The two games in the American League Division Series are officially out. Although they are slightly different from expectations, there will definitely be no shortage of things to watch. This is the NFL playoffs!
"Denver Broncos vs. San Diego Chargers", this divisional civil war in the American League West, is not as obvious as imagined. The two teams met twice in the regular season, with one win and one loss. Both sides won on the road. But they lost the game at home. So, will the Denver Broncos, who will be at home in the playoffs, be in trouble?
"New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts", this powerful matchup between old and new quarterbacks, the expectations are even higher than the other one. The two sides have not faced each other this season, but during the eleventh week of the regular season last season , facing the fledgling Luck, Brady once taught the younger generation well at home with a disparity of "59:24". This time they meet again, the more mature Luck is also looking forward to proving that he has the strength to overturn any opponent.
Of course, the most important thing is that the entire country is looking forward to Peyton Manning and Tom Brady meeting up in the American League finals. Every confrontation between these two legendary quarterbacks is bound to attract national attention. If it can happen this time Standing on the stage of the American League finals, it will be a real sword fight in Huashan! How could you not look forward to it?
The American League's Division Series berths have been settled, and then there's the National League.
The first wild card game, "Philadelphia Eagles vs. New Orleans Saints."
The Philadelphia Eagles, who were completely reshuffled this season, welcomed new head coach Chip Kelly. At the same time, backup quarterback Nick Foles took over after the main quarterback Michael Vick was injured and missed the season. He unexpectedly played an outstanding season. , reaching the top of the National League East with a record of ten wins and six losses. This story seems familiar to the San Francisco 49ers two years ago, and the second-year quarterback Foles was also the 88th pick in the third round. He seems to have many similarities with Lu Ke. This is also Let people have more expectations for the team.
After experiencing the trough of the head coach and many main players being suspended, the New Orleans Saints successfully rebounded in the new season, but their record of 11 wins and 5 losses still lacked a little explosiveness. In addition to defeating the San Francisco 49ers, In other strong matchups, they unfortunately lost to the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks respectively. They were even beaten to the top spot in the division by their rivals, the Carolina Panthers, and fell into the wild card round. This also made People have expressed doubts about the team's ability to fight hard at critical moments.
It is worth mentioning that in the history of the New Orleans Saints team, they have never won on the road in the playoffs, which means that all away games in the playoffs ended in defeat, and this time... …They’re going to play on the road in Philadelphia.
The game process once again showed a series of thrilling turns.
After both teams surrendered a goalless draw in the first quarter, the New Orleans Saints took the lead. Halfway through the third quarter, they established a "7:20" lead, but then the game entered The Philadelphia Eagles took full control of the game from the offensive end to the defensive end and overtook the score in one go. With 48 seconds left in the game, they took a "24:23" lead and took the initiative to win. Nick Foles has less than a minute left to replicate Lu Ke's 2011 season miracle.
In the last 48 seconds, Drew Brees once again showed the power and toughness of his elite quarterback. In the dilemma with only two timeouts left, he led a textbook wave of no-concentration passing offensive tactics. , advancing strongly to the fifteen-yard line at the front of the end zone. If it weren't for the lack of a timeout, Brees might have directly challenged for a touchdown; but they didn't need a touchdown, and Sean Payton chose to try a free kick.
Facing a 37-yard free kick, kicker Shayne Graham made it in one fell swoop. While completing the free kick, he also consumed all game time, beating the Philadelphia Eagles and advancing to the divisional round with a two-point advantage. , successfully achieved the first playoff away victory in the team's history!
Philadelphia, heartbreak.
The last playoff meeting between the New Orleans Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles dates back to 2006. It was a divisional match. That year, the New Orleans Saints defeated their opponents at home with a score of "26:24" and reached the playoffs. won the National League finals; now the New Orleans Saints defeated their opponents on the road with the same score to advance to the divisional round. The final score was "24:26". The reincarnation of fate also makes people inevitably sigh.
The second wild card game, "Green Bay Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers."
There is no need to go into details about the brilliance and excitement of this game. "45:51", the overtime victory can be seen from the score alone. This is a game worthy of being recorded in history.
The two sides ended the game at 45:45 in regular time, and experienced two draws during the fourth quarter. In the end, they could only end this wonderful matchup in a cruel way in overtime. The San Francisco 49ers The defensive team suddenly burst out with amazing ability and ended the game with an interception and a touchdown.
