David Akers was a player in the NFL with a rather ordinary yet magical career.
The kicker, the most overlooked yet crucial position on a team, is often not given much attention in the draft. Undrafted rookies are numerous, and most kickers get their jobs through tryouts after the draft. Akers was no exception.
As an undrafted rookie, Akers couldn't even play in his first two professional seasons and had to play on the practice squad. But from an unknown undrafted rookie, through a long 13-year career, he was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time last year, creating his own legacy.
After the season ended last year, contract negotiations between the Philadelphia Eagles and Akers reached a stalemate. In the end, Akers left for the 49ers. He never imagined that in Week 4 of the regular season, the heavy burden would fall on his shoulders. Facing his old team, he was about to become the key player to decide the outcome of the game.
Facing the boos and roars of the entire stadium, the San Francisco 49ers players became Akers' strongest and only support. They continuously cheered for him.
Akers, who walked onto the field, was calm and unshaken. Amidst the noise, he accurately kicked the extra point, and the score became 27-28, with the home team's score first and the away team's second.
The San Francisco 49ers were in the lead! This was the first time in the game that the San Francisco 49ers had taken the lead, and it was right at the end of the game. They had firmly grasped the initiative for victory!
But there were still 49 seconds left in the game. This meant that victory was not yet in hand. The Philadelphia Eagles still had one last chance to fight back. 49 seconds, which usually feels so short, but on the field, it was so long—long enough to make your heart stop.
Lincoln Financial Field, which had been noisy and excited for the entire game, fell into complete silence for the first time.
All the San Francisco 49ers players stood on the sidelines, anxiously watching every move on the field. 49 seconds. They were only 49 seconds away from a four-game winning streak in the regular season. Just moments ago, their offense used 71 seconds to take the lead and turn the game around. Now, they had to wait in agony for another 49 seconds.
It was an absolute torment.
Lu Ke had his arms crossed over his chest. After taking off his helmet, his short black hair was already soaked. His delicate Asian face, among all the white and black faces, no longer looked so jarring or out of place.
Lu Ke looked up and saw the entire stadium holding its breath. He could almost hear the heartbeats of the fans. It was so quiet and so tense that Lu Ke, on the contrary, relaxed a bit and couldn't help but chuckle. "Do you think we scored a touchdown too quickly? I wish I had stalled for a little more time, or maybe let Marcus run the ball to waste some time. Then we wouldn't have to worry about this."
Logan Newman, who was standing next to him, rolled his eyes and looked at the carefree Lu Ke speechlessly. "Ha! Ha!" he laughed dryly. "It's not funny at all, okay? I'm so nervous I feel like I'm going to throw up, and you're making jokes? Didn't you notice that Marcus is about to cry?"
"Go away!" Marcus Lynch didn't look up, because the height difference was too great. Standing in front of Lu Ke and Logan was too frustrating. He refused to look up and refused to respond. Both of them were crazy.
In the midst of their short conversation, the situation on the field had already changed subtly.
In a desperate situation, Michael Vick showed the demeanor of a pioneer, maximizing his ability as a running quarterback. On one option read play, he faked a run, attracting the 49ers' defenders. Then he broke out of the pocket and completed a 22-yard pass to DeSean Jackson on the move.
Jackson then continued to advance with the ball, getting to the Eagles' 45-yard line, just five yards from midfield.
The Eagles immediately called a timeout, with the game clock stopped at 43 seconds.
When the game resumed, the San Francisco 49ers' defense finally came to life. Outside linebacker Patrick Willis tackled Vick with lightning speed, sacking him. For a running quarterback, a sack is more difficult because their footwork in the pocket is outstanding, but Willis's tough defense forcefully brought Vick down, and the Eagles were pushed back six yards.
Then, cornerback Reggie Smith made a key defensive play, knocking down Vick's pass to Jeremy Maclin. He almost made an interception but was just a little short, watching the football fall to the ground, resulting in an incomplete pass.
"Oh!"
Lu Ke and the others on the sidelines collectively expressed their regret. If they had made an interception at that point, it would have been a turnover that would have ended the game. However, after their initial frustration, Lu Ke was the first to start clapping and shouting loudly, "Number 30, great job!" Then he gave Reggie Smith a thumbs-up to show his approval.
