Chapter 722: Consecutive Breakthroughs
"Newman! Newman! Newman!"
"My God, Newman successfully shook off Burnett's tackle and is still pushing forward! Newman! Newman is quickly advancing toward the end zone! Woodson hasn't given up, Woodson is trying to make a tackle! Woodson! Woodson makes a diving leap, tackling Newman out of bounds! Woodson saves the Green Bay Packers and ends the San Francisco 49ers' drive!"
"The referee signals a completed catch! Newman did it! Newman did it!"
"This is truly spectacular!"
"Under a crumbling pocket, Lu Ke still calmly completed a 26-yard long pass, successfully finding Newman, who had created a completely open space. Then, Newman broke away from a head-on tackle and continued to advance. They not only successfully converted a first-and-20, but they also advanced all the way to the opponent's 21-yard line!"
"This is a 38-yard gain! '14-to-88,' the classic connection is back!"
In the studio, Teddy and Kirk were cheering for this drive. From the defense's preemptive strike to the offense's interlocking plays, the tit-for-tat exchange of offense and defense showcased the charm of professional football in a different way. The depth and complexity of tactical gameplay were definitely more than just a physical collision.
In the stands, the home fans were booing, launching a fierce attack on the visiting team. Then, all the fans came together and shouted in unison, "Defense! Defense! Defense!" The unified shouts of support poured out, injecting a shot of adrenaline into the home team's players.
On the field, Woodson and Burnett were quickly whispering to each other. In that last play, both of them had misinterpreted the passing route, which was obviously not a good sign. The entire defense's tactical intent had also been thoroughly read, which put them at a disadvantage.
Meanwhile, Logan was pounding his chest, mimicking the actions of a gorilla, venting his emotions. This was his first catch since the game started. What he had learned during the offseason was being showcased for the first time, powerfully announcing to the entire league: We're here!
"Line up! Line up!" Lu Ke quickly waved his hands like a cute little seal, calling for the entire offense to quickly advance and line up. At this moment, they had to increase the offensive tempo and continue to hit the opponent hard while the opposing defense was a little disorganized.
"Logan!"
Lu Ke yelled loudly. Logan, who was celebrating, immediately returned to the huddle. All the offensive players quickly lined up. There was no time for a huddle. Lu Ke relayed Harbaugh's play call while constantly pressing his hands down to signal everyone to get into game mode. The tempo suddenly increased without any warning.
For the San Francisco 49ers' offense, after a year of working together, everyone except right tackle Alex Boone quickly caught the key information and completed all the offensive preparations in an orderly and swift manner. Boone also quickly lined up.
The Green Bay Packers changed their formation.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't a change in formation. Matthews just took a half-step back, and the "3-4" defensive formation became worthy of its name, presented in a textbook manner.
They were now on the edge of the 20-yard line, and the end zone was within reach. The defense had to make a change and put more personnel in the short and mid-pass areas. So, the short and mid-pass transition areas were completely filled with people, including four linebackers, two cornerbacks, and one safety. It looked like they had a complete coverage.
But the San Francisco 49ers still hadn't changed—the entire offensive formation was exactly the same as the previous play, and even Vernon's position remained the same. So, what were they up to?
"Hut!"
Lu Ke didn't leave any time to breathe. Almost at the same time as they lined up, he announced the snap without any warning. He immediately shouted the snap command without any fancy moves, instantly entering a no-huddle offense, and launched the attack before the Green Bay Packers' defense could sort out their thoughts.
Lu Ke quickly took a back step. He lightly scanned the defense, and the entire defensive formation came into view. Three defensive linemen rushed the pocket, two inside linebackers held the inside to defend against the run, and the other six players were all spread out, executing a zone defense. The San Francisco 49ers, without any hesitation, sent all four receivers into motion—including Vernon.
On the left side, Vernon and Crabtree completed continuous crossing routes in the short-pass area.
Crabtree took a small step to the outside and made a catching motion at the same time, while Vernon started to block, standing behind Crabtree to cut off the defender's path.
But after attracting the double-team of three defenders, Vernon suddenly stood up straight, abandoned Crabtree, and made a sudden cut to the inside, trying to receive a pass. Crabtree, however, took a quick step forward and began to mess up the defenders' retreat routes.
