Chapter 448: A Brand New Look

After a tumultuous game, Lu Ke successfully defeated the New York Giants and reaped two sets of rewards, increasing his strength once more. But in the blink of an eye, all the rewards were gone. The speed at which they vanished was staggering, and the minimal change in his attributes made him seriously wonder, ‘Had anything really changed?’

Of course, Lu Ke knew this was just an illusion.

Change came week by week. It was like seeing a friend every day—it was hard to notice any difference in each other. But if you didn’t see them for a year, the overall change would become obvious.

The same was true for Lu Ke’s strength. Forget comparing himself to a year ago; just compared to the first week of the regular season, his attributes had already undergone a drastic transformation. His current individual stats were as follows:

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 203 lbs

College: UCLA

Professional Team: San Francisco 49ers

Jersey Number: 14

Physical Fitness: 77/100

Spiritual Quality: 84/100

Tactical Awareness: 95

Willpower: 81

Speed: 70

Strength: 64

Acceleration: 63

Explosiveness: 72

Agility: 72

Jumping: 51

…The above are the basic attributes.

Throwing Power: 81

Short Pass Accuracy: 83

Mid-range Pass Accuracy: 83

Long Pass Accuracy: 85

Tactical Area Accuracy: 75

Running Pass: 72

Fake Pass Action: 45

ball protection ability: 59

Observation Field of View: 90

Ball-Carrying Run: 71

Evasion Ability: 63

blocking ability: 55

dribbling ability: 55

illusionary ability: 55

…The above are the technical stats for a quarterback.

Catching Ability: 38

Route Running: 15

Extreme Catch: 15

Crowd Reception: 15

Instant Burst: 15

…The above are technical stats for receiving skills related to a quarterback.

Resistance to Injury Index: 90

Endurance Index: 80

Recovery Speed: 75

…The above are injury-related attributes connected to physical fitness.

Hidden Attributes:

Luck: -17-75

Anticipation: 82

…The above are special Hidden Attributes.

After more than half a season of intensive improvement, Lu Ke had been completely transformed. In terms of quarterback-related techniques, he had reached the level of an outstanding quarterback. His Tactical Awareness and Observation Field of View had both broken 90, and his passing-related stats had all uniformly entered the 80s. Purely from the numbers on paper, he truly had the ability to defeat most teams in the Alliance.

Among his physical attributes, after some small improvements, Lu Ke had also reached the average level for an Alliance quarterback. With the exception of Jumping, all related stats had reached a passing grade, even breaking into the 70s. For a traditional pocket-passing quarterback who spends most of his time in the pocket, this was already enough.

Of course, Lu Ke’s current physical condition was still incomparable when put next to Cam Newton’s.

Moreover, his technical stats related to the Ball-Carrying Run, Running Pass, and physical confrontations were still dismal. This was especially true for his blocking ability, dribbling ability, and illusionary ability. These three stats were all still at 55, having only increased by a minuscule one point since the start of the season, a change that was barely noticeable in games.

Without using Special Skills, Lu Ke would absolutely never choose to run the ball himself. Therefore, he was still a standard pocket quarterback, not one of the new-generation mobile quarterbacks that were gradually becoming mainstream.

All of his growth was obvious. The Lu Ke of today was no longer just a gimmick as an undrafted Chinese-American quarterback, nor was he merely a substitute brought in to save the day in a crisis. He had earned his place on the field with his own strength. Relying on his nerves of steel, he had been playing at 120% of his ability, leading the team to one victory after another.

Sports were never just a simple, objective game of numbers.

But every time he browsed his Attribute Panel, any budding pride and complacency would quietly subside. Lu Ke could clearly see his shortcomings and recognize his deficiencies.

For example, a 45 in Fake Pass Action and a 59 in ball protection ability were a complete disaster. The former was especially crucial in play-action passes and draw plays.

In previous games, opposing Defense Teams were still unfamiliar with Lu Ke and hadn’t figured out his playbook. So, no matter how bad his Fake Pass Action was, play-action passes could still succeed. But in the long run, once everyone had studied him thoroughly, that 45 in Fake Pass Action would become a shooting target, practically begging opposing Defense Teams to sack him.

For another example, his 64 Strength and 72 Explosiveness were critical for controlling long passes in key moments. If Lu Ke could just stand still and pass like a wooden post, his 81 Throwing Power and 85 Long Pass Accuracy would be sufficient. But in an actual game, the pocket was Fierce Waves, so Lu Ke needed even greater explosiveness and control.

