"Hike!"
After the snap, Lu Ke didn't take a drop back. Instead, he extended his hands, pretending to hand the ball off to Marcus Lynch, but his eyes were constantly scanning the field in front of him. He took in the positions of all the players: the offensive line, the defensive line, the secondary, the receivers.
Lynch stood behind Lu Ke, about four yards away. After the snap, Lynch quickly charged forward, buffered slightly next to Lu Ke, pretended to take the handoff, and then, with small steps, moved in front of Lu Ke and charged into the gap between Jonathan Goodwin and Anthony Davis.
It was a fake handoff, a real pass play.
After cutting into the open space created by the line, Lynch also joined his teammates, engaging in a head-on confrontation with the defensive linemen, trying to create a more solid and complete pocket for Lu Ke.
With his hands back and holding the football, Lu Ke slightly raised his chin, his eyes quickly scanning. To his right, he could see Williams and Logan Newman's routes, both of them running short pass routes—one running a straight sprint, the other pulling to the outside. To his left, he could see Michael Crabtree's and Ted Ginn's routes—one cutting inside, the other stopping and running back.
Open!
Lu Ke's eyes caught Crabtree, who had broken open. He had sprinted straight for seven or eight yards, then faked a continuous sprint, but his feet were planted in place. The close-covering defender, following his momentum, overran him. Then, Crabtree turned around and raised his hands, signaling for the catch.
Lu Ke raised his right arm and started to arc it back, preparing to throw. But his peripheral vision caught a figure in a dark blue jersey in the bottom-right corner.
A help-defender. It was a short pass, and the linebacker who was a bit out of position only needed to adjust his steps to cover the short and intermediate routes. Clearly, this defender had seen through Lu Ke's passing intentions and quickly came to help.
In a split second, Lu Ke's right arm was forced to brake. He slightly changed his direction, preparing to throw to the deeper Ginn. At this point, Ginn was constantly moving along his route in the middle of the field. Under the double-team of a cornerback and a safety, Ginn was doing his best to get open. But the fleeting opening disappeared before Lu Ke could even extend his arm.
What now?
Williams, who was on a continuous straight sprint, appeared in Lu Ke's field of vision. He was the team's other speedy receiver. He was charging forward with his head down, already past midfield, on a deep route that would be a 25- to 30-yard pass. The nearby defenders were closing in, but the small window was still big enough to complete the pass.
He drew back his arm, gathering power.
But before he could release the ball, Lu Ke felt a huge hit from his blind side. It was so fierce, so brutal, like a bulldozer rolling over him. His survival instinct only had time to scream "Invulnerability" in his head. The next second, the world fell apart and collapsed.
"Sack! San Francisco 49ers' number 14 has been sacked! The sack was made by the Eagles' number 97, Cullen Jenkins! It's his second sack of the game!
After the snap, Jenkins used his speed to switch with a teammate, shaking off the 49ers' number 62, Chilo Rachal. Rachal, losing his balance, tried to recover to stop Jenkins. But Jenkins still powerfully broke free of the tackle and then completed the sack. It was clean and shocking!
There was no chance. Lu Ke had no chance to escape. He didn't even have time to react, getting brutally sacked from his blind side! My God! Facing a drive where they absolutely need a touchdown, they get sacked on the very first down. The San Francisco 49ers' situation is getting more and more dangerous!"
The entire sequence of events was just as Kirk described.
Lu Ke had no chance at all. Unprepared, he was sacked violently like a ragdoll, his helmet hitting the ground hard, making the world spin and turn upside down.
In the moment before he hit the ground, Lu Ke was still frustrated, using his special ability "Invulnerability" without thinking. He wondered if he was wasting it, since he only had three uses, and he had now used it twice today. But as he hit the ground, the intense impact made Lu Ke feel relieved and think, "Based on my instinct, I made the right choice."
Although he didn't feel any pain and his head didn't suffer a physical impact, the shaking of his vision and the sounds of alarm around him reminded Lu Ke that this was an incredibly brutal hit, much harder than he had imagined. So, he was glad he had used the special ability, otherwise he didn't know what would have happened.
This time, Lu Ke didn't rush to get up. He just threw the football aside. Another benefit of using the special ability was that he didn't feel the direct impact or shaking, so his poor ball-holding ability wasn't compromised. So, in both sacks today, he hadn't fumbled the ball.
With a turn, Lu Ke lay flat on the grass, letting out a long breath.
He had hesitated. Lu Ke immediately realized his mistake. He had been thinking too much, considering too many things. His failure to convert on the two previous third downs, which cost them a chance at a field goal, had caused him to hesitate and doubt himself on a crucial pass.
