Chapter 450: Shattering Expectations

“Oh, my God! What’s happening? What in the world is going on? I simply can’t believe my eyes. This is so strange, so completely out of character!”

In the broadcast booth, Teddy’s startled cry was a reflex. He stared wide-eyed at Kirk, searching for an answer. But Kirk just looked surprised, his brow furrowed in deep thought, seemingly lost in the same fog of confusion.

It wasn’t just in the Fox Television booth; cries of surprise erupted from commentary boxes all over. Question marks were flying everywhere as nearly everyone asked the same thing: “What just happened on the field? What’s going on?” But no one had an answer.

“This is Lu Ke’s second interception since the start of the game today, and we’re still in the first quarter. It’s not normal. This is really not normal at all.” Teddy explained the situation on the field, then began his commentary over the replay. “In the last nine games, Lu Ke only threw two interceptions, and both were the result of issues with his receivers. But today, before the first quarter has even ended, he’s already thrown his second. This is not the Lu Ke we know.”

Listening to Teddy’s explanation, Kirk finally snapped out of his daze. He nodded in agreement and offered his own perspective.

“That’s right. In Lu Ke’s short professional career, his accurate defensive reads and clever route designs have certainly been impressive. He’s a very bold and aggressive quarterback. A lot of his throws are like dancing on a razor’s edge—they could result in an interception at any moment. The reason he’s only had two interceptions so far is because of his tactical execution and ability to read the defense.”

The average fan sees Lu Ke’s flashy stats or his aggressive passes. But the professionals see his willingness to take risks and his bold decision-making.

There’s an old saying: play with fire and you’ll get burned. This has been one of the main criticisms leveled at Lu Ke. But as long as he keeps winning games, being a little aggressive, a little bold, isn’t an issue. A rookie quarterback needs that passion. However, just because it hasn’t been a problem before doesn’t mean it never will be.

And today, it has.

“That first interception on the opening drive wasn’t Lu Ke’s fault. On a quick, short pass, Kyle Williams tipped the ball but couldn’t make the catch. The tip completely altered the ball’s trajectory, sending it on a ninety-degree turn right to Patrick Peterson, who was standing nearby. He barely had to move, and the football landed right in his arms. It was a carbon copy of the interception against the Washington Redskins.”

Kirk briefly recapped the first interception before moving on to the one that had just occurred.

“But this interception, this one was definitely on Lu Ke.”

“The San Francisco 49ers’ pocket was under immense pressure and collapsing quickly, forcing Lu Ke’s hand—that’s a fact. It forced him to make a rushed throw, but his choice of target is questionable.”

“In the short-pass zone, Logan Newman had created some separation, and Michael Crabtree was in one-on-one coverage. But Lu Ke opted for the riskier throw, looking for Ted Ginn Jr. deep in the Long Pass Area.”

“It was a twenty-five-yard pass, and before Ginn could get to his spot, Adrian Wilson had already jumped the route, stepping in front to pull the ball into his arms. Ginn had almost no chance on that interception. Lu Ke’s pass was a little off-target, but that wasn’t the real issue. The real issue was that the route and his intention were telegraphed to the defender.”

“Tactical play-calling, reading the defense, target selection, timing—these are all Lu Ke’s strengths. But on that last throw, he failed on every count. It was definitely out of character.”

“After Adrian Wilson made the interception, Ginn managed a quick tackle to prevent further damage. But the first quarter isn’t even over, and the Arizona Cardinals Defense Team has already forced two turnovers. This game is clearly not going the way we expected.”

In that short span of time, the expansive commentary had thoroughly broken down the entire situation on the field. Kirk was getting more and more comfortable in the announcer’s chair.

Then, after finishing his analysis of the San Francisco 49ers, Kirk turned his attention to the Arizona Cardinals. “Even though this team hasn’t performed well over the past ten weeks, with a record of only three wins and six losses, their individual talent can’t be underestimated. They have at least three Pro Bowl-caliber players on their roster.”

“Those three players are safety Adrian Wilson, cornerback Patrick Peterson, and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. Two of them are on the Defense Team. You could say the Redbirds Team’s defense has a very distinct style. Two weeks ago, they managed to beat the St. Louis Rams in overtime, and their Defense Team was a huge reason why.”

