Chapter 314 312: A Brand New Look

Before the start of every new season, the Alliance compiles a strength of schedule chart. Based on the final standings from the previous year, each team is scored and ranked by strength for statistical purposes.

For example, it calculates the combined strength of the San Francisco 49ers' opponents for the year and assigns an approximate difficulty rating. After these calculations are done for all thirty-two teams, they are ranked to see which team has the worst luck, facing a slate of powerhouse opponents.

From a probability standpoint, the schedule for the previous year's Super Bowl winner is typically more difficult. This is because, based on the fourth point of the scheduling formula, they will likely have to play against at least two other division champions in the new season—a playoff-level challenge.

The strong face the strong, and the weak face the weak, intensifying the level of competition. This is the fundamental reason why the NFL's games are so spectacular every year. Naturally, this makes the task of defending a Super Bowl title incredibly difficult. In history, only seven teams have successfully won back-to-back championships: the Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, and New England Patriots.

As for a three-peat, there has never been one.

After Week 4 of the 2011 regular season, only the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions remained undefeated—the most direct proof of this reality.

In the fierce competition of the NFL, no team can afford to be complacent. More often than not, even giving it your all doesn't guarantee a firm grasp on victory. Every single win requires a team to fight with everything they have.

The entire season consists of only sixteen games, but its difficulty is second to none compared to a full season in any other team sport.

Because of the unique regular season format and playoff rules, every team's situation is different each year, and can even change week to week. That's why the official NFL website is incredibly busy after each week of games concludes.

For the teams, the work of reviewing the highs and lows of the previous game and preparing for the next one unfolds methodically until the season ends. The same is true for the official NFL website. After every week, they need to select the Players of the Week for the National League and American League, compile injury reports, and finally, analyze the shifts in power among all the teams.

Since the NFL doesn't use a points-based ranking system, the power comparison isn't always clear after each week. Thus, the official NFL website releases weekly post-game power rankings, offering a brief summary and analysis of each team, which to some extent helps explain the trajectory of the playoff race.

These power rankings are relatively subjective. Every year, the official NFL website invites a professional analyst to write the commentary, and the analyst changes annually. Since it's just one analyst's viewpoint, subjectivity is unavoidable. However, on the whole, it still represents the NFL's official stance and holds a certain reference value for players and teams alike.

The person responsible for writing the official power rankings this year is Eliot Harrison, a relatively young analyst at just twenty-nine years old. Across the NFL, commentators and analysts are generally over forty; thirty-five is considered incredibly young. For Eliot to be not yet thirty was almost like a high school student breaking into the professional world, which sparked considerable controversy.

However, Alliance Commissioner Roger Goodell gave Eliot his firm support. The reason was simple: they needed young blood like Eliot to tap into social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, attracting more young people to the viewing audience. In the end, it was all about promotion, exposure, and profit.

Immediately after all the Week 4 regular season games concluded, Eliot published his statistically analyzed power rankings on the official website.

The Green Bay Packers rightfully held the top spot. An on-fire Aaron Rodgers was still considered the top candidate for this year's regular-season MVP and the strongest contender for the Super Bowl. This also marked the Packers' fourth consecutive week at number one in the power rankings, their momentum powerful.

Following them were the Detroit Lions, also undefeated at 4-0, a team that has shattered countless expectations this year. The New England Patriots, after defeating the Oakland Raiders this week, climbed back to third place, still displaying formidable strength.

Ranked fourth were the San Francisco 49ers!

"I know, I know, everyone's going to say I'm crazy. What about the Ravens? The Steelers? The Saints? Bill? But I still have to give my respect to Lu Ke. This undrafted quarterback of Chinese descent is proving himself, game after game, proving that he is the king who can lead the 49ers to the pinnacle of victory!"

"To all the fans who are furious that the 49ers are ranked fourth (yes, Seattle Seahawks, I'm talking about you), let's take a look at Lu Ke's stats from this week: 25 of 35 passing for 302 yards, three touchdowns, zero interceptions, sacked twice, a quarterback rating of 126.08, and a PFF score of 1.6."

