Chapter 600: Offense Never Stops
The second quarter began, and the New Orleans Saints offense, led by Drew Brees, took the field again. The first drive had faced a powerful rush from the San Francisco 49ers' defense, but Brees still managed to complete two passes in the short-pass area, gaining a first down and reaching the 25-yard line. When they snapped the ball again, the Saints' offensive line was once again under immense pressure.
As one of the best offensive lines in the league, at least three of the five Saints' offensive linemen were of Pro Bowl quality, far surpassing their wide receivers and tight ends. But today, facing the league's third-ranked 49ers defense, the Saints' pocket was in disarray. They seemed to have been unable to find their rhythm, and Brees was constantly throwing under pressure.
This time was no different. In the fragmented pocket, although the defensive players weren't able to get close to Brees, making a sack even more difficult, Brees realized that they had to put more pressure on the 49ers' secondary. So, Brees took a step forward and chose a medium-difficulty long pass, throwing it 30 yards to the middle-right area, trying to find his wide receiver, Adrian Arrington, to get a deep gain with a long pass.
But this was a familiar pass route, and the San Francisco 49ers' defense seemed to know it by heart. The secondary players executing the zone defense were scattered across the field. Colin Jones sniffed an opportunity, gave up his defensive position, and took a few big strides from the middle to the right. Midway through the football's flight path, he made a nimble jump, his back forming a perfect arc, and he easily intercepted the football, completing the pick!
In short, it was a turnover after a familiar play was read. The 49ers were confident, but the Saints were caught off guard. As a result, the Saints' offense was in complete disarray in terms of their blocking for the interception return. Colin Jones ran like a freight train from midfield and was on the verge of entering the end zone. He was finally met with a group of tacklers on the three-yard line and went down, ending his return.
The entire stadium was in a frenzy. From the moment Jones made the interception, the loud shouts never stopped. And as Jones advanced step by step, the sound waves kept rising. They reached a climax when he finally went down in front of the end zone. The ecstatic cheers stirred up gusts of wind in the air, and the afternoon sun was overshadowed.
After leading "14-7" in the first quarter, the San Francisco 49ers now had a chance to start their drive from the three-yard line in the second quarter, thanks to an interception and a return. It couldn't have been more perfect for the home team!
Lu Ke took the field again, but this time, the excitement and passion of Candlestick Park seemed to be uncontainable. The buzzing noise kept surging, as if the third touchdown was a sure thing. They were ready to jump up and celebrate at any moment. That contagious excitement began to spread throughout the stadium.
First and goal. After Lu Ke called for the snap, the offensive line faced an unprecedented amount of pressure. Then, the combined blocking of Joe Staley and Anthony Davis on the right side broke down, and the Saints' defensive end, Jeff Charleston, instantly broke through the pocket and rushed fiercely toward Lu Ke.
Standing in the pocket, Lu Ke quickly shuffled his feet to the left, but before he could even get an advantage, he saw from the corner of his eye that Adam Snyder on his blind side was giving ground. With the pocket in jeopardy, Lu Ke could only quickly throw a short pass to the left, trying to find Michael Crabtree.
But in the chaos, Crabtree couldn't get into position. After all, in the narrow space of the end zone, the entire defense was compressed, and the space left for offensive players was limited. Crabtree had to face the defense of two players, and with limited space, he could only watch as Lu Ke's football fell to the ground. Incomplete pass.
Second and goal. Lu Ke made a throwing motion, but he actually flipped the football to Marcus. It was a play-action pass, and he then moved out of the way, leaving space for Marcus to run. But the Saints, who were highly focused, didn't make a mistake in the red zone. The entire offensive line and linebacker group were very fast and aggressive, forming a wall of people. They finally held Marcus down on the ground. He hadn't even had a chance to run before he fell down at the line of scrimmage.
Standing at the five-yard line, Lu Ke let out a soft breath and focused. Although this was a red zone offense and the intensity of the defense was naturally on a different level, the details from the last two plays were still worth noting. The pocket was broken for the first time, and the running play was stonewalled for the first time. This showed that after his focus and energy began to drop, more mistakes were bound to happen.
