For a long time, Lu Ke had believed that professional athletes had a strong sense of professionalism and would never lose a game on purpose. Not only would that violate the spirit of sportsmanship, but it would also break the rules of the game. But now, Lu Ke realized he was too naive. It was true that players would not intentionally lose a game, but a lack of rapport, coordination, and team spirit was enough to get a game stuck in the mud.
Not every player has a sense of professionalism.
Suddenly, Lu Ke found himself in a trap.
His opponents, the Dallas Cowboys, were his mortal enemies. Their fans wanted to tear Lu Ke to shreds with their jeers. On his own team, Alex Smith was about to return, and the internal factional struggle was becoming clearer. His own fans refused to believe in Lu Ke's ability. They wanted victory, more victories, or they would refuse to support him as the starting quarterback.
This wasn't just internal strife and external threats; it was worse. The phrase "ten-sided ambush" was the only way to accurately describe Lu Ke's current situation.
In the third week of the regular season, it was likely that the starting quarterback position would be open for competition, with Lu Ke and Alex Smith facing off. In the fourth week of the regular season, if all went well, Colin Kaepernick would join the competition, stirring up the waters.
Lu Ke was the third choice on the team, and that had always been the case. But now, Lu Ke had one more chance to turn that "third choice" into "first choice" and stay in the starting quarterback position rather than being a fleeting meteor. That chance was this week's game. Victory was Lu Ke's only goal and the only outcome he could accept.
This game wasn't just another regular season game. Lu Ke would be fighting for himself, for victory, and for his career.
When he was a practice player, every game could have been his last. Now that he was in the league, every game was even more critical. One small mistake could undo all of his hard work. So, for Lu Ke, this was his Super Bowl.
No matter who was on the other side, Kevin Preston or Tony Romo, Lu Ke's goal would not and could not waver.
So, Lu Ke raised his chin slightly and gave a confident smile to Parys. He didn't back down or show fear. He faced the challenge head-on. "I will not let victory slip through my fingers!" With those simple words, Lu Ke showed great confidence. The bright and determined light in his eyes was filled with a sense of resolve.
Even if he had to use up all of his special skills, he was determined to win this game.
As the team bus slowly drove into the player's tunnel, Lu Ke's mission alert sounded at the right time.
"Game Missions:
Complete a touchdown in the official game. Requirements: None. Reward: Base points +1 for each touchdown.Complete passing yards in the official game. Requirements: At least 150 passing yards. Reward: Base points +1.Win the official game. Requirements: None. Reward: Base points +3."
There were only three missions, a decrease in both quantity and quality. Lu Ke was mentally prepared for this.
Over the past year, Lu Ke had received three game missions. Each game was very special and included many "firsts," so there were naturally more missions. But this week's game was just an ordinary regular season game. In the long season ahead, there were fourteen similar games waiting.
So, it was impossible for every game to be as special as before unless there was another special mission.
However, based on the situation today, even though it was a matchup against their mortal enemies, the Dallas Cowboys, the system had not given him a special mission. This was probably because the rivalry between the two had been too calm over the past fifteen years to create more of a spark.
The base points for winning the game were also only three. It seemed that this would be the norm from now on.
But regardless of the system missions, winning this game was still a goal Lu Ke had to achieve. There was no way out.
The long whistle blew, and the San Francisco 49ers' and Dallas Cowboys' Week 2 regular season game officially began. David Akers, the San Francisco 49ers' kicker, ran up and kicked the ball, starting the game this afternoon.
The Dallas Cowboys won the coin toss and chose to receive the ball first. So, the San Francisco 49ers kicked off, and the Dallas Cowboys received and returned the ball to determine the starting position of their offense. However, the Cowboys were in no hurry to start their offense and chose a fair catch.
A fair catch is when the receiver catches the football, brings his hands together in front of his chest, and kneels on one knee. This action means that the receiver gives up the right to return the ball and will start the offense from where they caught it. In this case, the opposing players are not allowed to tackle or hit the receiver. Otherwise, it would be a penalty.
