Chapter 632: All Set to Go
Under the moonlight, Logan and Julia sat side by side. The night was deep, and everything was quiet. When all the city's noise had settled down, the view in front of them took on a different appearance. The clear moonlight made them feel immersed in it. Neither of them spoke, but their agitated moods gradually calmed down.
Inside the house behind them, Austin's cheerful voice could be heard. It stirred up waves of sound in the quiet air, like the sound of waves under the night sky. It was noisy yet had a sense of peace.
"...I told you, I told you a long time ago. Mobile quarterbacks have their strengths, but for a real quarterback, passing is the most important thing. A quarterback is not a running back after all! I knew it! Those teams must regret it now. During the draft, no one was optimistic about Bambi. Haha, now they're all dumbfounded, right?"
Without prior agreement, Logan and Julia both turned their heads to look at each other, exchanged a glance, and then chuckled.
"How long do you think Dad's mood will last?" Julia asked.
"I think about a week," Logan replied. "This victory has been a long time coming. Besides, Bambi's performance today was really outstanding. Even Drew Brees agreed in a post-game interview. Wait, you didn't fall for him because of his performance on the field, did you?"
"Logan!" Julia gasped, showing her shyness.
Logan laughed heartily. His unrestrained laughter startled the fireflies hidden in the grass. The twinkling lights flew up, making the night even more beautiful.
The second Divisional Playoff game of the 2011 season, between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos, officially came to an end.
Before the game, there were many topics and a lot of attention, especially since the other Divisional Playoff game held on the same day, between the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints, was one of the most exciting matchups of the entire season. This made all expectations soar. After the game, there were also many topics and a lot of attention, but it was in a completely different way that it went down in history.
The outcome was determined in just the first half of the game, and it was a brutal one. On the Patriots' side, Tom Brady was in great form, his throws were hot, and his offense was in full swing. He completed 18 of 25 passes for 246 yards, one interception, and threw five touchdowns, becoming the seventh quarterback in history to achieve this record. Following Sid Luckman, Daryle Lamonica, Joe Montana, Kurt Warner, Kerry Collins, and Peyton Manning, another quarterback successfully completed five passing touchdowns in a playoff game before halftime.
On the Broncos' side, Tim Tebow was completely lost. His passing and running game were a complete disaster. He completed 3 of 13 passes for 22 yards and ran for 2 yards. All of his performance was a total catastrophe. In Tebow's sleepwalking-like performance, the Broncos didn't score for the first time until the beginning of the second quarter, when safety Quinton Carter successfully intercepted a pass and returned it into the red zone, and then running back Willis McGahee completed a rushing touchdown. The halftime score was 35-7.
In addition, a humiliating record was also born. Tebow's number of completed passes—three—was even lower than Brady's number of passing touchdowns—five. Tebow's "brilliance" was written down in a way that the world would remember. It was already known that the chosen one couldn't pass, but such a terrible performance was still jaw-dropping.
At halftime, everyone naturally thought that the second half would be garbage time and that the Broncos would have a hard time recreating the miracle of their last-minute win over the Steelers. As it turned out, the audience was right this time. At the end of the game, the final score was 45-10. In the entire second half, the Patriots only got one touchdown and one field goal, while the Broncos only had one field goal. The boring and dull game was completely garbage time. The New England Patriots easily defeated the Denver Broncos and advanced to the AFC Championship Game. The thirty-five-point winning margin also set a new playoff record.
The only suspense during garbage time was whether Tebow could show any signs of recovery. The answer was no.
Tebow's performance was still an unawakened disaster. In the entire game, he completed 9 of 26 passes for 126 yards, ran for 13 yards, and had no touchdowns, one fumble, and no interceptions. In addition, the Broncos' offense also set another playoff history record, with a total of sixteen drives where they failed to gain any yards and even lost yards.
Among them, Tebow's 34.6% completion rate was also a new personal season low. Although his 46.5% completion rate in the regular season was already bad enough, ranking last in the league, who knew he could set a new low in the playoffs and continue to make history? The chosen one's magical journey was indeed magical, just in a different way.
