"Beep!"
The referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half. The scoreboard read 7-0, with the home team in the lead. Lincoln Financial Field became a sea of cheers. The home fans sang, shouted, and danced wildly. The swelling navy blue ocean created a magnificent spectacle of crashing waves.
"The first half is over, and I can't help but feel a sense of 'finally it's over.'" In the Fox Sports broadcast booth, Teddy smiled, a little bitter, and said in a half-joking tone.
Kirk also shrugged, showing he agreed. "I can't argue with that. With all the expectations from fans and experts, everyone thought this would be a thrilling and intense game, but the first half was incredibly dull. Both teams played poorly, and the rhythm was choppy, never really connecting effectively."
"Yeah, that's exactly how I feel," Teddy nodded in agreement. "The only score in the first half came in the middle of the second quarter. In fact, that touchdown was a bit of an accident."
As Teddy spoke, the TV screen replayed the only touchdown of the first half. "Michael Vick used a read-option play, running the ball himself three times in a row. All of a sudden, he handed the ball off to the running back, LeSean McCoy, the Eagles' number twenty-five, who found a gap and ran fifty-four yards for a touchdown. That gave the home team a 7-0 lead at the end of the first half."
"Actually, that touchdown was a microcosm of the entire first half," Kirk added. "The Eagles relied on a run game, advancing intermittently. Under Vick's confusing tactics, McCoy's individual brilliance led to the score. As for the 49ers, they relied on their passing game, which also lacked consistency. Critical mistakes in the details led to them not being able to score at all."
"Does this mean both teams' defenses played well? You could say that, but you could also not," Teddy said, then chuckled at his own words. "The 49ers' pass defense was decent, but their run defense was terrible. It was the other way around for the Eagles. Both teams' defenses couldn't find their rhythm and were severely unbalanced."
"Teddy, with that explanation, viewers who didn't watch the first half would be completely lost," Kirk said, taking it upon himself to explain more clearly.
"In the first half, Michael Vick's passing was six for fourteen, with a success rate of less than fifty percent, for only twenty-eight yards. In addition, Vick's running game advanced for thirty-three yards, and McCoy ran for seventy-nine yards. Of course, that fifty-four-yard touchdown was very damaging. Even if you take that run out, his twenty-five-yard rushing total is still pretty good."
"Overall, the Philadelphia Eagles today relied entirely on their running game to open things up, advancing a total of one hundred and fifty-three yards in the first half. This is not an outstanding number. The San Francisco 49ers' defense did a decent job of completing their task. Their only mistake was McCoy's moment of brilliance. But just like Marshawn Lynch's Beast Mode, that's something you can't defend against."
With a few simple sentences, Kirk summarized the Philadelphia Eagles' offense and the San Francisco 49ers' defense.
Teddy nodded in agreement and then led the conversation to the next topic, asking a question as if he were a viewer. "On the other hand, the San Francisco 49ers' offense actually had the upper hand in the first half, so why are they losing on the scoreboard?"
"First, let's look at the first half stats. The San Francisco 49ers' quarterback, Lu Ke, was thirteen for twenty-one, for ninety-eight yards, with no interceptions. In terms of running, Kendall Hunter had twelve yards, Marcus Lynch had twenty-three yards, and Anthony Dixon had eight yards. At the end of the first half, the 49ers had advanced a total of one hundred and forty-one yards."
Kirk once again started with the numbers. "As you can see, if you take out McCoy's amazing run, the San Francisco 49ers' stats are better. In the first half, they had more first downs, crossed midfield more times, and had better control of the game. This was especially true in the passing game."
As Kirk spoke, the screen showed a highlight reel of Lu Ke's first-half passing plays. "We can compare two sets of data. In the first half, the 49ers' number fourteen quarterback was sacked once, hit five times, and forced to make a rushed pass five times. That's a total of eleven times. So, how many times did number fourteen attempt a pass? Twenty-one times!"
"In other words, in more than half of the passes, number fourteen was throwing under pressure. At the same time, the 49ers' receivers dropped the ball twice. And despite all this, he still completed thirteen passes for ninety-eight yards. This performance is simply amazing!
