"Strength and status still need to accept more tests."
This is the prevailing opinion among industry professionals about the defending champions after the San Francisco 49ers lost to the New Orleans Saints.
As the defending champion and the creator of a perfect season, the San Francisco 49ers' main lineup is still relatively complete. Industry analysts and commentators have given positive affirmations. They are also one of the popular teams this year; naturally they will not be affected by a loss now. They all changed their minds and thought that "this is a weak team" or that "the hope of defending the title is slim."
But it is undeniable that among the San Francisco 49ers' previous five-game winning streak, only the Carolina Panthers are a team in relatively good shape this season, and the gold content of the other four wins is still limited. Even for the Carolina Panthers, their status this season has been very ups and downs, good and bad, difficult to accurately measure, and the difficulty of the test is questionable.
It is precisely because of this that the San Francisco 49ers' status and strength this season cannot be accurately measured. The only thing that can be determined is that the overall status of the team after Lu Ke's return has indeed shown an upward curve. The quality of the game is returning. As for the final upper limit of this curve, it needs to be tested game by game.
Now, the San Francisco 49ers have lost to the New Orleans Saints. Following the Seattle Seahawks, they have lost both head-to-head matches with truly top teams this season.
Judging from these two games, in addition to the difference in the starting quarterback, it can indeed be clearly noticed that the defending champion's competitive state has experienced ups and downs, the intensity of both the offensive and defensive ends has declined, the bench depth is not enough, and the main players Fluctuation is currently facing many problems, and the negative impact of injuries has further amplified those shortcomings and loopholes.
After reaching the top spot with a perfect season, the San Francisco 49ers have become the subject of repeated research by the other 31 teams in the league. Every tactic, every substitution, and every change of formation may become a discussion in the tactical meeting. Focus, they need to face exponential pressure and challenges. This is the problem that every defending champion must face, and the San Francisco 49ers, especially Sheng, who created an impossible miracle, indirectly increased the difficulty of their game. .
If the San Francisco 49ers still expect to advance to the playoffs this season, or even go further, then they must cheer up as soon as possible and find a solution to the problem. This is not an easy task, but competitive sports are just like sailing against the current. If you don't advance, you will retreat.
Defeating the Carolina Panthers and losing to the New Orleans Saints also led to mainstream opinions saying, "The strength and condition of the defending champions are indeed improving, but there are still many uncertainties. In the next games, everyone will Every game is a test, and it all depends on whether the defending champion will swim against the current or plummet."
The San Francisco 49ers are in trouble, and they need to get back on the right track quickly: in the twelfth week of the regular season, they are about to go to Washington, arriving on the road for the second consecutive week to challenge the Washington Redskins!
During the offseason, there were high hopes for this game.
The head-to-head showdown between Lu Ke and Robert Griffin III is full of countless highlights: it is not just a "pocket quarterback VS running quarterback" showdown, no one will forget Lu Ke's first loss in his career. Michael Vick, the running quarterback from the Philadelphia Eagles, and since then, Lu Ke has remained undefeated against running quarterbacks.
Moreover, it was a head-to-head confrontation between the first-ranked rookie quarterback in history and the second-ranked rookie quarterback in history. Lu Ke came out of nowhere in the 2011 season, and Griffin swept all the troops in the 2012 season. Both quarterbacks debuted at the beginning of their rookie seasons. He officially took over all the firepower of the team's offense, and his quick combat ability and strong adaptability are truly amazing.
Now, Lu Ke has entered the third grade and Griffin has entered the second grade. Both quarterbacks have grown up in their own way. Lu Ke made it to the Super Bowl in his second grade. So what will happen to Griffin? And what will happen in the strong showdown between them?
Many people in the industry are eagerly looking forward to this game. When the schedule was being arranged, the league directly arranged this game on the Monday Night Game schedule in the twelfth week of the regular season. This is also the schedule for the San Francisco 49ers this season. In the second of the three night games, you can see the league's expectations and attention from the side.
In addition, this is a duel full of historical background. It's not the history of rivals in the same district, but the deep record accumulated from the glorious history and the long-standing fan base - obviously, these two teams are one of the most popular teams in the league.