"These are the numbers Lu Ke has put up. In four weeks of play: fourteen touchdowns and one interception. A performance like this is once again reminiscent of Kurt Warner's sudden emergence in the 1999 season. Four consecutive weeks with a quarterback rating over 100, four consecutive weeks with three or more touchdowns in a single game, and four consecutive weeks leading the San Francisco 49ers to victory—"

"Even in this week's loss, they still fought unyieldingly to the very last moment."

"Without a doubt, under the leadership of Jim Hubble, the current San Francisco 49ers have not only displayed the fluid brilliance of a West Coast offense, but also the iron-willed spirit of never giving up even in desperate situations. Admittedly, they still need to be tested by more of the Alliance's teams, but right now, this team—with its steadily improving Defense Team, its young and spirited offense, and its solid and reliable special teams—has truly given the city of San Francisco hope of reaching the playoffs for the first time in eight years."

"So, yes, for fourth place this week, I chose the San Francisco 49ers."

The weekly power rankings may not be able to decide the outcomes of games, but they can offer a sideways glimpse into the official view on competitiveness.

In the first three weeks of games, although the San Francisco 49ers kept winning, the Alliance didn't pay them much attention. Among the sixteen winning teams in Week 1, the San Francisco 49ers were ranked only tenth—hard to imagine, considering Lu Ke threw a full five touchdowns in a high-scoring victory. In Week 2, among all the teams with winning streaks, the San Francisco 49ers were still only ranked sixth.

Last week, only four teams had a 3-0 record, yet the San Francisco 49ers were ranked fifth, even falling behind the Baltimore Ravens, who had already lost a game.

This week, the San Francisco 49ers achieved their highest ranking of the season: fourth! They had truly broken through. After losing a game, their ranking rose instead of fell, surpassing the Baltimore Ravens—who also had a 3-1 record after defeating the New York Jets this week—to reach a new high on the power rankings.

What did this mean? It wasn't just recognition from Eliot; it was also recognition from the officials. At least, on the official NFL website, the San Francisco 49ers were gradually completing their transformation. They were no longer a bottom-feeder; their strength had gained initial approval, and they had truly entered the public eye.

This week, there were as many as nine teams with a 3-1 record, and Eliot placed the San Francisco 49ers fourth on the overall list. Among teams with the same record, they were second only to the New England Patriots. This was undoubtedly a massive breakthrough.

Just as Eliot's playfully teasing commentary suggested, people could remain skeptical, Lu Ke's young offense would need to continue proving itself, and those harsh racists could keep believing that Asian players couldn't play football well. But the fact was, no one should ignore this team, and no one should ignore Lu Ke.

In the arena of competitive sports, discrimination and provocation will never disappear, but strength is always the best counterattack. Both the San Francisco 49ers and Lu Ke were pressing forward in the 2011 season, one step at a time. They were on the right track.

In fact, besides Eliot, public attention on Lu Ke was indeed gradually heating up:

Currently, Lu Ke was the only quarterback in the Alliance who could be compared to Aaron Rodgers—at least, in terms of pure quarterback rating statistics.

Although quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Joe Flacco, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, and Matthew Stafford had all posted impressive stats, the season was only four games in, and there were indeed plenty of MVP contenders.

But the data showed that Lu Ke was now the second-best quarterback in the Alliance, just behind Aaron Rodgers. Perhaps stats aren't everything—there are plenty of quarterbacks who rack up beautiful numbers but lose the game, Cam Newton being a prime example. But at the very least, it showed that this quarterback was worth watching.

As an undrafted rookie and a player of Chinese descent, Lu Ke was gradually finding his footing in the Alliance.

One could imagine that with such outstanding stats, the accompanying provocations, curses, and doubts would only multiply—more fame, more problems, as the simple saying goes. From now on, other teams would conduct more research and analysis specifically targeting Lu Ke. This meant Lu Ke's professional career was finally, slowly, getting on the right track—

—completely exposed to the limelight, with no secrets left. Once the mystique was gone, everything would be examined and studied under a microscope. But whether it was well-intentioned focus or malicious provocation, this was a stage every professional player had to go through. No one was an exception.

Those who successfully pass through it have the potential to transform into superstars. Only time can complete the process of sifting sand for gold. Whether they are diamonds or just pebbles will eventually be proven. As for those who fail, they are quickly forgotten by history, sometimes in less than a single season.

So, which would Lu Ke be? The former, or the latter?