American Football: King of the Bay Area

Chapter 395: Chapter 392: The Winning Pace

In Week 9 of the regular season, the San Francisco 49ers faced the Washington Redskins on the road. Billed by the media as Lu Ke’s “revenge game,” it was supposed to be a matchup full of drama. The complicated history between Lu Ke, Mike Shanahan, and the Washington Redskins had fueled endless speculation and high expectations.

The result, however, was a stunning letdown. The game was completely one-sided, as the two teams’ level of play and tempo weren’t even in the same ballpark. In the end, the San Francisco 49ers cruised to an easy 31-9 victory, once again leaving an away game unscathed. The outcome fell far short of the hype.

The performances of the two quarterbacks in the spotlight were worlds apart.

Rex Grossman: 12 for 23, 98 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions, plus one fumble. His quarterback rating was 27.08, with a PFF score of -1.7.

Grossman struggled mightily the entire game. It was an unmitigated disaster. He was virtually invisible on offense, failed to contribute much to the team, and was responsible for three turnovers.

Although Grossman’s performance had declined over the past three games compared to the start of the season, he had still maintained an average level of play. This week, however, facing immense pressure from all the media hype, Grossman completely collapsed. His final quarterback rating was even more abysmal than in the previous game against the Buffalo Bills, a shutout loss.

Lu Ke: 27 for 33, 267 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. His quarterback rating was 119.1, with a PFF score of 1.5.

Compared to his phenomenal performance last week, this week’s numbers saw a slight dip. But that was only when compared against himself. Overall, Lu Ke continued his excellent form this season, not only posting another quarterback rating over 100 but also successfully leading his team to another victory.

To deliver such a stable, consistent, and dazzling performance more than halfway through the season, without much fluctuation, was undoubtedly a remarkable feat for a rookie quarterback.

After the game, multiple sports media outlets began to ask, “Is Lu Ke actually making a run for the regular-season MVP?”

The strongest contender for the regular-season MVP was undoubtedly Aaron Rodgers. Not only had his team remained undefeated—in Week 9, they defeated the San Diego Lightning on the road to continue their winning streak—but his quarterback rating had also reached a new career high. Every week, Rodgers was the undisputed star of the highlight reels.

Now, with incredible momentum and buzz, Lu Ke was closing in on Rodgers. The only shame was that the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers wouldn’t face each other in the regular season. A potential showdown between Lu Ke and Rodgers could only happen in the playoffs, which deprived the media of a chance for a head-to-head comparison of the two quarterbacks.

However, when it came to choosing between the two quarterbacks, Lu Ke and Grossman, there was no question.

Strictly speaking, there was no real competition between the two quarterbacks. The gap was just too wide; they weren’t even in the same league. Even the reporters felt a little bad comparing them. For a veteran like Grossman, it was just too cruel.

But that little bit of sympathy vanished in an instant when faced with the potential for a juicy headline.

During Lu Ke’s post-game press conference, the very first question was about the “revenge game.”

The reporters were hoping that in a moment of post-victory euphoria, Lu Ke would let his guard down and drop some explosive comments. They wanted him to be like Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks—a loose cannon, always ready to fire. The media loves players like that; they’re a goldmine for headlines.

Unfortunately for them, their hopes were dashed. The normally witty and humorous Lu Ke was channeling his inner Peyton Manning, rattling off one canned, official-sounding response after another, giving the reporters nothing to work with.

“I emphasized before the game that this wasn’t a revenge match. There’s no history or hard feelings between me and the Redskins,” Lu Ke replied with a smile, as completely composed as he had been on the field.

“In fact, I only recently learned that after I joined the San Francisco 49ers, our coach called the Redskins to ask about my performance during the Rookie Training Camp. The Redskins gave positive feedback, and for that, I want to sincerely thank them.”

‘Not only is there no fight, he’s actually trying to build bridges?’

This refreshingly pleasant turn of events was so unexpected that the reporters were completely thrown off. “What’s this? The Redskins actually praised you to Jim Hubble?”

“I’m not sure about the specific conversation. If you’re curious, you can ask Coach. But from what I know, the feedback was positive,” Lu Ke said, glossing over the details before changing the subject. “So, I don’t think there was any animosity in this game. It was a regular-season game where both teams were trying to win. That’s all there is to it. Fortunately, we played better today and came away with the victory.”

