According to the analysis of the ESPN program "Inside the League", in the divisional match of "Carolina Panthers vs. San Francisco 49ers", the defending champion is definitely favored; but according to ESPN's online voting, more than 63% of netizens We believe the winner of this game will be the Carolina Panthers.
reason?
The Carolina Panthers are currently one of the hottest teams in the entire league. Their upward momentum even overshadowed the Seattle Seahawks. In the past twelve games, they have won ten games, just in the regular season. Lost to the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints in Weeks 10 and 14 respectively.
Among them, just two weeks later, the Carolina Panthers completed a revenge. They defeated the New Orleans Saints at home and climbed to the top of the NFC South Division on the shoulders of their rivals in the same division. The season ended with 12 wins and four losses, ranking first in the NFC. The second seed is undoubtedly the best team in the 2013 season.
It is worth mentioning that the Carolina Panthers have only lost one game at home this season: they lost to the Seattle Seahawks with a score of "7:12" in the opening game; at the same time, the average home score loss was only 16 points, even more than the 18.33 points per game average conceded by the Seattle Seahawks at Century Links Stadium, making it the home court with the lowest average points conceded in the entire league this season.
Among them, the games with the most points lost at home were against the New England Patriots and New York Jets. Both games lost 20 points; but at the same time, the results of these two games were achieved by the Carolina Panthers. Victory, there is no doubt that they are the team with the best performance at home.
Now, the divisional round is about to be held at the home court of the Carolina Panthers!
Indeed, in the tenth week of the regular season, the Carolina Panthers suffered a disastrous defeat with a score of "21:59". It was the only time they lost more than 31 points in a single game all season - it was an away loss to the New Orleans Saints. In the game, it must be noted that it was an away game! The Carolina Panthers' two big losses all season were on the road; now they are at home, the whole situation will be different, and the team's state is worth looking forward to.
Looking at the entire 2013 season of the Carolina Panthers from a global perspective, they lost a total of four games, namely the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints, three of which were in the playoffs. Of the teams competing in the tournament, the only exception was the Arizona Cardinals, who also fought hard until the last moment. From the side, we can see the super high quality of the winning rate throughout the season; in addition, after they lost to the New Orleans Saints, they immediately completed their revenge and won at home. The excellent performance defeated the rivals in the same district, which also gave the fans more expectations.
"Following the New Orleans Saints, the Carolina Panthers will avenge the San Francisco 49ers and reach the NFC Finals; the most perfect situation is to face the Seattle Seahawks again, and then get perfect revenge again and reach the Super Bowl against Payton - Manning's Denver Broncos or Tom Brady's New England Patriots, witness 'Superman' Cam Newton's amazing comeback season!"
Clearly, this is a perfect blueprint. Not only Carolina Panthers fans have such fantasies, but countless netizens can't help but imagine it. If it can really be realized, it will be comparable to the miracle of Lu Ke's perfect summit last year. It will be difficult to copy. history, the myth that truly fulfilled Cam’s “Superman” nickname.
It is precisely because of this that ESPN's online voting resulted in such a result.
For professionals, strength comparison and objective analysis are their jobs; but for netizens and viewers, this is not the case. Exciting games and topical gossip are their focus.
Firstly, they really don’t want to see the San Francisco 49ers advance to the NFC finals; secondly, they are even more looking forward to the “Carolina Panthers VS Seattle Seahawks” defensive battle for the top spot, coupled with various factors, So 63% of netizens chose the Carolina Panthers.
However, the "63%" set of data is already a thing of the past. This is the survey data after the wild card game ended and before the rise of online scolding wars. On Sunday's game day, ESPN deliberately conducted another survey. The same The question came up with a completely different answer. The Carolina Panthers' support rate plummeted to 14%, showing the strong impact of the network hotspot effect——
Of course, the possibility of ticket fraud by San Francisco 49ers supporters cannot be ruled out.
A small data comparison also shows the characteristics of the Internet age: all voices, including support and opposition, praise and hatred, come and go quickly, like bubbles, which may disappear at any time, and their credibility is also As the water content increases and plummets, the real "race" must still take place in reality.
Just as Lu Ke said.
Then, the competition came.
On January 12, at 3:40 pm Western time and 6:40 pm Eastern time, the last divisional game of the 2013 season officially started at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Charlotte!
