The Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers have reached the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. This year, they are facing a strong rebound from their rivals in the same district. Whether they can continue to maintain a high-energy and efficient state and reach the playoffs for the third consecutive year will be a question. It is also the focus of the entire league, and it is also the goal for both teams to work hard for.
The road to defending the title is extremely difficult, but before defending the title, the road to reaching the playoffs again is definitely not simple.
In the preseason, unlike the struggling performance of the San Francisco 49ers, the overall performance of the Houston Texans was relatively stable, successfully achieving a good record of three wins and one loss. The offensive and defensive ends still continued the overall strength of the past two seasons. The framework and bench depth are also more complete than those of the San Francisco 49ers, which also makes people have more expectations for the team's new season.
But after the official opening of the new season, the Houston Texans' performance was particularly struggling, which was more or less unexpected. They faced two weaker teams, the San Diego Chargers and the Tennessee Titans. Although they achieved two victories, the process was unsatisfactory and exposed a series of problems.
In the opening game, they challenged the San Diego Lightning away at 28:31, defeating their opponent with only a slight advantage of a free kick; in the second week, they faced the Tennessee Titans at home, and the two sides fought at 24:24 during the regular season, and could only go through overtime. The game determines the outcome. In the end, the home team defeated the opponent with a winning touchdown. The final score was "30:24".
Overall, the offensive end of the Houston Texans has remained relatively stable. The performance of the quarterback who played the best game of his career last season and was among the regular season MVP candidates has declined slightly, but he has still stabilized his position; but the performance of the defensive end But there has been an obvious decline. JJ Watt is still the biggest star on the court, but without the help of his opponents, he can't stand alone.
As the new season kicks off, every team faces a variety of challenges and problems. The ups and downs of the game are normal. Professionals often say that the first month of the new season is undoubtedly the most difficult. Now the Houston Texans People are also going through this process, and many problems have arisen in various aspects, which also makes the team's state particularly unstable.
But no matter what, a victory is a victory. They successfully kicked off the 2013 season with two consecutive victories, including a game against a rival in the same district. Can you ask for more?
Immediately after facing the Baltimore Ravens in the third week, the Houston Texans suffered a blow. Although they scored a touchdown in the first quarter, they were completely misfired on both offense and defense in the subsequent games. At 9:30 "The disparity in the game was so great that he lost the game without any chance of fighting back.
Then in the fourth week against the Seattle Seahawks, the nightmare repeated itself. The Houston Texans once again scored a touchdown and maintained the lead for the whole game, but witnessed Russell Wilson's magical performance at the last moment, and the score was tied to "20: 20", the two sides entered overtime. This was the second time in three weeks that the Texans entered overtime, but this time the goddess of victory was on the opponent's side. "20:23", the Texans lost the game .
Two consecutive losses!
From the first two consecutive victories to the subsequent two consecutive losses, the shortcomings and flaws exposed by the Houston Texans in the details of the game are being magnified little by little. In the past two seasons, in the face of tough battles, the Texans have always been able to grit their teeth, step forward at critical moments, and win the game strongly; but now it is starting to become unstable.
This is not good news for the Houston Texans.
However, this is still not the end of the world. The season started with two wins and two losses. The Houston Texans still showed their competitive potential. All the team needs to do now is to stabilize their minds, adjust quickly, and then get back on the track of victory. Come up, there is still enough time in the season for them to continue their pursuit of the playoffs.
"Houston Texans VS San Francisco 49ers", this game debuted under this background.
On the one hand, after two consecutive losses, they urgently need a victory to stabilize the morale of the army and get back on the track of hitting the playoffs; on the other hand, after three consecutive losses, they are deeply behind bars. The defending journey has become precarious and they urgently need a victory. Victory and timely stop loss. This game means far more than a victory to both teams. It can even be said to be a key turning point in the first half of the season.
It is against this background that Lu Ke's return from injury becomes even more valuable, adding more excitement to this important matchup.
The peak showdown of "Lu Ke VS Watt" was also tinged with tragedy.
The battle between last season's Offensive Player of the Year and last season's Defensive Player of the Year is full of countless topics at any time, but combined with the current situation of the two teams and the status of the two players, the situation becomes subtle. , no one can predict the process and results of the game.
There is even a worry circulating in the industry: If Lu Ke's injury does not heal, but he makes a comeback for this victory, what will be the subsequent impact?
