Take care, see you soon!
The San Francisco 49ers chapter of Candlestick Stadium has officially come to an end. From today on, this will become a black inscription in the history books: "From 1960 to 2013, as the home court of the San Francisco 49ers, they won the division championship nineteen times and six times. Won an NFC championship, won six Super Bowls.”
A simple sentence condenses the memories of several generations. Every bit is hidden in the long river of history. It is passed down in the form of images, words, memories and stories. Maybe a century later, someone will I will recall this: I once stood in that stadium and witnessed Lu Ke's debut. It was the beginning of the last glorious period of Candlestick Stadium, but it was also the beginning of another dynasty of the San Francisco 49ers.
This is how history is written.
However, the 2013 season for the San Francisco 49ers is still moving forward. At least, everyone in the team is looking forward to continuing in their footsteps.
After easily defeating the Atlanta Falcons without any suspense, the San Francisco 49ers have unknowingly won five consecutive victories and improved their season record to 11 wins and four losses——
This record has tied the New England Patriots, Kansas Chiefs and Carolina Panthers. The current total record is only behind the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, who have three losses in the season, and is temporarily tied for third in the league. In other words, the San Francisco 49ers have truly returned to the first group in the championship.
In the league's official strength rankings, the Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers rank in the top four respectively. From the front, you can see the positive attitude of the analysts and commentators towards the defending champions, but unfortunately Yes, because of the NFL's special playoff rules, the San Francisco 49ers still have not locked in a playoff spot.
The top seed in the American League, the Denver Broncos; the second seed, the New England Patriots.
The NFC's top seed, the Seattle Seahawks; the second seed, the Carolina Panthers.
So, what about the San Francisco 49ers?
The San Francisco 49ers, like the Kansas Chiefs, have been relegated to the fifth-seeded wild card spot due to their division rival's perfect performance this season, but the actual situation between the two teams is slightly different - it can even be said. It's a big difference.
The competition in the American League where the Kansas City Chiefs are located has been completely divided. The competition for the sixth-seeded wild card spot has entered a fierce situation, but even the San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins with the best records only have eight wins. There is a full three-game gap between them and the Kansas Chiefs. In other words, with only the last game left in the regular season, regardless of the victory or defeat, the Kansas Chiefs can lock in the fifth seed.
Furthermore, the Kansas Chiefs lag behind the Denver Broncos, their division rivals, in both the division record and the record against the same opponents. This also means that even if they win the last regular season game, they cannot replace Denver. The Broncos moved into the top four seeds.
In other words, the last regular season game is a game that the Kansas Chiefs can give up, and they can fully recharge their batteries and start preparing for the playoffs.
But the San Francisco 49ers, who are in the midst of the National League whirlpool, are not so lucky.
At present, the championship seats of the NFC East and NFC North have not yet been determined. The final pattern of the two divisions is the same. The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East, and the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears of the NFC North, both The same conference showdown will begin in the last week of the regular season. The winner will advance to the playoffs, while the loser will ruin the entire season's efforts.
It's so simple, so cruel - but also so wonderful. The head-to-head battle between the sworn enemies in the same district truly explains the meaning of the word "battle of life and death" vividly. Just thinking about it in your mind makes you feel happy. Sweating, I can’t wait to have a head-on collision!
Similarly, there are variables in the championship seats of the National League South and National League West.
In the NFC South, the Carolina Panthers reversed the New Orleans Saints with their late-season explosion and climbed to the division championship. However, there is currently only one win gap between the two teams, and the final regular game There are still many variables in the game, and they will face their rivals in the same district, the Carolina Panthers against the Atlanta Falcons, and the New Orleans Saints against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which also makes the excitement of the game rise sharply.
The Carolina Panthers currently have an absolute advantage. If both teams win or both lose, then the division championship will still be theirs; the only unexpected situation is that the New Orleans Saints win and the Carolina Panthers lose. ball, then the division championship will change hands again.
Moreover, the division champion of the National League South is likely to directly enter the top two seed seats and enjoy a bye in the first round; while the second place in the National League South will enter the wild card round and must usher in the first game of the season next week. Postgame.
As a result, the situation has become very delicate. The four teams in the National League South Division all have the opportunity to change the situation of the entire league's playoffs, so everything depends on on-the-spot performance.
The most complicated division in the entire league is the National League West.