U.S. Bank Stadium is a very young playing field. In 1993, the Carolina Panthers were officially established, but in order to join the NFL, they had to have a home stadium. Charlotte did not have a suitable venue at the time, so after discussions, team owner Jerry Richardson and City Hall A partnership agreement was reached, a proposal for a new field on the outskirts of the city was approved, and U.S. Bank Stadium was born.
It is no exaggeration to say that this is a stadium made for the Carolina Panthers.
It was officially completed and put into use in 1996, and officially changed to its current name in 2004. The bowl-shaped shape, open field and other details perfectly continue the classic design of American golf courses, and it is known as the "most American golf course". In addition to the Carolina Panthers, it has also hosted NCAA football bowl games many times. It is filled with a football atmosphere all year round and is completely dedicated to football.
But unfortunately, since its completion, this stadium, which can accommodate more than 75,500 spectators, has never achieved 100% attendance——
Because the young Carolina Panthers have not yet created their own glory, the name of the Carolina Panthers is among the thirteen teams in the league that have never won a Super Bowl.
Of course, achieving 100% attendance is not that easy. In the 2003 season, the only season in which the Carolina Panthers reached the Super Bowl, the average regular season attendance reached about 74,000. This also proves that the citizens of Charlotte still show great enthusiasm for this team, but they need a little...a little excitement, just like Lu Ke joining the San Francisco 49ers.
I remember that in the 2011 season, the Carolina Panthers selected Cam Newton with the No. 1 pick. The whole Charlotte was excited. They believed that this strong rookie quarterback could become the team's savior, just like Superman. Leading them to the top; but three seasons later, they have not waited for the moment of all-round glory. Cam's performance can definitely not be said to be bad, but it cannot be said to be top. He looks more like an above-average fourth-level player. Defend, and then stop there, leaving people unable to blame, but unable to arouse people's passion.
Until this year - the moment that belongs to the Carolina Panthers has finally arrived. They are standing on the divisional stage, they are standing on the Bank of America Stadium, they are standing in the second place in the league, "the right place at the right time." "People and people" are all there, now it depends on whether they can make a breakthrough; and standing in front of Cam is the biggest legacy of the 2011 draft: Lu Ke.
Now the entire league has generally believed that Lu Ke is the real number one pick in the 2011 rookie class, and Cam's position has even been squeezed out by Andy Dalton. The so-called "Twin Stars" are also "Lu Ke VS Luck", and It's not "Cam VS Lu Ke", everything makes the meaning of this game more important.
Bank of America Stadium, which has never been full in its nearly twenty-year history, achieved 100% attendance for the first time in its history!
Not only the fans of the Carolina Panthers, but also a rare sight, the fans of the San Francisco 49ers also occupied a small corner, about less than 3,000 people, sitting in the corner of the stadium in unity, The red and gold jerseys highlight their strong presence.
The golden afternoon sun shone down, creating a layer of beautiful waves. The reflection like fish scales bloomed with a dazzling and brilliant light, making the camera unable to help but shoot in that direction. Even in the away game, the nine people Still announcing her debut in her own way, it seemed that even Charlotte was welcoming the arrival of the nine people——
This doesn't seem like good news.
Charlotte, North Carolina, located in the southeastern part of North America, has a humid and mild climate with four distinct seasons. Even in the severe cold winter, people will not shiver. The gentle breeze makes people feel the cordial greetings from the city. This That friendly hospitality extended to this divisional game.
The temperature was fifty-seven degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees Celsius), sunny, cloudless, and windy. This weather was in sharp contrast to the record-low temperatures in Green Bay the previous week; the trees were lush, the grass was green, and the whole The city is filled with a soothing and soft warmth and comfort, which makes people want to wander around with open arms. This is in stark contrast to the fiery atmosphere inside Bank of America Stadium.
In the studio, Fox TV, which is responsible for broadcasting the playoffs, once again sent out a classic partnership. Teddy Williams and Kirk Charleston teamed up with Troy Aikman to dedicate this game to the fans. Teddy opened the game At this stage, I couldn’t help but joke:
"This city seems to be welcoming the arrival of the San Francisco 49ers; and these fans are doing their best to make their voices heard: This is not the place you should come here. How about it? Does this sound familiar?"
Fans who are familiar with the American Civil War will understand it at this time.