He heard Harbaugh's play calls, but they were a little unclear amidst the noise of Candlestick Park. Sometimes, overly passionate home fans were not necessarily a good thing. Fortunately, these fans were on their side, so it was still much better than an away game.
Lu Ke calmed down, quickly gathered his teammates, called the play, and lined up. The San Francisco 49ers still used their familiar multi-route offensive formation. On the right side, there were three receivers. On the left, Michael Crabtree was alone. Also, Marcus was on the right side, near the slot receiver position, but his position was ambiguous, so it was unclear whether it was a run or a pass.
The New Orleans Saints' red-zone defense seemed to be a bit more relaxed. Five players stood on the front line, facing off against the offensive line, showing a strong blitzing posture. Two players stood on the left, but one was closer to Crabtree, and the other was closer to the defensive line, which also looked like an extra blitzer. Four players stood on the right side. Three of them were matched up with the three receivers, and one was on the slot receiver's route. It was still impossible to tell whether it was a run defense, a pass defense, or a blitz.
After calming down, a lightbulb went off in Lu Ke's mind. He took a step forward, adjusted the play—not changing it, but slightly tweaking it, changing the final passing target. Then, he quickly took a step back and called for the snap.
The New Orleans Saints suddenly chose a powerful blitz. The two extra players on the left and right all took a step forward and joined the five players on the front line. A total of seven players were committed to a brutal blitz, ready to use their numerical advantage to execute a crushing attack and prevent the San Francisco 49ers from scoring on third down.
But they failed. Crabtree cut to the inside, Marcus cut to the inside, and all five offensive linemen cut to the inside. The entire San Francisco 49ers' offense also collectively moved inward. Seven players against seven players. They didn't have a numerical disadvantage at all. They collided like a turbulent wave against a monstrous one, immediately securing the pocket space and buying time for Lu Ke to pass.
One second, two seconds. In the red zone, that was enough. He released the ball in one motion. It was a bullet pass, a mere three yards, and it was perfectly accurate!
"Hut!"
Ted Ginn and Logan Newman immediately took off, both sprinting forward. Compared to Vernon Davis, both of them had a speed advantage. But strangely, they didn't avoid the defenders. Instead, they ran toward them like a wave of wheat, and the rolling sound forced the defenders to adjust their feet and positions.
A collision, a sudden stop, a turn. Ginn and Logan both made a motion to catch the ball. At this point, there were four defenders on this side, which was a clear numerical advantage. They all held their positions and used their bodies to disrupt the two players' catching motions.
Wait, what about the other one? Because the entire San Francisco 49ers' offensive line contracted so quickly and Ted and Logan's push forward was so fierce, the two groups of Saints' defenders also quickly separated. The front line went forward, and the secondary went back. A short three-yard space in the middle quickly opened up, and then, a person wearing a red number 85 jersey appeared.
Vernon stayed in place, looking like a log. He seemed to have not heard the snap count, standing idly for a second, then another. After missing the beat, Vernon took two big steps diagonally to the left, facing Lu Ke. There was not a single defender around him. He raised his hands and, without a doubt, caught the football in front of his chest. Then he lowered his shoulder and charged into the end zone.
"Touchdown! It's a touchdown! To-uch-down! Vernon Davis! The San Francisco 49ers easily scored their third touchdown of the game! After the defense gained a starting position in the red zone with an interception, Lu Ke did not fail his teammates and officially widened the gap with his third touchdown!"
"My God, this offensive battle is just too exciting! The question now is, how will the Saints respond? What kind of performance will Drew Brees give us?"
After running into the end zone, Vernon raised his hands high, as if he were a Super Saiyan. He then repeatedly raised his hands, egging on the crowd, as if saying, "Louder! A little louder! Can you be a little more passionate? Not enough! It's still not enough!"
And so, his wish came true! The excitement of the entire stadium was fully released. They had waited and waited, and the sure-thing touchdown was finally sealed, continuing the strong performance from the start of the game. The San Francisco 49ers were in full force today!
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