Strength was the baseline, while explosiveness was control. The combination of the two had a cascading effect on the details of his passing power, accuracy, and control.

Furthermore, his basic quarterback passing skills like Short Pass Accuracy, Mid-range Pass Accuracy, Long Pass Accuracy, and Tactical Area Accuracy had yet to break 90. These were a quarterback’s bread and butter, the main components of his arsenal.

Look at Alex Smith. Lacking that long-pass piece of the puzzle, his entire tactical system was incomplete, becoming a fatal constraint. Then look at Cam Newton. His passing accuracy completely lacked stability, forcing him to choose the running option more often after a read, relying on his physical gifts to win games. The physical toll that took on a quarterback was immeasurable.

Lu Ke already had numerous shortcomings, and his passing accuracy was his trump card. But now that his trump card hadn’t improved further, it was limiting his ability to exert more control over the game.

From a lenient perspective, Lu Ke was already an above-average quarterback. With the concerted effort of his teammates, he had achieved a proud record of eight wins and one loss, second in the entire Alliance only to the Green Bay Packers. But from a stricter perspective, Lu Ke was still not an elite quarterback. His weaknesses were too pronounced, and his strengths weren’t strong enough. He still had a long way to go.

Every professional athlete needs to be a perfectionist, to nitpick their own performance and constantly strive for improvement. Lu Ke was no different.

He wouldn’t slow the pace of his training, nor would he relax his pace of growth. Even if completing a daily training task only yielded a single basic attribute point, it was still critically important to him.

The victory over the New York Giants was in the past. Now, the most important thing for the San Francisco 49ers was their next opponent: a divisional arch-rival, the Arizona Cardinals.

According to the NFL’s special playoff format, as long as a team wins their division title, they will make the playoffs regardless of their record—even with a seven-win, nine-loss record like the Seattle Seahawks once had. That year, they defeated the defending champion New Orleans Saints in the first round of the playoffs, writing an underdog miracle and proving once again that old saying:

There are no weak teams in the Alliance! Anything is possible!

It was for this very reason that divisional opponents were the most crucial of all!

Not only were they direct competitors for a playoff spot, but the head-to-head records within the division were also a major deciding factor for the postseason.

After the regular season, when two or more teams have the same record, the NFL has a detailed and complex system of tiebreakers to determine playoff berths and seeding—the latter of which also decides home-field advantage.

The tiebreaking factors for two teams within the same division are, in order: head-to-head record; record within the division; record against common opponents; conference record; strength of victory; strength of schedule; and data related to points scored and allowed.

The tiebreaking factors for two teams from different divisions are, in order: head-to-head record (if applicable); conference record; record against common opponents (minimum of four games); strength of victory; strength of schedule; and data such as point differential, net points, and net touchdowns.

If more than two teams are tied, the same rules are followed for ranking.

In other words, teams in the same division were not only direct competitors for playoff spots but would also affect a chain reaction of postseason possibilities. Moreover, the schedule required divisional opponents to play each other twice every year, whereas opponents from other divisions were on a three- or four-year cycle. Naturally, the speed at which grudges and rivalries accumulated was on a completely different level.

Every divisional opponent, every divisional matchup, was critically important to every team. It was no exaggeration to say these were cutthroat, white-hot showdowns.

Much like derby matches in soccer, the intensity of divisional matchups in the NFL was on another level.

Take for example the Alliance’s most famous “Steel Raven War”—the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Baltimore Ravens. Every game was electric, full of ups and downs and constant surprises, leaving even neutral spectators thrilled. It had even become a staple of the Alliance’s national broadcasts, frequently featured in Thanksgiving and Christmas games. This was a divisional matchup.

Another example is the civil war in the National League North, featuring the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and Minnesota Vikings. Pick any two of those teams, and their matchup would be an intense clash between mortal enemies. Even when a team was at a low point, a divisional showdown never lacked for drama.

In the San Francisco 49ers’ schedule this year, the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks was just such a clash of divisional arch-rivals. The two teams put on a spectacular contest, and it also became the stage for Lu Ke’s dazzling debut.

After that, the San Francisco 49ers had only played against teams from other divisions. A divisional matchup had been long in coming. Now, in Week 11 of the regular season, they were about to host the Arizona Cardinals. Compared to any previous game, the atmosphere for this one was much more explosive!