The second week of the regular season was underway, and ESPN's football column show, "Inside the League," was once again recording its weekly show. Ten of the industry's top experts were invited to predict the winners of this week's sixteen games.
Before each season, ESPN adjusts the lineup of experts, adding new faces to keep the predictions fresh and professional while also maintaining their credibility. This lineup would remain for the entire season, until the Super Bowl. Afterward, they would look back at the ten experts' success rates to assess their authority and expertise.
However, in the first week of the regular season, only one of the ten experts was left standing: Spencer Larson. He was the only expert who predicted that the San Francisco 49ers would beat the Seattle Seahawks.
For this week's head-to-head matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys, the ten ESPN experts once again gave their opinions. The split was "8 vs. 2," with eight experts predicting that the Dallas Cowboys would win and only two experts believing that the San Francisco 49ers would have the last laugh.
Clearly, the performance of the NFC's Best Offensive Player had not yet won over the picky and arrogant industry experts. The lopsided predictions were too obvious and overwhelming.
Faced with the onslaught of eight experts, Spencer Larson and Jessica Karney were outnumbered. Especially in the face of the absolutely dominant Charles Davis, they were completely at a disadvantage and couldn't even get a word in.
Charles's passionate and spittle-flying voice echoed through the studio. "Dallas Cowboys! Dallas Cowboys! Dallas Cowboys! This is the only possibility! End of discussion!" Finally, Charles slapped his hands on the table as if he were a judge banging his gavel, and he declared, "Case closed!"
His decisive, aggressive, and unquestionable momentum completely blew up the ratings for this episode. A massive discussion spread across the internet. At least, from the audience's feedback, Charles Davis had won the hearts of the people. Aside from the San Francisco 49ers' own fans, no one seemed to believe that Lu Ke could repeat his performance from the first week.
Facing this outcome and the confident Charles, the Dallas Cowboys' fans who were pouring into Candlestick Park also voiced their approval.
"Go back and suck your thumb!" "Play a few more years on the bench before you talk about being a starter." "In front of the mighty Cowboys, you'd better not get weak in the knees!" "Bambi, go home to your mommy, with tears in your eyes."
"Are you sure you found the right stadium? Are you sure you're not lost? Go back and play your girly basketball!" "It's not too late to regret it, or you'll pee your pants!" "Bookworm, this is a football field. Go back to your office and balance the books!"
The crude and wild slogans surrounded Candlestick Park without end. Fans dressed as cowboys, fans with painted faces, and even fans carrying bull horns flocked to San Francisco's Candlestick Park. The endless navy blue, fierce and aggressive, scattered the gold and red like a vast ocean, nearly drowning Candlestick Park.
The San Francisco 49ers' home stadium was facing a fan crisis and had become the Dallas Cowboys' territory!
The vicious and brutal slogans were everywhere, with everyone pointing their cannons at Lu Ke alone. Quarterbacks were already the main target of criticism, and now Lu Ke was the target of everyone's attacks. It felt as if the whole world was against Lu Ke.
Gradually, the golden and red volcanic magma flowed into the vast ocean. The local San Francisco 49ers fans began to arrive at Candlestick Park, scattering the navy blue crowd with bright and vibrant colors, slowly lighting up the entire world. They aggressively announced, "This is the 49ers' home field!"
"Get out! The Gold Rushers don't welcome looters!" "This is the 49ers' turf, not for savages!" "Your quarterback: 'The Fumble.' Our quarterback: Five touchdowns!"
"Get ready to beg for mercy!" "You're talking a big game because you haven't seen how good Lu Ke is!" "The Master of Mistakes, the Team of Mistakes. You're not America's Team; you're America's shame!" "Besides selling jerseys, do you even remember how to play football?"
The San Francisco 49ers' cheering slogans were not to be outdone. They went directly on the offensive without any hesitation. There were no strange costumes, just simple team jerseys. The bright red and gold merged into one, like a flood bursting through a dam. The powerful and fierce impact gradually turned the tide, slowly transforming Candlestick Park back into a sea of red and gold.
A group of fans gathered together, each holding a half-person-high white board with a single word on it. When all the fans stood together, they formed a huge banner that rivaled a wall, asking, "'The Catch' again?"
This was, of course, a mockery of the 1981 NFC Championship game. This one slogan alone was enough to make the Cowboys and 49ers fans turn on each other. What's more, it was a massive banner, like a loud slap in the face of the visiting fans.