This game easily set a series of historical records, and the level of anxiety was comparable to the "Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas Chiefs" game. It pushed the fierce confrontation in the wild card game to a new level and truly detonated the game. A nationwide viewing frenzy!
Looking purely at viewership numbers, the wild card game "San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers" attracted more than 60 million viewers, setting a new high for the NFL this season. Among the four games in the wild card game It easily topped the 49 million viewers of "Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas Chiefs" and truly carried out the suspense of the ups and downs of the game from beginning to end.
After all the wild card games ended, the NFL official website conducted a survey and selected the best games among the four wild card games. The "league's highest-paid matchup" between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers undoubtedly stole the show. won 53% of the votes and won the hearts of all the fans in a crushing manner. The second-place "28-point comeback victory" only won 24% of the votes. The gap was wider than imagined. It is even more obvious in the game, and the outstanding performances of the two quarterbacks Lu Ke and Rogers were unanimously recognized by all netizens.
Even leaving aside the excitement and intensity of the game, Lu Ke once again proved his unparalleled popularity. More and more ordinary viewers began to watch NFL games, and more and more neutral fans began to support the San Francisco 49 led by Lu Ke. People, the outstanding performance in just three seasons is undoubtedly the best brand effect, and the wonderful games prove that the audience's expectations will never be disappointed, which also strengthens Roger Goodell's shaping of Lu Ke into a Flag and a signboard of determination.
Now, the winner of the National League Wild Card Game is officially announced. The fifth-seeded San Francisco 49ers and the sixth-seeded New Orleans Saints both overturned the higher-ranked seeds and won seats in the divisional round. , which also officially determined the divisional matchup situation.
The top-seeded Seattle Seahawks take on the sixth-seeded New Orleans Saints.
The second-seeded Carolina Panthers face the fifth-seeded San Francisco 49ers.
This can be said to be a very interesting matchup format. This season's National League has a clear differentiation between strengths and weaknesses. The National League North and National League East are both a melee. The final winning division champions also failed in the wild card round; the National League South and the National League The West Division is a powder keg, and the competitive pattern of bayonets has also continued into the playoffs. The two divisional matches are "National League South vs. National League West", which can be regarded as a spectacle.
"Seattle Seahawks vs. New Orleans Saints", this is a traditional "contradictory battle", and it is also a noteworthy "new and old showdown". The offensive team led by Drew Bruce will face the league's famous " "Detonate the Legion", this matchup can be called one of the most anticipated confrontations this season.
On the thirteenth week of the regular season, the New Orleans Saints were on the road and lost to the Seattle Seahawks with a disparity of 34:7. This tragic loss was the New Orleans Saints' worst performance all season. In a game where the score did not reach double digits, Brees was suppressed by the Bombers throughout the game. Even the defensive team was unable to stop Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch, allowing the opponent to easily win.
But the playoffs are another story. It depends on whether the experienced experience of Sean Payton and Drew Brees can successfully suppress the opponent's tough defense.
"Carolina Panthers vs. San Francisco 49ers", this is another "contradictory battle", and it is also the second-round "battle for the No. 1 pick" that the entire league is watching.
Relying on the second-ranked defense in the league, the Carolina Panthers have returned to the playoffs after five years. Their record of 12 wins and four losses this season is even more outstanding. Thursday night in the eleventh week of the regular season The victory over the New England Patriots at home was the masterpiece of the season, and they faced the New Orleans Saints with one win, one loss on the road, and a win at home. This also proved that they have the ability to defend top elite quarterbacks. Now, They need to face the San Francisco 49ers led by Lu Ke again.
In the tenth week of the regular season, the Carolina Panthers went to Candlestick Stadium to challenge the San Francisco 49ers. This game was also known as the "battle for the No. 1 pick" in 2011. One quarterback was the No. 1 pick in the draft, and the other was the fourth pick. The shooting guard was the top pick in actual combat. The collision between the two was undoubtedly the pinnacle showdown among third-year quarterbacks, but in the end, the San Francisco 49ers completed a massacre with a score of "59:21", leaving no trace for their opponents. Any chance can even be said to have humiliated the opponent.
In this regard, the fans of the San Francisco 49ers will never give in, because "they asked for this". Quentin Mikel's malicious collision caused Lu Ke's arm to be slightly injured, and he did not have any injuries until the playoffs. To be able to fully recover, such a violation of sports professional ethics is really disgraceful.
Now, the two teams are about to face off again, and the second round of the "battle for the top pick" is about to take place!
