Chapter 773: Love the new and hate the old
Compared with Andrew Luck’s old bacon, Goff and Prescott are obviously more attractive, so the league arranged a night game stage, looking forward to a game that represents the future. youth showdown.
Last season, Goodell had high expectations for Donald, the league's defensive player of the year. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles Rams were not strong enough and stopped in the wild card round, disrupting the overall plan and forcing the league to force other matchups.
This season, the Los Angeles Rams made a comeback, even better and stronger than last year, and became the favorite to win the championship. Goodell once again ignited hope, looking forward to Donald being able to keep pace with Levi.
"Los Angeles Rams vs. Dallas Cowboys", this is the first step.
However, the ideal is very full, and the reality is very skinny——
The game is not good to watch.
I can’t say it’s crashing or boring, it just simply doesn’t look good.
Slightly different from the first divisional game, this game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys is generally considered to be more comprehensive and exciting.
Offense is on the one hand, both teams have heavy weapons; defense is on the other hand, the defensive quality of both teams is among the best this season. Once the offense and defense are fully opened, the game will be good to watch.
Unfortunately, it backfired.
Here, there is another key factor:
The focus and pressure of the playoffs.
Its existence is always an unknown factor. Some people may burn the small universe and perform exceptionally, others may be restrained and perform abnormally, and still others may be completely lost in the dazzling spotlight of the playoffs.
In front of you, that's it.
For the second consecutive season, the Los Angeles Rams performed well in the regular season but struggled in the playoffs; this time, the Dallas Cowboys also struggled.
The excitement of the game also dropped again and again, and it was really hard to describe how good it was.
The two quarterbacks Goff and Prescott still exposed their youth, and both got into trouble despite their excellent performance in the regular season——
Goff, with a pass completion rate of 53.4%, 186 passing yards and no touchdowns.
Prescott had a pass completion rate of 62.5%, 266 passing yards, and a touchdown.
The overall slump was not even because of how well the opponent's defensive team performed, but because he was completely lost and couldn't find the rhythm of the game.
In the end, the Los Angeles Rams still relied on a solid ground attack to open up the situation.
Moreover, it was not Gurley. Gurley, the Los Angeles Rams' number one running back, was also misfired. Fortunately, CJ Anderson, the number two running back, stepped forward and saved the Los Angeles Rams.
"22:30".
The Los Angeles Rams, who were sitting at home, relied on a wave of flow in the second quarter to seal the victory, thrillingly defeating the Dallas Cowboys and advancing to the next round with their heads held high.
Goodell took a long breath and shook his head slightly deep in his heart——
Los Angeles Rams, please rise up, okay? Opportunities will not always appear, and when they do, you need to grasp them firmly, otherwise it will be too late to regret.
Although the first divisional game was boring, at least Goodell could see the positive side; in the second divisional game, Goodell could only sigh:
It would be great if we win. If you win, there is hope. There is really no need to force it.
The first game of the divisional round comes to an end:
One game was completely one-sided, and another game was sluggish and chaotic.
This is hard to comment on.
But this is the playoffs, just like the knockout rounds of the World Cup. Everyone is looking forward to exciting showdowns. However, reality often brings surprises. These uncontrollable unknowns are also the most fascinating aspect of competitive sports.
Keep moving forward, eyes turning to the second game day of the divisional round.
However! but! Never expected it!
Exactly the same!
The second game day was exactly the same as the first day. It could be called a copy and paste. The only difference was that the order of the games was reversed by one position.
Game 1, "New Orleans Saints VS Philadelphia Eagles." Dull, blundering, confusing.
There were misfires across the board, interceptions were flying all over the place, and the ball possessions were converted one after another due to mistakes. Just like the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys, even the state of elite quarterback Brees was hard to describe.
Although, Brees still relied on his rich experience to gain a foothold. In the final fourth quarter, he played a classic offense that took a full 11 minutes. He used short passes and running the ball to consume the game time, and faced the third-speed transition several times. Escape from death time and time again, and then end with a free kick, minimizing the time for the Philadelphia Eagles offensive team to counterattack.
Although the Philadelphia Eagles offense still got three minutes and 21 seconds of offensive time; this time, Foles failed to replicate the magical aura of last season, and the Hail Mary attempt ended in failure.
"14:20".
The New Orleans Saints fought hard to advance.
When the buzzer sounded at the end of the game, Foles looked lonely.
Standing in the middle of the court, Foles recalled the moment of last year's Super Bowl defeat. He was bitter and unwilling, but Levi came to him:
Not the end. See you next year.
Just a greeting has become the courage for Foles to fight and persevere throughout the season. He is looking forward to another decisive battle with Levi at the top of the Forbidden City.
However, the stumbling steps throughout the season finally came to an abrupt end. Unfortunately, he was unable to fulfill his agreement with Levi.
What's worse is that the fate of Foles and Wentz, the two quarterbacks, is about to come to a crossroads in the offseason. This time Foles has no confidence that the team's front office will keep him again.
Fowles took a deep breath and exhaled it heavily:
Levi, the next step is up to you. I hope you can continue to fight, at least so that we can continue to believe that dreams exist.
Game 2, "New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Chargers."
All the attention, absolute focus.
Unfortunately, the Los Angeles Flash Crash occurred.
Like the Indianapolis Colts, they collapsed under the same expectations and pressure, but in a slightly different way.
Quarterback Rivers performed well, continuing his regular-season form of killing all sides, standing up and strong against the New England Patriots' defense.
However, the Los Angeles Lightning's ground attack was completely interrupted by Belichick, and the ground attack only advanced 21 yards in the entire game——
Just 21 yards.
This caused the entire burden of the Los Angeles Lightning offense to fall on Rivers' shoulders. Although Rivers played well, he was ultimately unable to sustain himself alone.
In contrast, the New England Patriots' offense is fully open.
Brady is in good condition, but has obvious ups and downs. He seems to be disturbed by rumors outside the field and loses concentration. He has 300 passing yards and three interceptions.
However, Brady received the support of the team's ground attack to share the pressure. The three running backs scored four touchdowns together, ensuring that the New England Patriots could continue to output firepower in the cold weather in Foxborough.
The game was exciting, but it still failed to meet expectations. The overall process perfectly fit the "Kansas Chiefs VS Indianapolis Colts" showdown, and the suspense did not last too long.
"28:41".
The New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Chargers without a fight to advance to the conference finals.
At this point, the divisional competition has come to an end.
(End of chapter)