"One, two, three! Crabtree broke free from three tackles! Not only from the cornerback and safety, he even forced the Philadelphia Eagles' linebackers to come back on defense. In the resulting chaos, over seven defensive players swarmed Crabtree to finally end the drive!"
Kirk's exclamations were endless. Even after watching the replay two, then three times, his awe couldn't be contained. "From the tactical retreat at the snap, to Lu Ke's seemingly simple but incredibly difficult long pass in a moment of crisis, to Crabtree's powerful and fierce run! The San Francisco 49ers' offense played in a superhuman state and literally carved out a bloody path!"
"Wow." Teddy was almost speechless, just shaking his head in disbelief. "Rachal's tough defense, Newman's beautiful screen, Ginn's support, and Crabtree's powerful breakthrough—which even included a double-team tackle! Jesus Christ! What a spectacular pass, and what a spectacular run! This is definitely a strong candidate for the best offensive play of the week!"
After exclaiming for a while, Kirk and Teddy exchanged a look, and both smiled. This was why they loved football so much—the surging passion and boiling blood made them lose themselves in the moment.
"Facing a second and 15, Lu Ke completed a precise 27-yard long pass. Crabtree ran for another 13 yards after the catch, and they've now pushed into the Philadelphia Eagles' half, at the 36-yard line! What's more important is that the San Francisco 49ers only used less than 50 seconds on those two drives. There are still 73 seconds left in the game, and anything is possible! My God, anything is possible!"
Kirk was the first to calm down and summarize. "We need to calm down now and watch the San Francisco 49ers' next drive. For them, a touchdown is the only goal!"
On the field, the home fans were momentarily stunned and confused. Crabtree's devastating run had choked them with shock and panic. But it was only for a moment. They quickly regained their composure, and the roaring noise of harassment intensified, pouring down like a storm to cheer on their home team and cause trouble for their opponents.
"Hurry! Hurry!"
Lu Ke's voice was completely drowned out by the noise, like a small boat being tossed in a storm. Helpless, Lu Ke could only raise his hands and constantly make a forward-pushing motion, leading his offensive line teammates to quickly cross midfield to the 36-yard line.
The entire offense was focused and dedicated. They only cheered Crabtree on as he kept running. After the drive was over, they immediately refocused, ready for the next play—the time they had was extremely limited.
The noise was so exaggerated that even the sound in the headsets was affected. Jim Harbaugh's communication with the coaching staff seemed to be difficult, and a series of instructions came through. "No huddle! No huddle! No huddle!"
Lu Ke looked back at the coaching staff on the sidelines. Kip, Craig, and Jim were all making the same gesture—no-huddle offense, no timeout. The time was already tight, and the on-site interference was too great. Instead of arranging a complex strategy, it was better to trust Lu Ke's instincts.
Lu Ke looked away and scanned the field. Without saying a word, he showed his determined eyes and clapped his hands hard, signaling his teammates to get into formation. Simple and straightforward, all the offensive players got into their roles, confident and focused, returning to their starting positions.
Reading the defense.
Lu Ke subconsciously rubbed his fingertips, his eyes like an eagle's as he observed the opponent's defensive formation. They had changed, they were scared!
The Philadelphia Eagles abandoned their successful blitzing strategy, leaving only three defensive linemen and one linebacker on the front line to blitz and defend against the run. The other three linebackers and four secondary players were divided into three levels, covering the short, intermediate, and deep passing routes.
At this crucial moment, they were scared. Lu Ke's passing ability, especially his deep passing, had a powerful deterrent effect. No one cared about the commentators' analysis or that he was an undrafted rookie. The fact was that in today's game, Lu Ke had shown a devastatingly accurate deep ball, and they had no choice but to defend against it.
There were so many players in the backfield that it felt like every corner of his vision was filled with the Philadelphia Eagles' dark blue jerseys. But Lu Ke wasn't nervous at all. He used the pistol formation again, with one player on the left and three on the right, without even changing their positions.
Was this a repeat of the same play? Or was it a trap?
