After the snap, the San Francisco 49ers' offensive linemen, unexpectedly, didn't move forward to engage with the defensive line. Instead, they retreated in an orderly fashion, forming a pocket around Lu Ke and luring the opposing defensive linemen to rush in.
Chilo Rachal and Joe Staley, standing on the ends of the line, were laser-focused. They noticed the opponent's numerical advantage—7 on 5—and knew they had to hold their positions to give Lu Ke as much time as possible to throw.
Rachal's mind was clearer than ever. His performance in this and the last game had been disastrous, with opponents repeatedly breaking through his side, making him the weak link on the offensive line. But now, all distracting thoughts were gone, replaced by Lu Ke's unwavering belief that was deeply rooted in his mind.
At the snap, Rachal placed his hands on the chest of Akeem Jordan, the inside linebacker he was facing. Jordan wasn't a defensive lineman, so Rachal had a slight size advantage.
Rachal used his body weight to push outward, then used the opposing force to quickly retreat. He didn't care about Jordan's next move. His eyes immediately caught Cullen Jenkins, who was trying to blitz on his left.
That damn Jenkins!
Rachal quickly retreated with small steps, his body slightly leaning to the left and moving bit by bit to the outside. He positioned himself on the path Jenkins was using to blitz and then slammed into him with his left shoulder. As he was retreating, he suddenly pushed off his feet and unexpectedly collided with Jenkins head-on. Jenkins lost his balance and stumbled back a couple of steps, his momentum suddenly stopped.
But Rachal didn't let up. His peripheral vision caught Marcus Lynch, who had come over to provide support. Lynch was now entangled with Jordan, who was a half-step behind. Rachal didn't rush to help. Instead, he took two more steps back, positioning himself squarely in the path of Jordan and Jenkins, and solidly covered the blind side of the pocket.
Just then, Rachal noticed the arc of the football flying through the sky: Lu Ke had thrown the ball!
Realizing this, Rachal came to a screeching halt, then let go and slammed into the returning Jenkins with all his might. The pent-up frustration of the entire game was finally released in a rush!
"Hike!"
Lu Ke and Lynch, standing side by side, swapped positions. Lynch stepped forward into Lu Ke's spot, while Lu Ke moved behind Lynch, then quickly took a drop back, creating distance between himself and the pocket. One big step, then another, all while his eyes took in the entire field.
Facing the Philadelphia Eagles' strategy of a seven-player blitz, the 49ers countered by retreating. The contracting pocket forced the Eagles to make a choice:
They could either follow and continue the blitz, but being a half-step behind would cause them to lose balance due to momentum, putting them at a disadvantage. Or they could retreat as a group to defend against short and intermediate passes. If they didn't, the gap between the defensive line and the secondary would be forcefully widened by the 49ers, creating a huge open space.
In this critical situation, the Eagles' defense had no time to think and could only rely on instinct, charging forward forcefully.
However, the blind side, which had been inconsistent all game, showed a tough stance and caught the Eagles' defense off guard. Then, after Lu Ke and Lynch swapped positions, Lynch stayed put, joining the offensive line to further stifle the defense's blitzing momentum.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
The pocket, which looked dangerous and on the verge of collapse, held steady and provided enough time to observe the field.
Lu Ke completed his two-step drop back quickly and without a moment of hesitation. Before the gaps on the ends of the offensive line could be torn open, he quickly swung his forearm, using his wrist to gently push the ball. The football flew through the air in a high, fast arc, like a bolt of lightning, tearing through the vast blue sky.
"My God! The San Francisco 49ers' pocket is in danger! Truly dangerous! It looks like it could fall apart at any moment, leaving the quarterback completely exposed to the opponent. Danger! Pass! Pass! The football is coming!"
Kirk spoke quickly, not even having time to explain the 49ers' tactical changes or the Eagles' adjustments. In less than a blink of an eye, he saw Lu Ke complete the pass, and his voice began to rise. "The football... is coming!" The trailing sound of his voice rose so high that it cracked.
But Kirk didn't care. His eyes were glued to the field. All his attention had been on the pocket, and he hadn't had time to observe the receivers' routes. "No target! There's no target on the field! My God, why did Lu Ke choose this passing route? There's no San Francisco 49ers player in the open space on the left! Why would Lu Ke choose a pass to the left?"