In stark contrast, Brady's performance was like stat-padding. In the entire game, he completed 26 of 34 passes for 363 yards, six passing touchdowns, and one interception. Following Daryle Lamonica, Steve Young, and Drew Brees, Tom Brady became the fourth quarterback in history to throw six touchdowns in a playoff game.
In addition, the New England Patriots also unintentionally broke one of their own curses. In the history of the league, the Patriots were not a traditional powerhouse. Before the 21st century, they only made the playoffs four times in forty years. But after the 21st century, under the leadership of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, this team became the dominant force of the decade. Except for their absence in 2002, they made the playoffs every other year.
Against most teams in the league, the Patriots had more wins than losses, but the Broncos were an exception. Whether in the regular season or the playoffs, the Patriots were completely at a disadvantage in their head-to-head record. After successfully winning this game, the Patriots also defeated the Broncos twice in the same season for the first time since 1964.
If the New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers game hadn't been held earlier, the New England Patriots would have set a series of historical records in this victory. But there is no "if" in reality. Now, all the playoff-related historical records are under the name of the San Francisco 49ers—total yards gained, total points for one team, total points for both teams, and total touchdowns.
The Patriots' performance was so brilliant, yet they still couldn't break the records from the first Divisional Playoff game. This further highlighted how incredible that game was. Both the Saints and the 49ers' performances were stunning to the entire league, and even better than the Patriots' performance!
Just a day ago, there were countless discussions about the Divisional Playoffs. Everyone was looking forward to the "chosen one's" showdown. Tebow and Lu Ke were put together, and people were hoping that the two young players would make a miracle again. Now, they did make a miracle, but in completely different ways.
The next day, two other Divisional Playoff games were played one after another.
The first game was between the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans. This game was undoubtedly a showdown between two defenses. The Ravens created four turnovers, including three interceptions and one forced fumble, and they controlled the outcome of the game. With two minutes left in the game, Ravens safety Ed Reed intercepted a pass from rookie quarterback T.J. Yates, ending the game.
The Texans' defense also performed well. Linebacker Brooks Reed and rookie defensive end J.J. Watt shined on the field. The former contributed six tackles, two and a half sacks, and one forced fumble. The latter contributed nine solo tackles, three combined tackles, and two and a half sacks, making Ravens quarterback Flacco almost invisible. But in the end, the experienced Ravens were slightly better and won with a score of 20-13, advancing to the AFC Championship Game for the third time in history.
The next game was between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants. The process and result of this game were shocking. The Packers, who had swept all their opponents in the regular season, had no feel for the ball in their first playoff game. Their offense and defense were completely out of sync. Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdowns in the entire game, but also had two interceptions. In the seventeen weeks of the regular season, Rodgers only threw six interceptions in total. To throw two in this game was truly unsatisfying.
On the other hand, Eli Manning showed his excellent form with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also had the upper hand in passing yards and passing plays—Manning completed 21 of 33 passes for 330 yards, while Rodgers completed 26 of 46 passes for 264 yards. Unbelievably, Manning was ahead in both completion rate and average passing yards. In the end, the Green Bay Packers lost to the New York Giants with a score of 20-37 at home.
This game also created many historical records. For the second consecutive year and the fourth time in the past five years, the NFC's number one seed was eliminated in the Divisional Playoffs. For six consecutive years, the defending champion did not win a single playoff game on their way to defending their title. For the fourth time in history, a team with fifteen or more wins in the regular season failed to win the Super Bowl—the previous three were the 1998 Minnesota Vikings, the 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers, and the 2007 New England Patriots.
On the other hand, the New York Giants were also making history. This was their fifth consecutive playoff road victory—in 2007, they won the Super Bowl after four consecutive road victories, and this game against the Packers was their fifth. In other words, the Giants were not afraid of playing on the road, and they won every time as an underdog.
At this point, the 2011 playoffs officially entered the Conference Championship stage. In the AFC, the number one seed New England Patriots would play against the number two seed Baltimore Ravens at the Patriots' home field. In the NFC, the number two seed San Francisco 49ers would play against the number four seed New York Giants at the 49ers' home field.
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