According to the slow-motion replay, at the moment Ginn completed the catch, Kiwanuka hit him hard, which prevented Ginn from completely controlling the football. The ball bounced around in Ginn's arms, and he was constantly trying to secure it. At the same time, Kiwanuka, as if carrying a sack of rice, hoisted Ginn onto his shoulder and sprinted forward, pushing Ginn out of bounds. By the time Ginn fully secured the football and his feet touched the ground, one of his feet was already out of bounds.
Therefore, it was a successful defense, an incomplete pass. If the ruling stood, the San Francisco 49ers would have lost the game. Their offense had failed, and there was no time left on the clock. Everything would be a foregone conclusion, but there was a "but."
The referee signaled that during the defensive play, Kiwanuka had committed a foul. After losing his position, he grabbed Ginn to hold him back, which was an illegal tackle. Despite that, Ginn still managed to get free and enter the end zone. According to the principle of offensive advantage, the referee didn't stop the game immediately. Unfortunately, Ginn couldn't secure the football in the end zone and missed the touchdown. So, the referee still announced the penalty: defense committed a foul, a five-yard penalty, and the offense gets another chance to run a play.
The game continued. The offensive players gathered again and saw Lu Ke's smiling face through their helmets. Everyone was stunned for a moment, not knowing why. Finally, Logan was the first to start chuckling, and soon all his teammates joined in. The tense and anxious atmosphere was replaced by a sense of absurdity. It was absurd that the game clock had run out, but the offense was still going.
After calming down, there was still no verbal communication, but this time, Lu Ke's eyes met every player's. They had to focus and get their spirits up again. With one unexpected event after another, they couldn't get distracted or doubt themselves. Only by moving forward could they achieve victory.
It was a battle on the one-yard line. After going back and forth several times, the 49ers offense was back on the one-yard line, with only one yard left to win the game. So, would they run the ball? This time, the Giants' defense seemed to have finally woken up and made an adjustment.
Kiwanuka, who had just caused the team to miss a victory due to a penalty, didn't leave the field. Instead, he adjusted his position. Including him, four heavy players were stacked up against the offensive line. Clearly, they couldn't continue to ignore the run game, because the 49ers had put in Kendall Hunter, a heavyweight fullback. Even if this was a trap and Kendall was just there to distract the defense, the Giants had to fall for it. Otherwise, if Lu Ke really handed the ball to Kendall, it would be a complete disaster. With Kendall's size, he could easily get into the end zone with the help of his teammates. So, the Giants' defense was forced to adjust.
Kirk, sitting in the broadcast booth, started laughing out loud. "Besides the middle, the Giants' man-to-man defense hasn't changed much. For Lu Ke, it's like a completely open playground. Every player has a matchup advantage and disadvantage. He can throw to anyone, literally anyone! Now, the Giants no longer have the initiative. Everything is in Lu Ke's hands!"
The entire Candlestick Park fell silent. It wasn't a dead silence but a chaotic one. The rapid breathing, fast heartbeats, and surging blood created an unstoppable surge of emotion. Even without anyone speaking, the restless atmosphere in the air was so thick it was almost suffocating.
Ryan Baldwin sat in his wheelchair, looking up at the 49ers fans, who were all standing. The vast, surging red ocean had calmed down, but the undercurrents beneath the calm surface were thrilling. At this moment, he wanted so badly to stand up and join them, to be nervous to the point of tears, to hold his breath, and to tremble with everyone else. But he couldn't.
Damn amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It had been a long, long time since he had been able to stand up on his own. He couldn't even remember the last time he stood on his own. The feeling was so distant that it had become foreign. Now, he couldn't even do the most basic, simple act of standing. In his line of sight, Ryan could see his brother Jonathan's expression. He was fearless and unshakable. Even in the face of the game's ups and downs, even in the face of the game's twists and turns, his gaunt and weathered face never showed a hint of fear or retreat. It was as if... it was as if he firmly believed that victory would ultimately be theirs! That belief was so firm and powerful that Ryan's completely frozen heart began to warm up.