"Wait! Crabtree! Crabtree! And Newman! My God!" Teddy immediately saw the two players appearing in the open space on the field and exclaimed. "When did they get there?"
On the left side, there was only Ted Ginn, a receiver who was tightly covered by the cornerback, leaving no chance for a catch. Lu Ke's pass was to a completely empty area. The Eagles' first and second defensive lines were disconnected, leaving huge open spaces on the field. But there were no San Francisco 49ers receivers there, either.
But just then, Crabtree and Newman, two players who had been on the right, both cut inside and came into view, one in front of the other. The two heavy-duty weapons, like tanks, thundered into the no-man's-land.
"Lu Ke's pass! Lu Ke's pass! It was... caught by Crabtree! Number 15, Crabtree, it's unbelievable! That's a 27-yard long pass! Crabtree jumped up lightly and caught the football perfectly! My God! He caught it! He caught it! What an amazing pass! Unbelievable!"
Kirk couldn't contain his excitement. He slammed the table and roared with delight.
"Facing a second and 15, the San Francisco 49ers used an innovative strategy. Under pressure in a contracting pocket, Lu Ke completed a precise 27-yard long pass! Crabtree made the catch, beautiful! What a play!" As Kirk was summarizing, his voice suddenly faltered again. "Wait, the play isn't over! Wait!"
"He broke free! Crabtree broke free from two defenders' tackles! My God, he shook off two tackles and is still advancing! Newman quickly moved to block, smashing into the safety who was coming to help! Advance! Crabtree is still advancing! It's insane, this is truly insane! Crabtree is continuing to advance with an unstoppable momentum!"
Kirk's eyes were wide as he stared at the field, his heart lodged in his throat. But the commentary still gushed out. "Advance! Crabtree is still advancing! The Philadelphia Eagles' number 57, Clayton, is back to defend! My goodness, Crabtree has shaken off Clayton's tackle again! Hughes can't grab him either! Nelson! Nelson finally got him! He made the tackle and tripped Crabtree! My God! Oh, my God!"
There were only gasps and exclamations. His brain had completely stopped thinking. He was just like a parrot, catching the movements on the field and saying them out of reflex, not even knowing what was happening. It wasn't until Crabtree fell that Kirk finally regained his composure. He turned and looked at Teddy sitting next to him, his eyes filled with surprise.
"What did we just witness? Jesus Christ! What did we just witness!" Kirk exclaimed, still in disbelief.
"We just witnessed Crabtree go into beast mode. He broke free from three, um, four tackles? No, I can't remember how many times. We need to re-watch the replay," Teddy was also speechless. After reaching the peak of his surprise, all he had was an absurd smile. "So, let's watch the replay."
After the snap, the San Francisco 49ers' receivers ran deceptive routes. Ginn, on the left, was responsible for drawing the cornerback in one-on-one coverage. Williams, on the far right, attracted another cornerback.
Newman and Crabtree, the two heavy-duty weapons, both charged forward. However, after Crabtree ran about five yards, he made a 90-degree cut into the empty space in the middle. Newman charged for about eight yards, then made a 90-degree cut, following closely behind Crabtree.
The defenders who were heavily concentrated on the right side of the field were instantly tilted to the left.
The Eagles' defense was completely outmaneuvered. The seven first-line defenders were forced to rush forward, while of the four second-line defenders, two were covering the cornerbacks, leaving only two safeties.
One stayed in the short passing zone because Crabtree's sudden forward sprint had left him behind. The other stayed in the deep passing zone, trying to cover Newman one-on-one. But Newman's sudden change of direction left a gap of about ten yards. The safety immediately tried to help, but his speed was too slow.
Lu Ke quickly completed the pass. With no defenders around, Crabtree easily caught the football and kept advancing.
The Eagles' defense was in complete chaos. The cornerback who was covering Ginn and the safety who was supposed to be covering Crabtree both rushed forward to make a tackle. But they ended up colliding with each other and didn't secure the tackle. Crabtree powerfully broke free, which led to the next scene.
The big wide receiver went into beast mode, powerfully breaking through and carving out a bloody path!
NOTE:
New chapters drop Three times a day, every Monday through Sunday! Plus, you have the power to unlock more: we'll release Three bonus chapters for every 300 votes! Let's get this story moving together.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 30 chapters in advance!