a row? The Ravens are in poor overall shape this year, can they continue their luck in the divisional round? How much success does the Ravens defense still have? Can it suppress the Patriots offense, which has improved its offensive strength this season? Will the Patriots defense hold back and put the team in a tough fight again?
Can the 49ers make up for last year's disappointment this year? A lack of experience and luck caused them to fail in the National League finals last year. Can they go further this year? The Falcons were neck-and-neck with the 49ers in the first half of the season, and now they are finally about to face off head-to-head. It can be said that it is what everyone expected. So how much strength and level can the Falcons' offensive team show?
From players to teams, from coaches to logistics, from strength to status...there are countless hot topics of discussion, one wave after another, focusing all attention vigorously on the different winning and losing relationships of the four teams. This has led to different combinations of Super Bowl opponents, making people's expectations continue to rise!
Among them, the potential matchup between the New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers is undoubtedly the most topical. This does not mean that the game is the most intense and exciting, or that the strength is the closest and most entangled, or that the matchup is the most exciting and exciting. It's very suspenseful, but because the showdown between "Brady VS Lu Ke" is so topical.
One is one of the signature quarterbacks who have counterattacked with low draft picks in the past decade, and the other is one of the biggest regrets of missing out in the draft since the new century.
One is one of the most commercially valuable brand quarterbacks in the current league, and the other is one of the new generation quarterbacks with the most market appeal in the future.
One is one of the current elite quarterbacks, and one is one of the potentially elite quarterback candidates.
Such a confrontation between the two players can almost be called a head-to-head confrontation between the two major mountains in the league. How can people not be excited and look forward to it?
The "elite quarterback" matchup that sparked discussion before the divisional round has now begun to rekindle hope. If Brady and Lu Ke can meet on the Super Bowl stage, it will definitely set off a ratings frenzy.
Although the other three duels are also full of countless highlights, and every possibility is enough to make people excited; but if we just talk about the excitement of the duel topic, this group can easily complete it!
The divisional competition has just come to an end, and the heat wave has already arrived for the conference finals! Even the news programs of the four major public television stations couldn't wait to pay attention, pushing the momentum of the nation's number one sport to a new climax. Every move of the four teams became the object of attention, but Lu Ke But quietly left the public eye.
"Wait a minute, I'll pull over."
Lu Ke shouted at the cell phone with the speaker turned on, and then slowly parked the car in a parking space on the roadside. After waiting for a moment on the other end of the phone, he noticed that the roar of the engine had stopped, and then the voice of ridicule started to sound. Come on, "Don't tell me that you are still a rookie and you need to be careful even when parking."
"You can come to San Francisco and try parking. I promise, it's much more difficult here than in Houston." Lu Ke complained without giving up, because the entire city of San Francisco is on a hill, and steep slopes can be seen everywhere. Parking is really difficult. Difficulty; at the same time, he glanced across the street through the window and said, "I haven't seen the target yet. You can wait. Let's talk. You called me specifically to complain about my parking skills, right?"
Lu Ke had some personal matters to deal with this afternoon, so he made a special drive out. When he was about to arrive at his destination, he received a call from his friend, and then they started to complain to each other word by word - the person on the other end of the phone at this time was exactly The Houston Texans have provided top-notch defensive end JJ Watt this season.
"I just made a special trip to call you to express my congratulations. Yesterday's game was really exciting, and your tactical layout made it really difficult for the defensive front players." Watt is still the same Watt. He stays true to his profession and only complained a few words. Then we returned to the topic of sports.
Lu Ke had long been accustomed to it and chuckled, "It's rare to get such praise from the future number one defensive end in the league. I'm a little excited." There was also laughter from the other end of the phone, "So, if If it were you, how would you defend yourself?"
"Continue to apply pressure." Watt did not shy away from his point of view and said without hesitation, "In fact, your blind side has made great progress this season, and the work of Joe Stanley and Mike Lupati is really admirable; Comparatively speaking, your right side is weaker, mainly Anthony Davis."
"Oh? Where's Alex Boone?" Lu Ke asked enthusiastically - he and Watt were also in the same boat. Just now he was still thinking about Watt's insistence on his profession, but it turned out that he himself was the same.