In fact, the pocket protection this time was relatively solid, giving Lu Ke at least three to three and a half seconds to read the field. With Lu Ke's usual release speed, three seconds would have been enough. Even for a deep pass, this was enough time to throw a Hail Mary. But Lu Ke's hesitation had given Jenkins the opportunity to make the sack.
Lu Ke's strengths had always been his decisive throws and accurate reads. Although his passes were relatively risky and aggressive, it was his willingness to take chances and his ability to find a fleeting open window in a split second that allowed him to complete passes at crucial moments. The more tense the situation, the calmer his mind became.
But this time, he had hesitated and was sacked.
In a game, things change in a split second. There's no time or space for overthinking. Now, he needed a moment to catch his breath and calm down again.
"Bambi!" Chilo Rachal ran up quickly, his worried face magnifying in Lu Ke's vision, filled with guilt and frustration. "You... you..." Rachal was stammering, unable to finish his sentence, as if he was afraid that saying the words would make the bad news true.
Lu Ke let out a laugh. He extended his right hand straight out. Rachal instinctively grabbed it and pulled hard, helping Lu Ke to his feet. He patted Rachal's shoulder. "I'm fine."
Lu Ke turned and saw the panting offensive linemen. In that last play, the Philadelphia Eagles had clearly increased the intensity of their blitz. It was a tough job for them to maintain the pocket. If it weren't for Lu Ke's hesitation, they could have at least avoided the sack, even if the pass was incomplete.
"Guys, look at me! Our play call was correct, and our execution was flawless! We are still on the right track!" Lu Ke clenched his fists tightly and bounced on his feet a few times. "If they play tough, we'll play tougher! Trust me, we can win! Did you hear me? I'm serious!"
Facing such a brutal sack, Lu Ke once again showed a casual demeanor. The offensive line's wavering confidence was restored, especially when they saw Lu Ke's shining eyes, which showed a firm and determined spirit. His bloody-mindedness brought their focus back.
Lu Ke quickly finished the tactical arrangements, then extended his right hand. All his teammates put their hands on top of his. "On three, we all yell 'touchdown!' One, two, three!"
"TOUCHDOWN!" Everyone raised their right hands and roared with all their might. Then they spread out again, returning to their positions.
Because of the sack, they had lost five yards. It was now second and fifteen. The situation felt familiar, but Lu Ke's mind was clear. His eyes were sharp as he watched every movement on the field, concentrating on reading the defense. Clearly, the Philadelphia Eagles had once again chosen to go with a heavy blitz.
Three defensive linemen and four linebackers were all stacked on the first line, a total of seven players. The two cornerbacks and two safeties behind them were in man-to-man coverage, each assigned to a receiver. They had all moved up their positions, with only a six-yard gap between them and the first defensive line.
"Lynch! Lynch!" Lu Ke called out, beckoning Marcus Lynch, who was standing parallel to him.
It was a pseudo-pistol formation. Lu Ke and Lynch were about four yards behind the center. Now, Lynch came to Lu Ke's side, and they stood almost shoulder to shoulder.
Directly in front of them were the five offensive linemen. To their left was only one receiver, Ted Ginn. To their right were the other three receivers. Michael Crabtree was lined up with the offensive line, while Logan Newman and Kyle Williams stood parallel to each other, about five yards apart.
Before the official snap, Lu Ke and Lynch had a one-on-one conversation, which made the defenders start to wonder. Did Lynch have a special assignment? A run? A catch? Or was it just a smokescreen?
But Lu Ke didn't give the Philadelphia Eagles time to think. He decisively called the snap. The offensive linemen didn't move forward to engage. Instead, they quickly took a step back, retreating with Lu Ke, and the pocket immediately contracted, as if they had pulled the strings on a bag.
The Philadelphia Eagles' defensive line was completely caught off guard. But they still charged forward like tigers from a mountain. It was seven players against seven players—but the San Francisco 49ers' players were 5+1+1, a running back and a quarterback who were difficult to use in a blocking scheme.
The defenders on both sides took full advantage of their numbers, nimbly getting around the contracting pocket of the offensive line, and quickly surrounded them. Joe Staley and Chilo Rachal, standing on the outside, were doing their best to stop the defenders, but they were unstoppable and were rushing straight toward Lu Ke!
✨ Announcement: Tier Benefits and New Series Launch
I'll be updating the number of exclusive chapters available for each tier!
For The King of the Bay Area, the early-access chapters will increase as follows:
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