Ryan missed his brother, he missed these games, and he missed these moments. The feeling of his heart beating so hard it felt like it was going to tear out of his chest made him feel truly alive. He turned his attention back to the field, but he couldn't help but feel nervous. He gripped the armrests of his wheelchair tightly. He didn't know if the rookie quarterback could handle the pressure, and he didn't know if this new team could turn things around, but he wanted to be a part of it. Thump, thump. He could hear the heartbeat of Candlestick Park, and his own heartbeat fell into the same rhythm. It was as if he had become a part of this stadium.
It was too quiet. The stadium was so quiet that the tension began to spread. Even though Lu Ke wasn't nervous at all, his thoughts were inevitably affected. At a moment like this, in a situation like this, not to mention Lu Ke, even seasoned veterans might not have experienced it. Right now, the only thing Lu Ke could do was read the defense, read the defense, read the defense!
It was a multiple-route offense in the pistol formation. This was undoubtedly one of the 49ers' most successful offensive formations this season. On the right side, Logan Newman was in a one-on-one matchup, which was an advantage. On the left side, Vernon Davis had replaced Kyle Williams again, and he was teamed up with Ted Ginn and Michael Crabtree to form a trident. As for Marcus Lynch, he was on the sideline, and Kendall Hunter had taken over, increasing the threat of a run, which naturally meant one less potential receiving position.
For the Giants' defense, they had a clear numerical advantage. Besides the four defensive linemen who had completely sealed off the running routes and a linebacker standing at the front of the end zone ready to cover the running back a second time, the other six players were all spread out in the end zone. One was covering Logan, and five were covering the three players on the left side. Did this mean that Logan had more open space? Or was it a trap? Were the Giants trying to bait Lu Ke into throwing to Logan? At that moment, in a flash, Lu Ke caught a subtle change in the matchups on the field.
He glanced at the play clock out of the corner of his eye. There were five seconds left. There was no time to think. Without a moment's hesitation, Lu Ke bent down and got into position. Without a pause, he shouted loudly: "Hut!" The powerful voice exploded in the stadium like a spring thunderstorm. In an instant, the entire San Francisco 49ers team, like a bulldozer, powerfully pushed forward. Kendall Hunter didn't even make a fake handoff. He slammed into his offensive line teammates and charged forward.
It was a pass! Lu Ke quickly scanned Logan's position. It was a trap, as expected. A linebacker immediately went over to cover Logan. With two players covering him, Logan was still looking for open space. In a flash, Lu Ke's eyes scanned the left side. Not Ginn, not Vernon, his gaze was locked on Crabtree. To be precise, Crabtree and the player covering him, Aaron Ross, were a new matchup. Ginn and Vernon, who were bigger threats, had distracted three defenders. Another defender was closely watching Lu Ke's every move, ready to cover the direction of the pass.
Now, Crabtree and Ross were in a one-on-one situation. Lu Ke's footwork in the pocket was solid and agile as he quickly moved to the left. One step, two steps, three steps. In just two seconds, or maybe even less, Lu Ke raised his right hand and, with the force of a thunderclap, threw the ball in a straight line like a rocket! It was a bullet pass! The football shot through the air with a whooshing sound and found Crabtree near the left pylon in the end zone in the blink of an eye!
In just two big steps, Crabtree was in the end zone. He didn't have time to look around. He made a judgment about the situation on the field based on his animalistic instincts and instantly realized that he was in a one-on-one matchup with Ross. His shoulders felt as if they were carrying a mountain, and he was bearing down on Ross. Crabtree pushed forward with all his might, but Ross stood his ground, hitting him head-on and firmly stopping Crabtree's charge. The two of them were locked in a stalemate, unable to move, unable to advance, and unable to break free. The defense was so tight that there was no room for error. But Crabtree was never afraid of a head-on confrontation! He took a step forward, made contact, and pushed, doing his best to avoid any unnecessary hand movements. No penalty! No penalty! No penalty! That was the only thing on Crabtree's mind!
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