Usually, a receiver will choose a fair catch if they can't find a good return route, if it's a critical moment in the game and they need to save time, if they lose their balance or are in danger of getting injured while receiving the ball, or in the first offensive drive of the game when everyone is still warming up to avoid injuries.
In these situations, the receiver will choose a fair catch.
So, the Dallas Cowboys' offense, led by Tony Romo, took the field and started their drive from their own 17-yard line.
Romo is a descendant of Latinos. His father was a second-generation Mexican immigrant, and his mother was of German and Polish descent.
In the United States, it's not just Asian players who are not seen on the football field. Latino communities also rarely play football because the sport has strict requirements for playing fields and is more popular in more affluent cities. They generally consider it a "white man's sport."
In contrast, sports like basketball and baseball, which have no restrictions on playing fields, are more popular in low-income neighborhoods.
But Romo was born in Wisconsin, the home of the Green Bay Packers. The state has a long tradition of football and is one of the most stable and prosperous football markets in the league. So, in high school, Romo chose to play both football and basketball, but he later gave up basketball to focus on football.
Romo is a very good quarterback with precise passing, flexible footwork, and a strong build that allows him to withstand pressure. Under his leadership, the Dallas Cowboys' offense had indeed made good progress. However, his tendency to choke in critical moments seemed to be his trademark. He lacked the powerful and aggressive confidence needed to close out games.
In a sense, Romo and Lu Ke are very similar. They both have talent but are limited by their reputation and background, and they both went undrafted. During the offseason, they both went on tryouts and eventually found a job. Tonight, the matchup between the two undrafted quarterbacks certainly has enough reason to draw people's attention and discussion.
In the Dallas Cowboys' first offensive drive, Romo showed his near-elite talent. He and running back Felix Jones worked well together, mixing passing and running plays, faking runs and passes. The entire offense was well-paced and steadily advanced down the field.
His passing performance was especially impressive. Facing two third-down situations, Romo used his passing to get a first down. One was a successful pass to the talented second-year wide receiver Dez Bryant, and the other was an advance with tight end Jason Witten. Both times, he successfully led the team to continue the drive.
The entire drive took six minutes and thirty-three seconds. In the end, Romo completed a four-yard pass to wide receiver Miles Austin for a touchdown. After the special teams kicked the extra point, the Dallas Cowboys led 7-0.
In the very first drive of the game, the Dallas Cowboys scored a touchdown. More importantly, Romo's performance was exceptional. He completed seven of nine passes for fifty-eight yards, showing his hot hand and continuing his excellent performance from the first week of the regular season.
Last year, the Dallas Cowboys had a bad season with six wins and ten losses. But after adjusting in the offseason, the entire team was revitalized and showed strong competitiveness. This is the NFL: there are no absolutely weak teams. Every season is a new start, and all expectations and strength can be completely different.
Facing their long-time rivals, the Dallas Cowboys showed great form. With the swagger and confidence of America's Team, they took the lead at Candlestick Park.
For the Cowboys, this was the best possible start. It seemed like people were once again recalling last week's game. The only difference was that the Cowboys were in the lead, which felt like a bad omen.
So, how would the San Francisco 49ers respond?
There were nearly twenty thousand Cowboys fans who traveled for the game. The 49ers fans still lacked enough confidence in their team, so the visiting fans were able to buy so many tickets. But even so, Candlestick Park's seventy thousand seats were still full.
The twenty thousand Cowboys fans started to cheer loudly, showing off to the opposing fans. But the fifty thousand 49ers fans were not to be outdone. All the dullness from the last game was gone as they screamed and shouted to cheer on their team. They were also hoping that the rookie quarterback would have another impressive performance.
The entire Candlestick Park was a sea of noise. The thunderous shouts were like two great floods colliding, creating a spectacular display of sparks that glistened in the bright golden sunlight.
Lu Ke led the San Francisco 49ers' offense onto the field.
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