Chapter 589: The Dark Horse's Comeback
Once the playoffs officially began, time seemed to speed up like a tornado, whooshing by. Before you knew it, the wild card games were already over.
On January 7, the NFC third seed, the New Orleans Saints, defeated the sixth seed, the Detroit Lions, with a final score of 45-28. The AFC third seed, the Houston Texans, defeated the sixth seed, the Cincinnati Bengals, with a final score of 31-10.
On January 8, the NFC fourth seed, the New York Giants, defeated the fifth seed, the Atlanta Falcons, with a final score of 24-2. The AFC fourth seed, the Denver Broncos, defeated the fifth seed, the Pittsburgh Steelers, with a final score of 29-23.
In other words, all the higher seeds defeated the lower seeds and advanced to the next round. What's more, almost all of them won by a large margin, showing a huge difference in strength, not like a playoff game at all, but more like a strong team defeating a weak one. As a result, all the divisional matchups became battles between the higher seeds.
In the NFC, the Green Bay Packers played against the New York Giants, and the San Francisco 49ers played against the New Orleans Saints.
In the AFC, the New England Patriots played against the Denver Broncos, and the Baltimore Ravens played against the Houston Texans.
Among the four wild card games, the only unexpectedly close game was the one between the Broncos and the Steelers.
"The Chosen One," Tim Tebow, once again became the focus of the entire league's attention, even surpassing many other rookie players like Lu Ke, Cam Newton, and Andy Dalton, because this time, Tebow won a playoff game, and he defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were a favorite to win the championship! A miracle was born!
With a record of 8-8, the Denver Broncos barely made it into the playoffs. They were undoubtedly the least favored team among all the playoff teams in the entire league. Their starting quarterback, Tebow, was a laughingstock to everyone. No one thought they could defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had the number one defense in the league. Tebow's college wildcat formation would have been a walk in the park for the Steelers' defense.
Before the game even officially began, people were already discussing how the Pittsburgh Steelers were bound to become a time bomb in the AFC playoffs this year. After they defeated the Denver Broncos, they would face the New England Patriots, led by Tom Brady, and another classic matchup between these two absolute powerhouses of the AFC would be born. But everyone was proven wrong!
In this wild card game, Tebow had a complete breakout in the second quarter, with a score of 20-0 in that quarter, gaining an absolute advantage and completely stunning the Steelers. In the second half, Ben Roethlisberger finally woke up and led the offense and defense to launch a full-scale counterattack. As the game time was about to expire, the Steelers tied the score 23-23, successfully forcing the game into overtime.
In overtime, the Denver Broncos got the first possession. On the first pass of the first down, Tebow found his wide receiver, Demaryius Thomas, with a short pass over the middle. Thomas ran all the way from his own 20-yard line, rushing 80 yards to the opponent's end zone for a touchdown, ending the game. According to the NFL's official rules, in overtime, as long as one side scores a touchdown first, the game is over, without any extra points. It's like the golden goal in soccer, a sudden death.
The final score was 29-23. The Denver Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers. After the victory, Tebow knelt on one knee by himself, praying devoutly and thanking God. That photo went viral on the internet. At the same time, social media also saw a huge wave of reactions. It seemed that everyone had joined in this frenzy of surprise and disbelief. On Twitter, there were more than 9,000 tweets about the game per second on average, which was almost twice the number of tweets when bin Laden was killed, setting a new historical record for Twitter. All the users were exclaiming, "The Chosen One's miracle from God." It was precisely because everything was so unbelievable that God's favor seemed to be the best explanation.
In 2009, the New Orleans Saints ended the regular season with three consecutive losses. But after entering the playoffs, they became a powerhouse, sweeping everyone in their path and eventually defeating the Indianapolis Colts, led by Peyton Manning, in the Super Bowl, successfully winning the first Super Bowl trophy in their team's history. At the same time, this also set a record: the first team in league history to win the Super Bowl after ending the regular season with a losing streak.