There was no time to think. The Eagles' defenders immediately realized that Lu Ke had snapped the ball! "So fast?" That was the only thought in all their heads. They didn't even have time to catch their breath. After just getting into formation at the 36-yard line, Lu Ke had already snapped the ball!
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Lu Ke, holding the ball with both hands, took a controlled drop back, gradually creating distance between himself and the offensive line. Marcus Lynch, who was standing behind him, quickly moved forward.
If this were a normal play, an unexpected run would have been effective. But with just over 70 seconds left, they had to score a touchdown, so a pass was their only option. The Eagles knew this, which was why they focused on defending against the pass.
So, there was no fake handoff. Lynch immediately moved forward and cut to the right. With their numerical advantage, they completely overpowered the Eagles' defensive line, which had been so dominant all day. The pocket not only didn't collapse, but it actually pushed forward, creating more distance between them and Lu Ke.
Lu Ke's eyes were like a hawk's as he quickly scanned the field. The right side was undoubtedly the hotspot, with Newman, Crabtree, and Williams all charging forward at the same time.
Crabtree was the first to stop, making a lateral cut in the short passing zone toward the sideline and signaling for the catch. Then Newman stopped, making a sharp turn and shuffling toward the open space in the middle. He even took a few steps backward. Williams, on the other hand, charged forward with his head down, with no intention of stopping, as if he was going to run straight into the end zone.
The different levels and routes were dazzling, throwing the Eagles' backfield into chaos.
The Eagles' secondary had to be on high alert. At least five players moved to provide zone coverage, and one player roamed in the middle to help defend against short and intermediate passes. So, the field was a blur of white jerseys moving quickly through a sea of dark blue, but it was impossible to find an open space in the airtight coverage.
Just then, Lu Ke's vision caught a glimpse of an Eagles player—someone had been left uncovered! A gap! An opportunity!
Without any hesitation, he made his move. Lu Ke raised his arm, drew the bowstring back completely, and the rotation of his shoulder and the explosion of his muscles came together perfectly, all concentrated on the football. He released the ball like a bolt of lightning.
"The San Francisco 49ers went with a quick snap. The receivers immediately entered the heart of the Philadelphia Eagles' defense, but the Eagles' secondary wasn't taking any chances, covering the entire field tightly. This is the crucial moment, and a breakthrough will likely have to come from the receiver's own ability. Crabtree and Newman are clearly the best targets! Lu Ke completes the pass, the target is... oh."
Still on live television, Kirk let out a gasp. "Ted Ginn! The target is Ted Ginn on the left side of the field!"
Ted Ginn was running fast. There were no tricks, just a simple straight sprint. The 30-yard line, the 25-yard line, the 20-yard line... at lightning speed, he was using his speed advantage to the maximum, as if his feet were on fire.
This was a no-huddle offense, which meant that every receiver was running their route based on their own judgment and their chemistry with Lu Ke. Lu Ke read the entire field, found the open space, and immediately threw the ball. This meant that every receiver had to be focused and ready to make a catch at a moment's notice.
He accelerated, then accelerated again, pushing his advantage to the limit.
His peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the Eagles' number 49, Tom Nelson. Because there was only one receiver on the left side, the Eagles had only sent Nelson to cover him one-on-one. Nelson had been following him tightly, but as he passed the 25-yard line, all the 49ers' receivers scattered like a flurry of feathers, and Nelson's steps faltered. He rushed toward the open space in the middle.
An opportunity!
Ginn shouted in his heart. Now there were no defenders on his side. He hoped Lu Ke could see his open space. So, he quickly adjusted his steps, turned around, squared his left shoulder toward Lu Ke, and positioned his hands in front of his chest to make the catch. But he was still moving forward. The 15-yard line, the 10-yard line, the 5-yard line...
Lu Ke! Lu Ke! Lu Ke!
"The pass!"
Ginn noticed the football flying through the sky and became incredibly calm. He leaned his body back slightly, exposing his chest. His back was to the entire field. At this point, even if a defender came to help, he could use his back to block them.
The football was flying incredibly fast, and the power was controlled with perfect precision. It landed exactly where Ginn had expected it to be.
"Whoosh!" Without a doubt, he made the catch easily!
But it wasn't over yet!
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