A clean touchdown, a clean penalty. In less than five seconds, the San Francisco 49ers went from hell to heaven and then back to hell again. Such huge swings were truly too much for a heart to handle. But for neutral fans, this was an absolutely brilliant game! The referee took away the 49ers' second touchdown, and after reviewing the replay, the commentators agreed with the referee's call. At the moment of impact with Kiwanuka, Crabtree's left hand made a pulling motion on his helmet, and with the combined force, Kiwanuka fell straight to the ground. It was a penalty. Undisputed.
For the San Francisco 49ers, whether it was disputed or not, they had to forget about it for now. The game was still going, and the key to victory was still in their hands. Although it was precarious, they would not let go easily. The game clock had three seconds left. The line of scrimmage was at the eleven-yard line.
Anything was still possible. Even though they were still on the edge of a cliff, going back and forth, up and down, it was a thrilling and never-ending bungee jump. But anything was possible! The entire stadium was holding its breath. The fans' hearts were about to burst. If they didn't have heart problems before, they would now. But Lu Ke, the man in the middle of it all, was getting calmer and calmer. He wasn't frustrated, nervous, or anxious. He was completely settled, staring intently at the Giants' defensive formation.
It was the same man-to-man defense, but the quarterback had a lot of options. From a positive perspective, being back at the eleven-yard line gave the offense more passing space compared to a one-yard battle. Everyone knew they would choose to pass, not run. So, whether they were in the red zone or not didn't really matter to the 49ers. A thought flashed through Lu Ke's mind: what if he tried a run play? Marcus Lynch could run, and he himself could run with his special ability. With three seconds left, there were so many plays he could use.
"Beep!"
In his intense focus, the referee's whistle suddenly blew. Lu Ke straightened up and saw the signal: the Giants had called their second timeout. Clearly, the coaching staff had realized the mess their defense was in. Regardless of whether they changed their strategy, the defense definitely needed a breather. Otherwise, they would have no chance against the 49ers' momentum. A timeout, to see if they could quickly recharge. The 49ers' offensive players didn't leave the field. The team staff rushed over, handing out water bottles for them to quickly replenish their electrolytes.
Lu Ke quickly went to the sideline alone. Jim Harbaugh, Craig Roman, and Kip Kleist all came over to him to plan their strategy. The two backup quarterbacks, Alex Smith and Scott Tolzien, also came over—Colin Kaepernick didn't. Alex looked at Lu Ke, who was calm and composed. He was even calmly discussing the play with Harbaugh, giving his opinions. His shining eyes showed no signs of wavering, not even a ripple. After having two touchdowns called back, they now had to try for a touchdown for a third time. Even just watching from the sidelines, their palms were sweating. The defensive and special teams players were going crazy, one after another, losing their minds with excitement. But Lu Ke was so calm, so unshaken. At that moment, Alex vaguely understood that some people were just born for this stage. It was something you couldn't see or touch, but it was there, and it had nothing to do with passing skills or physical ability.
After the play was set, Alex's eyes unintentionally met Lu Ke's. On a reflex, he clenched his fist and said loudly, "Bambi! You can do it!" Scott, who was standing next to him, clenched his fists and waved them vigorously. "This is a war, and victory belongs to us!" Lu Ke raised his right fist and clenched it hard, simply and directly expressing his determination. Then he turned and ran back to the field, ready for the next drive.
"They've changed their strategy! The Giants' defense has finally changed their strategy! It's now a zone coverage defense. Three players are covering the right side, and four are covering the left side—two in the front, and two in the back." The moment the two teams lined up, Kirk noticed the change in formation. He quickly pointed to the Giants' right side, which was the 49ers' left side. "Now, of the three players on the right side, two are clearly positioned forward. They are covering Crabtree."
"Crabtree has been great today, making crucial catches at key moments, but penalties have been a constant problem for him. Now, the Giants are trying to use Crabtree to stop the 49ers' offense. The question is, can Lu Ke see through their strategy?"
