Chapter 809: Unwavering Dominance
The 2012 season was already six weeks in. The competition was becoming more and more intense. Previously, there were three undefeated teams for five weeks. After this week, the Houston Texans were the first to fall, losing at home to the Green Bay Packers, failing to continue their perfect record.
So, there were only two undefeated teams left this season: the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons.
But overall, the Atlanta Falcons' schedule was relatively easy. Out of the six opponents they had beaten so far, only the Denver Broncos had made it to the playoffs last season. In the same category, the San Francisco 49ers' number was three, including the defending champions New York Giants, last season's NFC top seed Green Bay Packers, and the strongly resurging Detroit Lions.
Naturally, when Chuck once again gave the number one spot in the power rankings to the San Francisco 49ers, it didn't cause any controversy, but disagreements were inevitable. Some people supported the 49ers, and naturally, some supported the Falcons, and their opinions and views were different.
Without a doubt, these two teams were the hottest teams in the league right now, and both teams were from the NFC, which once again fueled the argument that "the NFC is more competitive than the AFC." Unfortunately, the two teams won't play each other in the regular season, otherwise, we could have looked forward to the ultimate "king vs. king" showdown.
From "San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons" to "Lu Ke vs. Matt Ryan," the discussions in the league were buzzing and endless. Even the friendly interactions between Lu Ke and Ryan during the Pro Bowl skills competition became a focal point for reporters. Both quarterbacks were asked for their thoughts on each other.
"I like Matt. He's a quarterback who can take any joke. During the Pro Bowl, Tony and I really, really enjoyed talking to Matt. Of course, I mean, his passing skills are also excellent, and he's undoubtedly one of the top players in the league. But personally, I like his sense of humor more."
This was from Lu Ke's comments. On the other side, Ryan also gave a corresponding response.
"I don't know, I've never understood his jokes. He and Tony are like they're from Mars; their way of thinking is really hard to understand. So, if we meet again, I hope he won't tell any more jokes. Oh, you're asking about his ability? Without a doubt, Bambi is an excellent quarterback. I have to say, the league still isn't giving him the treatment he deserves."
When a reporter asked Ryan about the "jokes" again, he still had a blank expression. "No, I'm serious about that. I don't like them."
"Hey, you should say that to my face. It hurts when you send messages through a reporter." On the other side, when Lu Ke was interviewed about the same question, he continued with his teasing and joking tone.
It was clear to anyone that because Lu Ke and Ryan had a good relationship, they could easily poke fun at each other like this.
And the same was true for Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys. "No, I don't know them. I don't know them at all. They didn't mention me in their conversations, did they? We're not friends. Wait, did Bambi mention me? Ha, yes, we do have a bit of a relationship. He's the Charlie Chaplin of football. Trust me, I'm serious."
Last year, the NFC had a three-way rivalry between Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Lu Ke, which continued all the way to the playoffs. This year, the first half of the NFC season was a two-way battle between Lu Ke and Ryan, who were competing with each other and not backing down. We'll have to see if this continues in the second half of the season.
As of now, Lu Ke has quietly become the favorite to win the regular season MVP.
In the post-game stats against the New York Giants this week, Lu Ke once again delivered a career-best performance.
Eli Manning: 24-for-38, 367 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, a passer rating of 110.3, and a PFF grade of 1.4.
Lu Ke: 27-for-39, 507 yards, five touchdowns, one receiving touchdown, no interceptions, a passer rating of 156.7, and a PFF grade of 2.0.
In this game, Lu Ke had a breakout performance. Both his passer rating and PFF grade reached new career highs. The latter was the first time in his career that he got a perfect score, and the former was only one step away from a perfect score of 158.3. In addition, this was Lu Ke's first five-hundred-yard game of his career, his second five-touchdown game, and most importantly, another game without an interception.
In addition to this top-tier performance, there was also a twenty-three-yard run that couldn't be ignored. Because the final drive was so spectacular and caused a huge wave of discussion, many people completely forgot about Lu Ke's unexpected running play at the beginning of the second half.
This was a true peak performance!
If we were to vote for the mid-season MVP right now, Lu Ke would probably win by a landslide. This wasn't a wild guess; it was a well-reasoned deduction.
