Chapter 827: Frenzied Adoration
After the Thursday night game ended, the media truly went crazy.
The San Francisco 49ers' seven-game winning streak gave this team, with its long history and countless fans, a new hope for a revival. From being a dark horse last year to an absolutely dominant force this year, San Francisco was once again in the running for a championship.
Because of the huge score difference in the division matchup, many people had anticipated a victory, but they hadn't expected the final score to be so lopsided. The San Francisco 49ers had previously beaten the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills by large margins, but this was the Seattle Seahawks, the team that had beaten the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots this season. The final score was simply unbelievable.
The continuous player showdowns also created a lot of buzz. "Lu Ke vs. Sherman" and "Lu Ke vs. Wilson" were two youthful matchups that generated a lot of headlines. From the pre-game hype to the post-game chatter, the clear and simple outcome of the game cleanly separated the winners from the losers in the public opinion.
Lu Ke vs. Sherman
Both were second-year players, both were players who were severely underestimated in last year's draft, and both were players who had taken their performance to the next level this season. One was on offense, the other on defense. One was a quarterback, the other a cornerback. One was a tactical mastermind, the other a defensive stalwart.
All those similarities turned into a head-to-head confrontation on the field, and everything made this matchup fiery.
The final result was that Lu Ke threw the ball in Sherman's direction twelve times. Sherman successfully defended four times but failed eight times, which directly or indirectly led to three touchdowns. Of course, Earl Thomas, who was also defending on the same side, had to share some of the responsibility, but there was no question that Lu Ke completely dominated Sherman again.
Some people might be wondering why.
Last season, Sherman lacked experience, his positioning wasn't accurate, and his rhythm was off, leading to frequent missteps in his one-on-one coverage and a crushing defeat. But this season, Sherman has grown into an excellent cornerback. His positioning and anticipation are precisely his strengths. Why was he still helpless in this game? Was it just because he was not in good form?
The reason is simple: tactical design.
On a strategic level, Lu Ke was already at a vantage point, just like in a game of Go. The offense was able to calculate the defense's moves three, four, or even more plays ahead. They could set up their plays in advance and find a way to break through before the defense could form a wall.
According to the post-game technical statistics, Lu Ke had eleven fakes, formation changes, and delayed throws before the actual throw. He repeatedly disrupted the defense's anticipation and positioning, and then used a full-field, short-and-long-pass combination to launch his attack, completely messing up Sherman's defensive rhythm.
Of course, all of this was based on the fact that the offensive line's pocket protection was solid and stable enough to give Lu Ke more time to scan and change the plays. It was a step-by-step process that led to this outcome.
The so-called "simple" was only relative. Lu Ke once again showcased his strengths, and after a season of experience, he grew quickly, which made the game seem simple. But the difficulty of the actual operation was far beyond imagination. This also shows the transformation and maturity of Lu Ke after the offseason adjustments.
In the third consecutive matchup between the two division rivals, Sherman was once again completely outplayed. The player who was slowly becoming a top-tier cornerback seemed to have met his destined kryptonite. It wasn't that he was out of form or playing badly; it was that his opponent was too clever and too powerful.
So, what kind of sparks will they create in their next matchup?
Compared to "Lu Ke vs. Cam Newton," these two rookies from the same draft class had much more exciting direct confrontations on the field because of their positions. What's more, the Carolina Panthers were once again in a difficult situation this season, with a record of one win and five losses. The focus on the number one overall pick was slowly fading.
Compared to Cam, who was hitting the rookie wall, the matchup between Lu Ke and Sherman was much more interesting.
Lu Ke vs. Wilson
There's no need for unnecessary words; the stats speak for themselves.
Russell Wilson: 12 completions on 26 attempts for 133 yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions, two sacks, a QB rating of 29.8, and a PFF grade of -1.9.Lu Ke: 28 completions on 43 attempts for 402 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions, a QB rating of 118.6, and a PFF grade of 1.5.
This is a very simple side-by-side comparison, and all the stats are clear at a glance.
This game was the worst performance of Russell's entire career. From the NCAA to the NFL, this was his most terrible game in all those years, even worse than when he was a clueless rookie.