After this brief analysis, Kirk concluded, “So, the San Francisco 49ers’ offense absolutely cannot afford to let their guard down. It’s clear now that the opposing Defense Team came with a solid, targeted game plan. The rest of this game is going to be very difficult.”

Sitting beside him, Teddy nodded emphatically in agreement, then added a point of his own. “Still, it’s not the end of the world.”

“The first quarter isn’t over yet. Besides, the Arizona Cardinals’ offense looks just as flustered. They clearly didn’t expect the game to go this way either. They’ve squandered two offensive drives and failed to capitalize on the first interception. The score is still 0–0. Neither side has managed to break the stalemate.”

As Teddy spoke, the two teams’ offensive and defensive units swapped places and took the field again, ready to resume play.

“Now we’ll see which offense can find its rhythm first. That interception by Patrick Peterson gave his team great starting field position at their own 43-yard line. Now let’s see if John Skelton can use Fitzgerald to get something going.”

Cutting back to the game just before Skelton snapped the ball, Teddy added one more thought. “Of course, I think more important than what the Redbirds Team’s offense will do is this: the 49ers need to figure out what in the world happened to their own offense.”

If Lu Ke could have heard Teddy’s commentary at that moment, he would have nodded in agreement. Because that was exactly what he was thinking about: ‘What in the world is going on?’

An interception is a bad thing. A terrible, awful thing. No one wants to just hand over possession. But an interception isn’t the end of the world.

Every quarterback wants to avoid interceptions, but every quarterback inevitably has to face them. What’s more important than the interception itself is how a quarterback deals with it afterward.

Some quarterbacks become timid. They take longer to read the defense, their judgment becomes more cautious, and their pass selection grows more conservative. This isn’t a good thing either, because it means the Offense Line has to provide protection for longer. One slip-up, and the opposing Defense Team’s chances for a quarterback sack multiply, bogging down the entire offense. Rookie quarterbacks are especially prone to this.

The key is to have a clearer mindset, while at the same time not letting the fear of another interception make you timid.

It’s simple to talk about in theory, but difficult to execute in practice. This is one of the key distinctions between a great quarterback and an average one: the ability to properly process an interception, regain composure, and find a way to break through.

In today’s game, Lu Ke already had two interceptions. This was not good. Absolutely not good. So, Lu Ke was also trying to recall what exactly had happened in the first quarter.

This time, Lu Ke truly understood the Mystical Technique encapsulated in the saying, “You can’t see the true face of the mountain, because you’re standing in it.” On the field, immersed in the game, his thoughts were in a knot, and he couldn’t find a way forward. It wasn’t until the first half was nearly over that he finally realized the crux of the problem—or at least, what he suspected it was.

Pride. In the end, they had been arrogant and had underestimated their opponent. It wasn’t just the other members of the offense; it was the entire team, including Lu Ke himself.

Over the past week, Lu Ke and the team had prepared for the game methodically, just as they always did. They were diligent and didn’t slack off, but their overall mentality was relaxed.

Because subconsciously, they believed the Arizona Cardinals were just another Cleveland Browns or Washington Redskins—a team that posed no threat to the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers had become a strong team now. They believed they could easily defeat the Redbirds Team and continue their winning streak.

This was different from what happened in Week 4 of the regular season against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Back then, they had been blindly confident. After a three-game winning streak, they’d started to get carried away, their confidence a castle in the sky. After getting knocked back down to earth, they calmed down and settled, realizing they were nowhere near the point where they could afford to be complacent. They fought hard to come back in the second half, and even though they ultimately lost, their performance was praiseworthy. They fought until the very end.

But now, their confidence had truly ballooned. They were unshakeable in their belief that they were a top team. Confidence can be a powerful weapon for victory, but it can also be the first step toward a crushing defeat. Everything is a double-edged sword, and confidence and pride are no exception.

It was like in a soccer league, when the first-place, title-contending team faces a last-place team fighting to avoid relegation. The top team carries itself with an air of superiority, believing not only that they will win, but that they have to win in style.

This ingrained sense of entitlement, this eagerness to show off and prove their “champion” mettle, actually made them prone to overexcitement, to hot-headedness, to overlooking details, and to misjudging their opponent. As these small mistakes piled up, control of the game gradually slipped through their fingers.

By the time they realized what was happening, it was too late to refocus.

Competitive sports are never just about adding up numbers on paper.

And Lu Ke was no different.