How boring. Such a by-the-book answer was so dull it was enough to make one yawn. The reporters all agreed they much preferred the witty, humorous Lu Ke.

Then, that Lu Ke finally made an appearance. “Of course, we are also rivals competing for a playoff spot. And right now, in the race for the playoffs, we’re clearly about half a step ahead of the Redskins. I suppose, from that angle, today’s game did spark a little chemistry.”

The cleverness of his words wasn’t just the lighthearted, humorous tone, but his specific phrasing of ‘rivals competing for a playoff spot’—

By treating the Washington Redskins as direct playoff competitors, Lu Ke subtly elevated his opponent, acknowledging them as still being in the running. At the same time, he deliberately flaunted the San Francisco 49ers’ victory, showcasing his youthful energy and ambition.

It was a truly brilliant response.

The reporters present couldn’t help but exchange glances, amusement glinting in their eyes. Though it wasn’t what they had been hoping for, at least this statement wasn’t completely dry and tasteless.

Meanwhile, Mike Shanahan, whose team was now mired in a four-game losing streak after this loss, was in a foul mood. His team looked like two completely different squads before and after their bye week, a thorny problem that left Shanahan, the head coach, at a loss. He couldn’t think straight, and the reporters’ constant barrage left him mentally and physically exhausted.

“Coach, are you having any regrets now?”

“Coach, if the Redskins had selected Lu Ke in the draft, would things be different now?”

“For a team, a rookie who represents the future is clearly more important. Why did the team pass on Lu Ke?”

“After watching this game, what’s your assessment of Lu Ke’s abilities?”

The questions came one after another, giving him no room to breathe. But Shanahan was a crafty old veteran of the game. As foul as his mood was, he didn’t lose his composure completely. He just repeated irritably, “No! No! No!” Each “no” was aimed in a different direction, forcefully and directly shutting down the questions.

“Lu Ke played an excellent game today, but he’s a player for the San Francisco 49ers, and that’s all there is to it,” Shanahan said testily. He ultimately acknowledged Lu Ke’s performance but then quickly changed the subject. “Likewise, we also have an excellent team. We can win. What we need to do now is identify our problems, figure out a solution, and get back to winning.”

Despite his fiery temper, that last shred of reason kept Shanahan from completely unraveling.

So the reporters decided to pour more fuel on the fire. “Are you saying that Grossman will still be the team’s starting quarterback for the next game? You haven’t considered putting in the backup, John Beck? Or considered picking up a rookie or another quarterback in the offseason?”

“Yes, Grossman is still our starting quarterback. As for the offseason, we’ll discuss that after the season is over.” With that, Shanahan gave the reporters no further opportunity to ask questions. He pushed aside the recorders thrust in his face and strode away.

Post-game headlines: “Mike Shanahan: Lu Ke is outstanding, but we had no other choice.”

“Lu Ke: The Washington Redskins Had High Praise for Me.”

Strictly speaking, neither of these headlines was factually incorrect. During their interviews, both Shanahan and Lu Ke had made similar statements. But through the reporters’ interpretations—clever summaries, subtle twisting of concepts, and taking things out of context—they left vast empty spaces for the readers to fill in with their own imaginations.

And just like that, the explosive narrative the reporters had been hoping for took center stage.

On one hand, the regretful lament of “no other choice”; on the other, the friendly signal of “high praise.” Readers easily followed the script laid out by the reporters and let their imaginations run wild. Clearly, in this “revenge game,” Lu Ke was the winner. And the loser wasn’t the Washington Redskins, but Rex Grossman.

Now, life was about to get much harder for the veteran quarterback. Even though the entire draft process had nothing to do with him, that was the nature of the quarterback position—it was a lightning rod for all the attention. The good, the bad, and the collateral damage were all unavoidable.

In the midst of all the clamor, Grossman found himself under even greater pressure—pressure that would follow him like a shadow until his next win. This was a challenge every quarterback had to face. On the other hand, as people’s attention also turned to Lu Ke, the other focal point of the week, they realized something—

Without anyone really noticing, since their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4, the San Francisco 49ers had quietly extended their winning streak to four games. Their 7-1 record was second only to the Green Bay Packers in the entire Alliance!

Shock, surprise, and utter astonishment. Everyone was left dumbfounded. When had the San Francisco 49ers undergone such a transformation?