Although the continuous pressure from the San Francisco 49ers' defense must be taken into consideration and the Seattle Seahawks' offensive line's pocket protection was non-existent, Russell still couldn't find any excuses. All his technical skills were in a mess, and he couldn't effectively organize the offense. There was nothing to praise about his performance.
Later, this game was considered the biggest stain on Russell's career and became a turning point for him to work harder. The reason for this was the comparison with Lu Ke's stats.
It's not because Lu Ke's stats were so impressive.
In fact, with a 65.1% completion rate, this was Lu Ke's season low. The incomplete passes caused by the receivers' poor form were clearly reflected in the stats. But in the overall stats, the passing yards were 402 yards, which was the second time this season that Lu Ke had passed for over four hundred yards. These two sets of stats lead to one conclusion:
Efficiency.
Even though the receivers' performance was not satisfactory, Lu Ke was still able to find open spaces. He used his pre-game anticipation and play design to create more mismatches, more one-on-one matchups, and more open spaces for his receivers. Ted Ginn, Logan Newman, and Randy Moss all had long runs of over thirty yards after the catch.
A quarterback's passing yards are calculated in two parts: the distance the football travels in the air and the distance the player runs after the catch. Similarly, a receiver's yards are also calculated in these two parts. A player who only has the former is just a decent tactical pawn. A player who has the latter is a true top-tier receiver.
The fact that Vernon and Ginn and others were not in their best form in this game specifically refers to the latter.
They might have been able to make the catch, but their positioning, rhythm, and adjustments at the moment of the catch, as well as their ability to find open spaces and continue to run after the turn, were not at their best. They couldn't gain more yards with their running, which made the offense's drive choppy.
In other words, the team's offense had not fully recovered, but Lu Ke still played a brilliant game. With his performance, he activated the entire offense, finding ways to advance and score touchdowns. From the results, Lu Ke did an excellent job.
More importantly, Lu Ke also effectively controlled his mistakes. He had no fumbles and no interceptions, which is absolutely crucial for a quarterback to control the game.
You can only see the difference when you compare.
With Lu Ke as a backdrop, Russell's inexperience and immaturity were obvious.
This wasn't just a difference between a first-year and a second-year player. Even compared to Lu Ke's rookie season, Russell's performance still has a lot of room for improvement.
Of course, the fact that Russell was able to beat Aaron Rodgers' Green Bay Packers and Tom Brady's New England Patriots still speaks to his ability. But the factor that needs to be considered is that those two games were at home. The important question is how he will perform when he's playing on the road against a division rival.
"Lu Ke vs. Sherman": Lu Ke wins.
"Lu Ke vs. Wilson": Lu Ke wins.
This was not just for this game. In fact, because they were division rivals, it was easy to see that Lu Ke and Richard Sherman, who were in the same draft class, and Lu Ke and Russell Wilson, who were only a year apart, would have many more confrontations in the future. The grudges between them will surely give every matchup more to talk about.
Just a year ago, people were lamenting that the NFC West division had lacked a sense of history and fiery matchups for the past decade. Aside from the rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and the St. Louis Rams, the other matchups didn't have much media attention.
But now, because of the San Francisco 49ers' rise, everything seems to have become exciting. Furthermore, this season's Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, and Arizona Cardinals have also improved their performance and strength, which means every matchup will surely have more topics for discussion.
It goes without saying that this game was the best proof of that.
During the game, the TV ratings in both the Seattle and San Francisco areas reached new highs, easily surpassing the ratings of any regular season game in the past two seasons and even surpassing the viewership of playoff games.
At the same time, the activity on social networks also reached a new high. In the past year, in both cities, the topic was second only to the Super Bowl earlier this year. It easily broke a series of records, especially the verbal war between the two teams' fans, which spread far and wide and was getting more and more intense.
After the game, at the home and away press conferences at Candlestick Park, the topic was also a hot one. Sherman, who had made provocative comments before the game, was undoubtedly the center of attention. Reporters surrounded him three-deep, and questions about Lu Ke, the bet, and the game came at him fast and furious.
A tidal wave! This was a true tidal wave!
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