In the professional league, anything is possible in order to win at any cost. It is normal to play with injuries, and it is not uncommon to be forced to come back early in order to win. Some people even hide their injuries and continue to play... The collision of competitive sports and the supremacy of interests can always refresh people's cognitive bottom line.
The emergence of such worries just proves the industry's concerns about the current situation of the San Francisco 49ers - without Lu Ke, they have almost lost their competitiveness. It also proves the industry's change in attitude towards Lu Ke - they have begun to really take Lu Ke seriously. His absolute strength, but how much strength can Lu Ke show after returning from injury?
Although Lu Ke has never been a quarterback who relies on his body to play, and his brain is his core weapon; the current mess of the San Francisco 49ers offense cannot be ignored, and the stumbling in the first week of the regular season is still vivid to this day. At present, the performance of consecutive touchdowns in the following three weeks is even more chaotic. Without his teammates to provide more help, Lu Ke's situation will become increasingly difficult.
Lu Ke is an excellent player, but rugby is a sport that requires a roster of fifty-three players.
Regarding this focus showdown, who can bottom out and rebound, the entire league is also bustling with discussions.
ESPN's "Inside the League" is undoubtedly the most popular program!
"Despite the two-game losing streak, we must note that in the last game against Seattle, Houston fought until the last moment and ended up just losing a free kick. What does this mean? Houston's current state is indeed showing. There have been ups and downs, and the difficult situation they face far exceeds that of the past two years, but they still have the ability to compete strongly! Two consecutive losses are far from as bad as it seems! Their configuration is still reasonable..."
"Bah, bah, bah, it's the same old clichés again! You can't see the decline in Houston quarterback Matt Sabu's condition; the Houston defense cannot form an effective organization, making it difficult for JJ Watt to do anything. You can’t see it either! The balance between the offensive and defensive ends of this team has been broken..."
"So is San Francisco's situation safe and sound? The pocket protection of the offensive line has fallen to the bottom of the league, and the performance of the receiving team has plummeted. Even if Lu Ke returns, he is not a universal savior! Not to mention the overall decline in the strength of the defensive front line Aldon Smith’s absence is a fatal blow! Now the aging of the entire defensive team has exposed its shortcomings..."
"You simply don't understand what Lu Ke means to the offensive team! His judgment, his consciousness and his layout are the core roles that even Jim Harper cannot replace. As long as he stands on the court, the offensive team can seize the opportunity. Taking the initiative is the key to changing the entire situation! Judging quarterbacks purely based on data is the stupidest behavior!"
"But Lu Ke has just returned from injury. Who can guarantee his passing performance under pressure? Lu Ke is not the only precedent in the league for a quarterback who relies on his brain to play! Not to mention others, Brian Gabbert, the same rookie in 2011, is the best proof. His Vonderrick test score is second only to Lu Ke, but his performance in the past two seasons has been a disaster! Why? Because he can't stand the test Complete the pass under pressure! Every time the pocket is breached, he will panic so much that he cannot make accurate judgments and will even give up the pass. Then there is no use no matter how smart his mind is! The Vondrick test is useless !”
"Lu Ke has proven the authority of the Fonderrick test! Look at last season's performance, who can catch up with his on-the-spot adaptability? Even Brady or Manning may not be able to compete at their peak. Showing such energy!”
"So you're saying that Luke is already better than Brady and Manning? Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous! When did football become an intellectual sport? How could I not know that?"
There are debates about the Vondrick test every year, especially in the two years since Lu Ke was born. His absolutely outstanding performance proved that the significance of a perfect score in the Vondrick test is far beyond imagination. Naturally, in the draft, all 32 teams cannot avoid paying attention to test scores. But why has only one Lu Ke stood out so far?
The reason is simple. During the game, there is always a dynamic confrontation. When the quarterback is under pressure in the pocket, can he make a calm judgment? When a quarterback suffers consecutive sacks, does he still dare to hold the ball for a long time and observe to complete the pass? When the quarterback is caught in a cat-and-mouse chase, can he catch the passing lane and avoid holding the ball too long and suffering a sack?
Calmness and composure in the face of chaotic situations are areas that cannot be explored by the Vondrick Test; it is also an important reason why the Vondrick Test has never been able to become the core criterion for judging whether a quarterback is good or not.
"Stop! Stop! Why did we start to go off topic while we were discussing? What we are talking about now is not the Vonderick test, but San Francisco and Houston! Get back to the topic, the topic!"
.. m.