Looking at the video replay, Lu Ke was incredibly calm in the pocket, showing no signs of being a rookie. He observed patiently, made decisive throws, and judged accurately. Even under pressure, he never gave up hope, carrying the entire 49ers team forward with his outstanding performance."
Reviewing the first half of the game, Kirk's words were calm, but when talking about Lu Ke's performance, he couldn't hide his excitement. Kirk had always been very complimentary and appreciative of this rookie quarterback, and today was no exception.
"In other words, the San Francisco 49ers' overall momentum was on top, but their failures at critical moments resulted in them being behind on the scoreboard and not even scoring once. This is not just a matter of small differences; it also shows how young the team is," Kirk concluded. "You could say that Lu Ke's performance was, without a doubt, the most stable in the entire first half."
"I agree," Teddy nodded in agreement. "The question now is when the 49ers' offense will be able to find its rhythm and turn their advantage into points."
It wasn't just the two commentators from Fox Sports. All the other commentators in the broadcast booth were also giving their opinions, analyzing the first half of the game from different angles and levels. Halftime was their busiest time.
Meanwhile, in "Joe's Bar" on the other side of the country, it was completely silent. You could hear the occasional sound of a beer glass hitting the table, and these sounds only made the silence more noticeable.
Everyone looked up at the TV screen, silent. At that moment, Fox Sports was broadcasting the game. After the commercial break, it cut back to the studio, and the director was playing a highlight reel of the first half—a highlight reel of Lu Ke getting hit.
All eleven times he was put under pressure were edited together, making it seem like the entire pocket was full of danger. Not to mention trying to observe and prepare to pass, there wasn't even a moment of peace. Even with Lu Ke's fast throwing speed of two to two and a half seconds, his passes were still seriously and uncontrollably affected in the unstable pocket.
One squeeze after another, one hit after another, but in the midst of the chaos, Lu Ke was always able to find a sliver of space, hold on to that glimmer of hope, and get the football out at the last moment. Out of twenty-one pass attempts, he was under pressure eleven times and still completed thirteen passes.
These stats were truly impressive, and his indomitable willpower was even more so.
In comparison, the offensive line and receivers' performances weren't even in the same league. What was worse was that their rhythm always seemed to be a quarter-beat late. All the plays were correct, but all their movements were out of sync. As a result, the San Francisco 49ers' offense looked like a spinning top dancing on a tightrope, in a precarious and shaky state.
This kind of game was almost unbearable to watch.
As the commentators said, Lu Ke was playing on his own, but without effective support, he was just one man on a sinking ship. The score in the first half was only 7-0, which was already a stroke of luck in a disaster.
Chris Wilson finally couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his beer glass down on the bar, letting out a muffled sound to vent his anger. He stood up abruptly and looked at the silent bar. The lifeless and dreary sight made his anger impossible to contain.
"Jesus Christ! Look, open your eyes and look! This is the team you support! This is the team you think represents the San Francisco 49ers! Do you see? Nobody's playing except for Bambi. Their game performance is absolutely terrible, and that's not the worst part. What's even more disgusting is that they're not even trying!"
Chris's voice echoed through the bar. Jeff, who was sitting next to him, tried to calm him down, but Chris shrugged off Jeff's hand. "What, they're allowed to go against Bambi, but I'm not allowed to complain about them? If they had the guts, they'd open their eyes and look at those offensive players. Besides getting angry at themselves and their teammates, what are they doing? Nothing! They're like headless chickens, completely lost on the field! Crap!"
Chris kicked the bar hard, but his heaving chest still couldn't contain his emotions. "Why are you all so quiet? Look, Bambi is fighting alone. He never gives up. In the entire first half, it was just Bambi trying his best and fighting. He needs our support! Damn Jesus Christ! We should be united! We should be cheering for Bambi! This is our team, this is our quarterback!"
As he spoke, Chris's eyes welled up, but he quickly wiped away the moisture, raised his beer glass, and chugged the entire beer down. "God as my witness! That's our quarterback, that's our hero! Now, he needs us, and we're just sitting here in silence! Cowards, you damn cowards!"
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