On the right side, Logan and Ginn were still running in a straight line, advancing in parallel.
After running only six or seven yards, the two of them suddenly changed speed and direction.
Ginn increased his speed to the maximum, like a fast horse. He took a slight step to the outside, sprinting toward the sideline with irresistible force. In a flash, he had already cut into the red zone, and the end zone was within reach. Logan, for some reason, slowed down. He made a cut to the inside and started adjusting his position with small steps near the center line.
Ginn's run was truly too threatening. Besides the cornerback who was covering him, Woodson, who was in the backfield, also had to start changing his center of gravity. And Burnett, who was in the center, was hovering around Logan.
The question was, who was Lu Ke's target?
Wait, why was Marcus Lynch coming out to mess things up again?
This time, the two inside linebackers were highly focused and didn't miss a beat. When Marcus cut into the short-pass area, the two of them were in front of and behind him, blocking his path. But at the same time, Vernon and Crabtree were also quickly approaching, and this small rectangular space suddenly became incredibly crowded.
Just then, Lu Ke, who was as steady as a mountain in the pocket, raised his hand and threw the ball!
Logan was adjusting his small steps, constantly watching Burnett with the corner of his eye, and at the same time quickly scanning the positions of the other defenders. His seemingly stopped footwork suddenly activated, and a powerful force burst from his feet, pushing off the ground hard.
"Whoosh!"
With a small arc, Logan ran around Burnett. Burnett was a half-step slow and noticed Logan's movement. He immediately tried to get into position, but then he realized that Logan had deliberately curved his running arc. His entire run was like a motorcycle going through a turn, and his body was even starting to lean.
Burnett, who was standing on the inside, had to lean more sharply to keep up with Logan's footwork, so much so that he couldn't keep his balance and had to use his hands and feet to avoid falling. This made him miss the first-time block. Then, Burnett saw the football flying toward him, and a curse word slipped out of his mouth.
With just two small steps of adjustment, Logan accurately caught the football. It landed firmly at chest height without any error. This allowed Logan to push off with his calves again, and with a step, he left Burnett behind. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Woodson, who had come to help.
He was indeed a Pro Bowl-caliber veteran safety. His nose for danger was incredibly sharp.
But Woodson's initial move to help with Ginn still made him a half-step slow. His footwork wasn't stable enough, and his tackle wasn't solid enough.
Logan didn't avoid or dodge. Instead, he actively charged forward, using his shoulder to hit Woodson's shoulder hard. Both of their centers of gravity were shaken, but Logan still had a slight advantage. He quickly pushed off the ground, broke away from Woodson's tackle, and took one big step, two big steps, three big steps—
"Touchdown!"
Kirk's passionate shout tore through the sky, and he couldn't help but pound the table. But at this moment, he didn't care about the pain in his palm and continued to comment enthusiastically.
"In this drive, the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback, Lu Ke, once again gained the upper hand in reading the defense. He fully utilized the advantage of five receiving options, completely distracting the Green Bay Packers' defense. In the area just before the 20-yard line, he was able to create a relatively open space around Logan. This is truly beautiful!"
"Burnett's judgment of the short-pass area was off, and Woodson's judgment of Ginn was also off. Although both safeties timely noticed Logan's threat, they were both a half-step slow. In the end, Logan barely spent any effort. With one retreat and one collision, he successfully ran into the end zone."
"This is a master-level tactical play! Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!"
"The San Francisco 49ers' offense that we are familiar with is finally back! Touchdown, without a doubt. This is a touchdown with no controversy and no fouls. The San Francisco 49ers have successfully tied the game with a touchdown. If David Akers can make the extra point, the game will be back on the starting line."
"Ah!" Logan roared at the fans in the stands of Lambeau Field, one roar after another, continuously. "Ah! Ahhh!"
His entire face turned red. All the excitement and passion were vented out.
To play in this stadium, the pressure and tension were something you could only feel if you experienced it firsthand. What's more, this was the first game of their new season. From the tactical adjustments to the off-field pressure, everything was new and tense.
It wasn't just Lu Ke. The entire offense was under immense pressure! And now, they could finally vent it all out to their heart's content!
So, the offensive line joined Logan's ranks, the wide receivers joined Logan's ranks, and even the defense and special teams on the sidelines all joined Logan's ranks, roaring together, "Ah!"
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