The Washington Redskins, founded in 1932, are one of the oldest teams in the history of the league. After spending five seasons in Boston at the beginning, the team came to Washington and changed its name from the Braves to the Redskins—originally. This name was specially given to pay tribute to the Indians. Later, as time progressed and the times progressed, this name with its own "discriminatory" meaning began to lose its original flavor, which inevitably caused a lot of controversy, but the world The team still insisted on using this name.
In the pre-Super Bowl era, the Washington Redskins were a well-known team in the league, winning the National Football League championship twice in 1937 and 1942; after that, the team experienced the darkest and most depressed period in history. For a period of time, from 1945 to 1971, they failed to enter the playoffs for a full twenty-six years, and the league also underwent earth-shaking changes and officially entered the Super Bowl era.
During the Super Bowl era, the Washington Redskins established themselves under the leadership of two legendary coaches, George Allen and Joe Gibbs, in the 1970s and 1980s respectively. The dynasty established its dominant position as a traditional powerhouse in the league. It won the National League championship four times and reached the Super Bowl, and finally reached the top twice in 1982 and 1987.
In 1991, the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills, who dominated the league with their defense, and won the third Super Bowl trophy in team history. Head coach Gibbs also truly established his unparalleled prestige in Washington.
But after that, what goes up must come down, just like the law of growth of all things, the Washington Redskins entered the second dark period in the team's history. Starting in 1993, they missed the playoffs for seven consecutive years until 1999. After the team changed its boss, it stopped its decadent decline and returned to the playoffs.
This is the long history of the Washington Redskins in the last century. This team stationed in the capital of the United States has always been a member that cannot be ignored in the football city. Although the last time they won the Super Bowl was 1991, the Redskins, with their rich history and unique market, can always easily rank among the top eight in the annual list of NFL teams with the highest market value. This also proves once again that regardless of success or failure, fan loyalty never changes.
After the turn of the millennium, the Washington Redskins entered a long period of reconstruction.
During this period, although the team returned to the playoffs with second place in the division in 2005 and 2007, it was more of a flash of inspiration and was still in a state of ups and downs most of the time - not The team does not have the strength, but does not have the ability to continue the strength throughout the season. When the touch comes, they seem to be able to defeat any opponent; when they suddenly become unlucky, they seem to be able to lose to any opponent.
How should it be described accurately?
To give a simple example, in the eleven seasons after the millennium, the Washington Redskins never won the division championship, and only entered the playoffs in 2005 and 2007; but at the same time, the Washington Redskins never fell into decline. When it came to the position of deputy squad leader, they never even got a chance to get into the top three spots in the draft.
Neither improving nor falling, failing to show real competitiveness, and failing to completely rebuild, the Washington Redskins have become a dispensable presence in the league.
Do you think they have no strength? They could defeat the Green Bay Packers who eventually won the Super Bowl in the 2010 regular season; do they have the strength? They can also lose back-to-back games to the St. Louis Rams and Detroit Lions, who have the league's worst record, in the same season.
This is really incomprehensible.
Until last season, the Washington Redskins finally learned from the pain and made up their minds to clean up and reshuffle the team. They selected Robert Griffin III in the draft at a high price, hoping to find their own team to build for the next ten years. Quarterback, change his mind and start again.
Facts have proved that the uniform team's gamble paid off.
Griffin came out of nowhere and showed strong dominance in the 2012 season, leading the team to win the division championship again after 13 years and enter the playoffs with their heads high.
Although Griffin suffered injuries at the end of the season, and then unfortunately lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the wild card game, the Washington Redskins, who have made adjustments and improvements in the offseason, are still expected to dominate the NFC East in the 2013 season. ——After all, compared to the other three division rivals, the thriving and vibrant Washington Redskins do look more impactful.
Both teams are traditional strong teams. Both teams have found their favorite cornerstone quarterbacks. Both teams have shown incredible talent and ability on the offensive end. Both teams are experiencing After a long trough, they have returned to the winning track, and everything is full of similarities; in addition, in 2011, Lu Ke almost entered the Washington Redskins. Such origins make the story between the two teams even more interesting. Lots of fun.
Naturally, the showdown between the Washington Redskins and the San Francisco 49ers is considered one of the most anticipated games of the season.
However, after the opening of the new season, the performance of both teams was lower than expected, catching all the experts off guard, making this matchup full of variables, and things seemed to have deviated far from the established track.