Lu Ke wasn't in a hurry. He focused on reading the defense. On his left, there were two receivers, and on his right, there were three. After the Giants switched to zone defense, it meant they had to use their running routes to create a passing window. Although it was more complicated, it was something the 49ers were good at in their daily training.
"Snap!"
The moment he called the snap, Lu Ke's brow furrowed slightly. The Giants' smokescreen had worked perfectly, deceiving Lu Ke's judgment. Their entire defensive formation was a trap. There were four players on the defensive line, but after the snap, only two of them rushed. The other two quickly fell back, completely cutting off the middle. On the left side, it was three against two, and on the right side, it was four against three. The opponent's defense had a complete numerical advantage. In other words, they had completely given up on rushing and run defense. At this moment, if Lu Ke had handed the ball to Marcus and relied on his receivers to block, it would have been a brilliant advance, and a touchdown would have been highly likely. But unfortunately, there were no "ifs." On one hand, the Giants' defense was truly deceptive, and Lu Ke couldn't figure it out. On the other hand, Harbaugh had called a pass play. Marcus was standing on the right side and ran out with Logan and Williams. A thought flashed through his mind to use his special ability and run himself, but Lu Ke immediately saw the dense wall of people in front of him and immediately gave up on the idea. Then he raised his right hand, took a big step forward, and lightly threw a small arc to Logan, who had suddenly appeared in the middle, and completed the pass!
Pass play, pass play, pass play. That was the only thing on Logan's mind at the moment. In a crisis, their routes were constantly changing. They would just choose a general area, and the rest was up to the receiver to run the route. Then Lu Ke would find an open space on the move and complete the pass. This was a play that maximized the quarterback's passing ability and understanding of the playbook. Simple, but effective.
Logan knew Lu Ke's passing routes and habits. After the snap, his vision quickly opened up, and he quickly noticed the change in the Giants' defensive formation. In just eleven yards, there was very little time to think. He immediately took advantage of the gap where the two defensive linemen hadn't fallen back and the two safeties hadn't come forward. In the middle, there was a narrow gap of less than three yards, but Logan knew it was enough.
He sprinted forward, cut inside, and ran a post route. It was one of the most basic routes, but it was very effective. Facing a cornerback who was sticking to him like glue, Logan used the advantage of the starting point's instability to successfully shake off the one-on-one coverage. When his feet reached the middle and his back was to the end zone, Lu Ke had already thrown the pass. The two of them didn't even need eye contact to be on the same page. Then...
He jumped high, reached out to try to make the catch, but... another accident happened. It was a catch he would make a hundred out of a hundred times in practice, but Logan was slightly off. The football didn't land on his chest but hit his helmet. His hands didn't have time to adjust to catch the ball, and it went "whoosh" and flew into the stands. Amidst the groans of the crowd, Logan held his helmet tightly, his face filled with the sadness and regret of missing the whole world. He squatted down low, refusing to accept such a cruel reality. They had failed, they had lost...
Wait. The accident wasn't over; another accident happened!
"Beep!"
The referee's whistle blew again, and at the same time, good news came. "Illegal holding, defense, number twenty, five-yard penalty. The game clock remains at zero seconds. San Francisco 49ers, first-and-goal." Prince Amukamara, the Giants' number twenty, a name that had been absent for a long time, appeared again in an unexpected way. While defending Logan's run, Amukamara didn't hold his position. Seeing that Logan was about to break through, he had no choice but to grab him, which resulted in an illegal holding penalty. Not only were they penalized five yards, but they also gave the 49ers another chance to score.
So, the game was still not over. All the commentators were completely stunned. The ups and downs at the end of the game were truly endless. "Haha, it seems this game will never end. Now, the game is still going, and the clock is at zero."
As the referee said, after the last three seconds ran out, the game clock was at zero. But according to the rules of offensive pass interference, the 49ers still had one more chance to score. This was what was known as a zero-second play. But before Lu Ke, who was in the pocket, could finish reading the defense, the referee's whistle disrupted the rhythm again.
"Beep! New York Giants, third timeout."
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