Unexpectedly appeared in the 16th week of the regular season. The Arizona Cardinals went north to Century Chain Stadium to challenge the Seattle Seahawks. In this strong showdown between rivals in the same district, the Arizona Cardinals played away from home and burst out with super energy. In the end, they won an away victory with a score of "10:17". Not only did they break the Seattle Seahawks' unbeaten streak at home this season, but they also won for themselves by giving their rivals in the same district their third loss of the season. A glimmer of hope for the playoffs!
Who could have imagined it?
The Seattle Seahawks, who were unstoppable this season and swept all the armies, lost to the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals, two sworn enemies in the same district, at the end of the season. They were about to secure the top seed in the National League, but now they suddenly If something changes, they may even fall into the wild card round.
From this perspective, you can see how rare and rare the "perfect season" created by the San Francisco 49ers last season is. The closer to the end of the season, the more intense the competition, the more fierce the confrontation, the more severe the physical and mental stress. Under the test, victory becomes more and more difficult.
Then, the entire National League West changed.
The Seattle Seahawks have 12 wins and 3 losses, the San Francisco 49ers have 11 wins and 4 losses, the Arizona Cardinals have 10 wins and 5 losses, and the St. Louis Rams have 7 wins and 8 losses.
Except for the St. Louis Rams, the other three teams are qualified to compete for the playoffs, and similar to the NFC South, the comparison of the final winning and losing records of the NFC West may also change the playoffs of the entire conference. The pattern, from the seating of the top four seeds to the determination of the wild card seats, may all be reshuffled.
This also makes the final week of the regular season extra important, as anything can happen.
The Seattle Seahawks will continue to host the St. Louis Rams.
The Arizona Cardinals will return home to face the San Francisco 49ers.
What is certain is that the Seattle Seahawks, who currently have the superior record, still have the initiative. As long as they can win, they can take the NFC Western Division championship and the NFC top seed into their pockets. The result of the other game It will not have any impact on them. This team is still the favorite to win the National League.
But what no one can ignore is that the St. Louis Rams are the best at divisional civil wars, and they are also the best at disrupting the situation. They can always inadvertently give their rivals in the same division a hard wake-up call, and continue to prove that they are an important player in the National League West that cannot be ignored. One member.
For reference, in the divisional civil war this season, the St. Louis Rams had two wins and three losses. In the eighth week of the regular season against the Seattle Seahawks, their opponents struggled until the last minute, and finally lost with a score of "9:14" game; in addition, the St. Louis Rams have won two and lost four of their six games against the Seattle Seahawks in the past three seasons.
So, what if the Seattle Seahawks capsize in the gutter at the last moment, lose their last regular season game, and lose their third consecutive divisional civil war? What will happen in the National League West?
The first possibility is that the San Francisco 49ers win. Then according to the league rules, first compare each other's records, then compare the records within the division, and then compare the records against the same opponents... Arrange the records in this order of victory until Until the rankings are determined, the San Francisco 49ers will replace the Seattle Seahawks as the NFC West champion, and will also compete with the NFC South champion for the NFC's first and second seed seats.
The second possibility is that if the Arizona Cardinals win, then the Seattle Seahawks will successfully hold on to the division championship and the top seed in the National League, while the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals need to be ranked according to the league's playoff rules - that is In the above-mentioned contention between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks, in the end, relying on the advantage of the division record, the Arizona Cardinals will squeeze out the San Francisco 49ers and take the last train to the playoffs.
At this time, in the first half of the regular season, Lu Ke missed three games due to injury and lost to two intra-division matchups between the Seattle Seahawks and the St. Louis Rams, and his importance was immediately highlighted.
In fact, things seem very complicated, but they are not that complicated.
For the Seattle Seahawks, victory is easy and failure depends on the opponent's face, but no matter the result, they have already secured their playoff position in advance.
For the San Francisco 49ers, if they win, they have a glimmer of hope for a reversal. If they fail, they will be eliminated directly, and all the efforts of the season will come to an abrupt end.
For the Arizona Cardinals, if they fail, everything will be in vain. If they win, they will complete a counterattack at the last moment, and all the stories of the 2013 season will be rewritten.
Obviously, neither the San Francisco 49ers nor the Arizona Cardinals can afford to lose. This is the true meaning of a life and death battle!
Moyan boy said
The third update today.
