Ginn's mind was incredibly calm, without any distracting thoughts, as he accurately made the catch to his chest. The perfect spiral made his catch easy and simple. He didn't need to make any adjustments and controlled the ball with his hands extended straight out.
He turned his head and could see the sideline just a few feet away. With time running out, going out of bounds to stop the clock would have been the best option. But at the same time, his peripheral vision caught the pylon in the corner of the end zone.
So, Ginn planted his left foot down hard, made an emergency stop, and tensed his muscles to their limit, barely managing to control his forward momentum and stop just inside the sideline. Then, he firmly planted his right foot on the grass, barely staying in bounds, and forcefully twisted his body around. He soared through the air like an eagle, using the force from his right foot and his forward momentum to truly fly.
In that moment, Ginn could clearly feel the strong wind rushing over his arms and helmet. The world fell completely silent, with only the sound of the wind roaring in his ears. His body was as light as a feather, swooping forward along the path of the storm.
He loved this feeling.
He spread his arms like an eagle's wings, his right hand firmly gripping the football. He swooped down and used the football to knock down the pylon in the corner of the end zone. He could clearly see the orange pylon fall to the ground.
Then, gravity began to accelerate. Time and space sped up instantly. Ginn hit the ground hard, kicking up a large amount of turf. He saw the blue sky and the sun, then he heard the referee's whistle, "Beep! Touchdown!"
God, he really loved this sport!
Jeff Locke held his breath, completely holding his breath, staring intently at the TV screen and at Ted Ginn. Then he saw the most wonderful and beautiful scene in the world.
Ted Ginn soared high into the air like an eagle with spread wings, gliding over the front of the end zone, touching the pylon with the football, and then falling heavily to the ground, completing the touchdown! The graceful pose and heroic movements perfectly displayed the power and control of football, and at the same time, perfectly combined the tactics and awareness of the game.
"Bang!"
Jeff suddenly jumped up, his knee hitting the bar hard. He winced in pain, but he didn't care. He just roared uncontrollably, "Touchdown! Touchdown! Touchdown! Ahhh!" His mind was a blank slate, just roaring clumsily and simply, "Ahhh!"
The whole bar was boiling. Jonathan Baldwin roared wildly, "Touchdown!" With his fists clenched and muscles tensed, he yelled at everyone in sight, releasing all his excitement and exhilaration without reservation. "Touchdown!" Even if his face was twisted, even if his whole body was shaking, even if his voice was about to give out, he still didn't care. "Touchdown!"
Everyone, every person in the bar, was cheering and screaming. Even Anthony Dinunzio was pumping his fist. "That's so f***ing beautiful!" Then he kept hitting the TV screen with his fist, yelling with uncontrollable anger, "Did you see that? Did you see that? Damn it! Go to hell! We are the 49ers! We are the 49ers! Ahhh!"
They scored a touchdown! They successfully scored a touchdown! With 49 seconds left in the game, they had scored a touchdown to tie the score at 27-27. With a successful extra point, they could win the game! They did it! After coming back against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 of the regular season, they did it again!
As he was shouting, Jonathan started to cry, and hot tears fell one after another, impossible to stop.
A rough, big man was now standing in the middle of a boiling bar, crying like a child, almost breathless.
It wasn't just because of a touchdown, or just because of a victory, even a comeback victory. It was because of Lu Ke.
Lu Ke, who looked frail on the field, was just an undrafted rookie this year, only 22 years old. But this player, whom no one had high hopes for, showed an unyielding spirit and courage in the game. Even with 14 hits and two sacks, even with his team playing poorly and their rhythm off, even with all the difficulties on the field, he never gave up.
Lu Ke, using his own shoulders, carried the entire team, tightly uniting the offensive players. His unyielding and never-say-die spirit forged a bloody path. At the critical moment, his two consecutive long passes were a deadly blow, resulting in a touchdown that was worth its weight in gold.
That spirit and courage hammered against Jonathan's chest, leaving him speechless with guilt and mortification. He hated the way he had been for the past few weeks, but he was even more excited about Lu Ke's appearance. My God, he hadn't seen the San Francisco 49ers play like this in over ten years.
Because of passion, there's madness; because of dedication, there's emotion.
Jonathan couldn't hold it in any longer, and his tears completely broke free, crying uncontrollably. He owed Lu Ke an apology, and he owed Lu Ke a thank you.