In 2011, the Denver Broncos also ended the regular season with three consecutive losses, barely making it into the playoffs. But in the first round, they activated a "divine aura" mode, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers. Does this mean they will also replicate the miracle? So, people began to speculate. Will The Chosen One really make a comeback? In the next game, they will play against the New England Patriots. One is the defiant career of a low-draft-pick quarterback, and the other is the miraculous journey of The Chosen One who became a laughingstock in the league. Who will have the last laugh?
The playoffs are indeed the playoffs. From the matchups to the surprises, anything is possible. The story of a dark horse's comeback always catches people off guard but also gets them excited. For neutral fans, this is a complete party! In an instant, the second round of the divisional playoffs became interesting.
In the NFC, Lu Ke faces Brees! In the AFC, Tebow faces Brady! Both games are about new-generation quarterbacks challenging elite quarterbacks. Also, both quarterbacks have written a fairy-tale-like rise this season, like the Cinderella story, where they stand in front of the prince after casting a magic spell, gaining the attention of the world. The question now is, when will the clock strike midnight? Or will it never strike?
Also, in the NFC, Eli Manning faces Rodgers! Everything is going according to the script that the league had hoped for. Strictly speaking, besides the game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens which is a little less exciting, the other three divisional games are bound to be the focus of everyone's attention. They are a top-tier feast of quarterback matchups that no one wants to miss. But even this exceptional divisional game is quite interesting this year.
The rookie defensive end for the Houston Texans, J.J. Watt, showed his powerful dominance. In the wild card game, he had six solo tackles, three assisted tackles, two quarterback sacks, and one interception returned for a touchdown. This rookie player has already shown a shocking ability to influence the game. After joining the league in 2002, they made it to the playoffs for the first time in their team's history and even passed the first round, which was impressive. The game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens will be a matchup between the league's fourth-ranked defense and the third-ranked defense. At the same time, the clash between rookie defensive end J.J. Watt and Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is bound to spark more discussions.
The four divisional games are also full of hot topics and attention! The playoffs are different after all. Even the weakest team can cause a storm!
After the first round of the playoffs, the losers were quickly forgotten, and the Pittsburgh Steelers were no exception. Their season was over, and all eyes were now on the winners. The discussions about the second round of the divisional playoffs quickly began to heat up.
Needless to say, every playoff game is full of countless variables. Any team can win, and any team can lose. Even the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots, the two favorites to win, are no exception. Every game can be said to be a toss-up, with both teams having an equal chance of winning, including the Denver Broncos. So, predicting the outcome of the playoffs becomes exponentially more difficult.
It was another episode of "Inside the League," and it was Charles Davis again. However, this time, Charles's opinion was supported by his colleagues because after losing his third bet, Charles seemed to finally have reined in his sharp-tongued remarks and became more measured. Also, since the playoffs were a matchup where both sides could win, it was only natural for Charles to make slightly more extreme comments.
Without a doubt, Charles chose the New Orleans Saints, or rather, he chose the San Francisco 49ers' opponent.
"The Saints are in great shape. Brees has arguably reached the peak of his career this season. He leads the entire league in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Although his quarterback rating is behind Rodgers, in my opinion, the Saints have a better chance of winning the championship than the Packers. The reason is simple: the Saints' defense has performed better this season, far exceeding the Packers'."
"In the wild card game, Brees showed his powerful explosiveness. He completely stunned the Lions' defense in the last quarter. He has that kind of ability. Obviously, standing on the playoff stage, this veteran's experience and ability will be key to dominating the game."
"We all remember that the Green Bay Packers are the defending champions, but no one should forget that the New Orleans Saints were the Super Bowl champions the year before. The NFC Championship game this year will most likely be between the Packers and the Saints."
Charles's analysis seemed calm and clear, but it lacked his usual edge and was very conventional. It seemed that after three bets, he had become cautious. In the past, his sharpness was praised by countless fans, but now, his analysis lacked character. It was very logical but too rigid.
The host, Edward Bowen, also felt this and added, "So what about the San Francisco 49ers? Spencer, are you going to give your opinion on the 49ers? Or do you also think that the Saints will win this game?"
Spencer Larsen, the biggest supporter of the San Francisco 49ers this season, and also the commentator with the highest prediction accuracy on "Inside the League" this season, was still unwavering in his stance. "The 49ers. Of course, the 49ers."
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