Enemies. This was what a rivalry was all about: a fight to the death with no turning back. After being dormant for nearly fifteen years, the rivalry was reignited in this week's game. Both sides were like bulls with bloodshot eyes, ready to charge.
The Dallas Cowboys fans were immediately enraged, and their cheers and shouts began to get out of control.
First, a Cowboys fan threw a rock at the giant banner, and then a 49ers fan tried to stop him.
Next, a Cowboys fan held up a huge poster with a cartoon of a kneeling Lu Ke bowing down to a cowboy-like Romo. Then a 49ers fan used a wooden stick to tear the poster.
Then... someone started a physical fight. It was impossible to tell who started it. One person, two... and it eventually turned into a massive brawl with fifty or sixty people. Fortunately, no one rolled up their sleeves and started throwing punches. It was just a lot of pushing, cursing, and pulling, but the situation was getting out of control.
The San Francisco 49ers' security personnel quickly stepped in and separated the angry fans. Riot police quickly intervened, nipping the potential riot in the bud. They forcibly separated the fans and opened the gates, dispersing the crowds.
"Let's see who's who on the field!"
"Don't lose and cry for your mommy!"
"Go to hell!"
"F---!"
The curses continued to echo around Candlestick Park. The tension didn't subside; it continued to rise. The rivalry was living up to its name, once again bringing back memories of the 1990s.
When the San Francisco 49ers' team bus arrived at Candlestick Park, the chaos had been brought under control, but the atmosphere was still bubbling, like boiling water churning and twisting. The hot air seemed to have twisted, as if it were the middle of a hot summer day, with the scorching sun and muggy heat making people restless.
Through the window, Lu Ke could clearly see all kinds of slogans, but compared to the first game, the malicious language was quickly disappearing.
"You want respect? Lu Ke, do it again!"
"Five touchdowns, you can have it."
"Bambi, run, run fast!"
"Respect! To Bambi, Lu Ke!"
"Win another game, and you'll have our support."
"One game isn't enough! One game isn't enough! We need more victories!"
"We beg to be proven wrong. We beg to be crushed. We beg for a spectacular performance. We beg to be abused! Bambi, we are waiting to be proven wrong for the second consecutive week! Come on, come on!"
When Lu Ke saw the last slogan, and then the burly men holding the banner, he couldn't help but laugh out loud. The scene was too beautiful, and Lu Ke felt a little embarrassed.
"What's wrong?" Logan also became curious and stood up, looking over Lu Ke's shoulder at the surging crowd outside the window. "Are they still cursing Jack and Anne? Those guys!" Logan was referring to Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning. In the post-game interview of the last game, Logan had specifically condemned the fans' irrational behavior.
"No. They still don't want to believe me, and they're begging to be proven wrong. That's all," Lu Ke said nonchalantly. When he saw the look on Logan's face, the atmosphere immediately became more lighthearted.
In the distance, Lu Ke could see the Dallas Cowboys' fans, with their fierce expressions, constant roaring, and middle fingers raised high. The thunderous noise pierced through the thirty-meter gap and the bus windows, exploding clearly inside the bus. The quiet and stuffy environment suddenly became loud and chaotic.
Rivals. Lu Ke finally had a real sense of what it meant.
Logan also noticed the provocation from the Dallas Cowboys fans and couldn't help but look back at the undercurrents inside the bus. The rookie players were all sitting in the front half of the bus, while the veteran players were gathered in the back half. The players who were neutral and kept to themselves were scattered in the middle.
It was clear that the rookie players were being ostracized. The atmosphere was a bit stiff, as if there was a clear line separating them. With Alex Smith's return to training and Colin Kaepernick's meddling, the factional struggle was now coming to the surface.
"So, are you confident about tonight's game?" Logan let out a long sigh. Football is a team sport. Without the support of his teammates, they couldn't win. Even Logan was getting a headache.
Lu Ke also followed Logan's gaze and looked back. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he saw Parys.
Parys raised his chin proudly, with a playful and provocative smile on his lips, as if to say, "There's no place for you here. You'd better know your place." Then, Parys raised his right hand and gave a thumbs-up, slowly running it across his throat, making a slashing motion. The message was as clear as day.
They were teammates, but they stood on completely different sides. How were they supposed to play this game?
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