"Touchdown! Touchdown! Touchdown!" The wildly celebrating Chris Wilson had almost lost his voice, roaring, yelling, and cheering, his whole body shaking. Suddenly, he saw a teary-eyed Jonathan in the crowd.
Jonathan also seemed to notice Chris's gaze. The two rival fans laughed and buried the hatchet. Then Jonathan wiped his tears and shouted, "Bambi!"
Chris broke into a big smile and joined in the shouting. "Bambi!"
Gradually, the shouts merged once again, echoing for a long time in "Joe's Bar."
"Touchdown! Touch...down!" Kirk stood up abruptly, but the earpiece around his neck pulled him back, causing him to sit down with a thud. He was in a pathetic state, but he didn't care. Instead, he screamed wildly, "Touch..." dragging out the sound for a long, long time until his lungs were on fire. "Down!"
The surging passion was released in a rush. Brilliant! This was truly brilliant! A deadly long pass, eagle wings, a perfect kill! A game like this almost brought tears to his eyes!
Teddy was no exception. He kept slamming the table, his face full of smiles, and his exclamations wouldn't stop. "Touchdown, touchdown! In the final moments of the game, the San Francisco 49ers scored a touchdown! Jesus! This game is almost suffocating! Oh, Jesus Christ, I can barely breathe right now!"
The simplest word, touchdown, condensed the most turbulent emotions, enough to make you explode!
"My God! Oh, my God!" Kirk exclaimed repeatedly, and after finally calming down, he couldn't help but chuckle at their loss of composure. "At the most critical moment, the Philadelphia Eagles showed a fatal defensive flaw, and Lu Ke keenly seized that opportunity, throwing a 29-yard long pass, successfully connecting with Ted Ginn, and ultimately scoring a touchdown!"
After that, Kirk paused and turned to Teddy. "Can you believe it? This is only Lu Ke's fourth professional game?" It was incredible that he was so calm and veteran-like at a crucial moment. "Can you also believe that Ted Ginn has been in the league for four years, and for the first three he was a fringe player for the Miami Dolphins used as a special teams returner? Last year, he only had 12 catches for 163 yards and one touchdown. But today?"
Today, Ted Ginn delivered the most brilliant performance of his professional career! And it was his second consecutive impressive game after the last one!
Teddy spread his hands. "Although I don't want to say this, Lu Ke is a quarterback with a magical touch."
Fully unleashing the potential of every receiver and turning an average wide receiver into a top-tier player is a skill that only good or even elite quarterbacks possess. Lu Ke, who had only played four professional games, was obviously not in that category. But at the very least, this showed that he had that potential.
In a football game, there is more than one way to score a touchdown. Hitting the pylon is another way to score a touchdown.
In the four corners of the end zone, there are four short orange posts called pylons. In a game, if a player with the ball hits or touches the pylon with the ball or their body, it's considered a touchdown.
But there is a requirement that the player must have full control of the football when they hit or touch the pylon.
For example, if you throw the football and it hits the pylon, or if you hit the pylon while you don't have full control of the football, that is not considered a touchdown. It is considered a touchback.
Touchback and safety are two completely different situations.
A safety is when a quarterback, running back, or any other offensive player with the ball is tackled in their own end zone, or when the ball becomes dead in the end zone due to a defensive play. The defensive team is awarded a safety, which is two points.
A touchback is when a kickoff, punt, or another type of kick lands in the end zone, and the player returning the kick either kneels for a fair catch or the ball goes out of bounds at the end line. The returning team will automatically start their drive at their own 20-yard line.
In that play, if Ted Ginn had not had full control of the football when he hit the pylon, it would have been a touchback. The specific judgment would be made by the referee after watching the replay.
However, in this case, Ginn successfully controlled the football. With his eagle wings wide open, he held the ball in his right hand and touched the pylon with the football, scoring a touchdown!
After reviewing the replay, the referee determined that Ginn had indeed controlled the football. Therefore, the touchdown was confirmed! In the final moments of the game, the San Francisco 49ers scored a touchdown, tying the score at 27-27.
The situation was all too familiar, almost a repeat of their Week 2 game against the Dallas Cowboys. All eyes in the stadium were now on the San Francisco 49ers' kicker, David Akers.
David Akers, a former Philadelphia Eagles player, joined the San Francisco 49ers during the off-season. Now, facing his former team, he would be the key person to decide the outcome of the game. It wasn't the quarterback, a sack, or an interception. It was the kicker's extra point.
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