In Week 6 of the regular season, the league's official Players of the Week were announced.
The AFC Offensive Player of the Week was Peyton Manning of the Denver Broncos. The Defensive Player of the Week was Jairus Byrd of the Buffalo Bills, and the Special Teams Player of the Week was Jacoby Jones of the Baltimore Ravens.
The NFC Offensive Player of the Week was Lu Ke of the San Francisco 49ers. The Defensive Player of the Week was Antrel Rolle of the New York Giants, and the Special Teams Player of the Week was Kyle Williams of the San Francisco 49ers.
This was the second time Lu Ke was named Player of the Week since the start of the 2012 season. He was also the only player in the league so far to be named Player of the Week twice, including all players on offense, defense, and special teams. In addition, Lu Ke was also named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September.
By the way, the winner of the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for September was JJ Watt.
It was clear that since the start of the new season, Lu Ke had been on fire, following a steadily rising curve. From fans and commentators to social media and the league's officials, everything was experiencing a full-blown explosion, truly ushering in a golden age.
Just when everyone was worried about the "sophomore slump," Lu Ke went against the grain and delivered a perfect answer sheet, leading the entire league with his outstanding performance. This was true for both his team's record and his personal performance. This also allowed Lu Ke to easily surpass the hot topics of Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, and he rightfully became the most talked-about player of the season so far.
However, for Lu Ke, nothing much had changed, at least not a drastic change.
He didn't have time to care about the buzzing discussions on social media platforms, as the regular season was still ongoing. It wasn't a bye week or the end of the season, and he had to devote himself entirely to preparing for the next game. What's more, the next two games were divisional matchups, and they couldn't be treated as simple games. He needed more time to prepare for them.
When a person stays away from the media and information, they unconsciously create a vacuum, as if they are isolated from the world and become completely at peace.
This was Lu Ke's current state.
Even though it was Monday, the first day off after the game, Lu Ke still followed his usual routine: he did some recovery training in the morning, watched game footage in the afternoon, and went back to his parents' house for dinner in the evening.
After the regular season started, Lu Ke's life became incredibly routine. Almost every day was packed with activities, and he had very little time to relax. Naturally, the time he spent with friends and family drastically decreased. This was especially true now that Lu Ke lived alone, and Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younning also had to go to work. The number of times they saw each other was even fewer.
So, the only time his parents could see him each week was on game days, and that was from the stands to the field. Not to mention away games. Although this was the price a professional player had to pay, Lu Ke didn't want it to be like this.
So, after the start of this season, Lu Ke adjusted his schedule. He would try his best to make time for dinner with his parents on the night of his first day off after a game. Even if it was just to listen to their boring nagging, it was good. If he had to cancel a dinner for some reason, he would definitely make sure to go the following week.
Last week, in order to prepare for the New York Giants game, Lu Ke watched game footage so much that he forgot to eat and sleep. He skipped Monday dinner, so he couldn't do it this week. Even if the game next week was difficult and important, time with his family was irreplaceable.
Because it was Monday, Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younning both had to work. Dinner was usually scheduled for after 8 or 8:30 PM. Every time, Jiang Younning insisted on cooking her son some delicious homemade dishes herself.
Later, the company where Jiang Younning worked found out about this tradition, and her boss even gave her a special pass, allowing Jiang Younning to leave work thirty minutes early every Monday to go to the traditional market and supermarket to buy ingredients. This was a small perk that was exclusive to Lu Ke and showed his immense popularity in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Of course, Lu Ke wouldn't go home exactly on time. It was just a little past 5 PM when he drove home at a leisurely pace. His neighbors greeted him warmly once again, and then Lu Ke sat down in the familiar living room.
On the coffee table were all kinds of hometown snacks, all handmade by Jiang Younning: beef jerky, peanuts, dried bamboo shoots, walnuts, nougat... Jiang Younning consulted professionals, including Lu Ke's private nutritionist and the team's official nutritionist, to get recipes and confirm that all the ingredients were up to standard before making them herself.
Lu Ke comfortably sat on the sofa, holding a container of walnuts, slowly relaxing.
Until there was a knock on the door. "Knock, knock."
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