"Boone's performance is underestimated in the league. His progress this season is really obvious. I think he is very good. Unfortunately, Anthony Davis is limited by injuries and can't keep up with the rhythm. This leads to Boone having to bear the responsibility. More pressure, and many times you can't get out of your hands." Watt said firmly, "If it were me, I would break through from your right side and continue to apply pressure, and your passing options will be narrowed. "
Lu Ke gently lowered his jaw to express understanding, "So, is this how you deal with Tom Brady?"
"Ouch." Watt also exclaimed "It hurts", causing Lu Ke to laugh, "Man, can we still be friends? My wound is still hurting, and you are like this Step down without mercy? This is so unkind!"
The Houston Texans lost to the New England Patriots just 48 hours ago. After a whole season of hard work, it came to an abrupt end. Bitterness and loss are still inevitable.
Especially for Watt, his strength and performance this season have finally reached the top level, surpassing Von Miller in the same grade, becoming the leader among the second-year defensive players, injecting vitality into the Houston Texans defense. But a poor performance in the divisional round was a huge disappointment, and the entire season's efforts came to an abrupt end.
But Lu Ke had experienced it himself, and he knew that no words could alleviate the frustration, and even comfort became disgusting. Watt also experienced it once last year. After experiencing it again this year, things will not get better, but at least they will not continue to be in a hurry.
Facing Watt's "accusation", Lu Ke said seriously, "So, are you looking for comfort now? Do you need to come over to my brother's place and lend you a shoulder to rely on? You know, I actually don't mind."
Watt opened his mouth helplessly, but didn't know how to refute, so he could only laugh dumbly, "Leave your shoulders to those in need. I'm fine! I'm fine!" He repeated it twice, emphasizing himself. attitude, and then quickly shifted to business, before he forgot, "I made a special trip to call you, just to ask, if the 49ers enter the Super Bowl, your player box invitation quota is not full yet, right?"
"If you are not worried about scandals and make random speculations that you are about to transfer to our team, we will definitely reserve a seat for you in the VIP box in advance. You are welcome at any time!" Lu Ke joked with a smile.
Watt chuckled, "Don't worry, I'm still planning to stay with the Texans. Maybe we will meet on the Super Bowl stage next year? I have no interest in the 49ers."
"Your loss." Lu Ke complained, "If everything goes well, Stephen will come with him. But, do you have so much confidence in me? Do you believe that we will reach the Super Bowl together?"
"That's because your opponent is not me." Watt said with confidence, "So, I can only support you." Having said that, Watt's words revealed unwavering confidence. Full of confidence in my friend's victory!
"Let's meet in the regular season next season. I guarantee you will regret what you said today." Lu Ke retorted without any sign of weakness. There is no problem in being a friend off the court and an opponent on the court.
As he spoke, he saw that the person he was waiting for had appeared, but Lu Ke still did not hang up the phone in a hurry, but continued solemnly, "When the season is over, why don't you get together and watch the divisional games?" Video? I mean, if your coaching staff doesn’t mind.”
In fact, all the game videos of the thirty-two teams are public. The difference is only in the first perspective and the third perspective. Even if the opponents sit together to watch the game videos, the impact is not fundamental; what's more, the season After the end, each team's tactical manual will be changed and the game tapes from last season will be re-watched, which will have no impact.
The subtext of why Lu Ke issued such an invitation is: they can sit together and analyze the video of the Houston Texans' loss to the New England Patriots in the divisional round, interpret it from different perspectives of offense and defense, and also read it from a third perspective. It is very helpful in preparing for the new season.
However, the offseason has not yet begun, and there are probably only a few people in the entire league who have arranged training content in advance like Lu Ke and Watt.
"Okay, no problem." Watt immediately understood what Lu Ke meant. This was Lu Ke's way of expressing comfort and support, which was exactly what Watt needed. "Get ready for the game! This week is up to you. Matt Ryan is in excellent form this season and must not be taken lightly."
After saying that, the two of them hung up the phone without saying much more.
Lu Ke didn't stay any longer, put his phone in his pocket, pushed open the car door, and walked straight towards "Qiao's Bar" across the street.