In competitive sports, sometimes the players are so focused and in the moment that they don't feel nervous. It's the spectators on the sidelines or watching on TV who feel suffocated by the tension because they can't control the outcome of the game. Lu Ke was now finally getting a taste of what it's like to have his "heart in his throat." If he had a choice, he would rather be fighting on the field.
After two consecutive successful defensive plays, there were 29 seconds left in the game, and the Eagles were now facing a third-and-16 situation. However, for them, there was no difference between third and fourth down, which meant they had two chances to gain 16 yards.
On third and 16, Vick surprisingly chose to run the ball himself. With every second being so precious, running the ball was definitely the most unwise choice. But Vick still chose to trust his legs, gaining 10 yards. As he went down, the Eagles called their second timeout.
Fourth and 6, 24 seconds on the clock. After the snap, Vick once again used his legs to break out of the pocket and found tight end Brent Celek, number 87, in the crowd. He completed a 6-yard short pass, and Celek then advanced another four yards before being tackled.
The Eagles had miraculously survived, completing a pass on fourth and 6. In a crucial moment, Celek used his size advantage to powerfully shake off the 49ers' outside linebacker, Parys Haralson, and then made a catch after a sudden stop. The cornerback and safety who came to help were just one step too late.
This successful pass made all the San Francisco 49ers players hold their breath, and all the fans watching on TV stopped breathing completely.
But the game was still not over. The Eagles were now at the 49ers' 35-yard line, and field goal range was within reach.
Of course, according to the rules, the Eagles could attempt a field goal now. Although their kicker, Alex Henery,'s longest record in college was 57 yards, and the current field goal position was around 52 yards, a field goal of over 50 yards is always a gamble. So, to be safe, they had to keep moving forward.
In this next series of downs, the San Francisco 49ers' defense showed unimaginable strength, successfully breaking up an intermediate pass and forcing the Eagles to use their last timeout.
Then Vick tried a short pass to another wide receiver, Riley Cooper. Cooper successfully made the catch, but the 49ers' defense stopped him in his tracks, tackling him at the line of scrimmage.
After review, the referee ruled that Cooper had only gained one yard.
The Eagles then had to get into formation quickly, and Michael Vick spiked the ball to stop the clock: the quarterback intentionally throws the ball on the ground next to him to create a dead ball and stop the game clock.
It was now third and 9, with no timeouts and eight seconds on the clock. The Eagles had no other choice but to try for a field goal. A 51-yard field goal attempt would be the most important and most difficult field goal of rookie kicker Alex Henery's career. With everyone watching, Henery walked onto the field.
If the field goal was good, the Eagles would win. If the field goal was no good, the 49ers would win.
The tense air was almost boiling. After the referee blew the whistle for the snap, the Eagles' center snapped the ball. Henery ran forward to kick, but at the last moment, the San Francisco 49ers used their last timeout, disrupting Henery's kicking rhythm.
Henery had to slow down his run and wait for the timeout to end before he could get ready, snap the ball again, and kick again.
The entire "Joe's Bar" fell into absolute silence. The TV volume was turned up to the maximum. The buzzing noise traveled across the North American continent through the airwaves, clearly ringing in everyone's ears. Then you could hear heartbeats, thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump, as if the flow of blood had also slowed down.
The world seemed to have come to a standstill, with only the small patch of grass at Lincoln Financial Field still operating normally.
Suddenly, someone at the bar pushed open the door and shouted, "Anthony!"
"Shh!" Everyone turned their heads and shushed him. They didn't pay any attention to the terrified person who stood frozen in place. They all turned back to the TV screen, their eyes fixed on Alex Henery.
The snap, the holder, the run-up, the kick, the ball.
The football flew through the air in a long, high arc, seeming to disappear into the sun for a moment, causing hearts to stop. Then it reappeared in the shadow of the stadium's roof. It hit the goalpost with a "bang," and you could see the goalpost shaking violently. The crisp sound made everyone gasp in shock. In the next moment, the football took a strange curve and slid between the goalposts with a "whoosh."
The two referees standing behind the end line stepped forward at the same time and raised their hands high: Field goal, good!
A comeback, then a reverse comeback. A game-winner, then a reverse game-winner.
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