Chapter 734: A Head-on Attack
"Hut!"
Lu Ke snapped the ball quickly. Standing in the shotgun formation, he took his dropback slowly, scanning the field for a target.
On the right side, he could only see the backs of Logan and Ginn as they sprinted forward, past five yards, past ten yards, and continuing their rapid sprint. On the left side, he could see Crabtree and Vernon moving quickly, but both were ready to receive.
Vernon ran a slight out-route arc, observing while running. He could receive at any moment. He had already instantly passed a defensive line of a cornerback, an outside linebacker, and a safety. The path in front of him was wide open, and once he completed the catch, he would be unstoppable.
Clay Matthews was in a rapid backpedal. This was not a quarterback blitz but a short-pass area defense. His eyes were locked on Vernon's feet, watching as Sam Shields and Morgan Burnett tried to defend Vernon. But in his peripheral vision, he caught Crabtree's footwork, and a half-beat earlier, he made a prediction and his heart immediately sank!
Matthews shifted his weight immediately and sprinted toward Crabtree.
Crabtree ran forward with his head down. After three or four long strides, he was already five yards away. Then he came to a sudden stop and turned, facing Lu Ke. He put his hands down to his waist in a concealed position, ready to catch.
This was a screen pass. On the other side, Logan and Ginn's quick sprints were meant to draw attention, and Marcus would also run to that side, getting ready for a catch in the horizontal direction. On this side, Vernon was the main target, drawing all the defensive attention by advancing deep and even making necessary blocks.
But Crabtree was the real target. So, he intentionally lowered his catching position, trying to catch the ball at his waist.
Five yards.
There were only five yards between Crabtree and Lu Ke. It was almost a quick, knife-like motion. In the blink of an eye, Lu Ke's pass was accurately and appropriately delivered to the corresponding position. However, the pass arc was slightly lower than usual, and the power and spin control were a little harder.
Crabtree's fingertips could feel the rough texture of the rapidly spinning football. The axis was a little off, but his large hands still grabbed two-thirds of the ball, completing the catch smoothly. Because of that slight hesitation, when he turned around, Crabtree saw Matthews charging toward him.
What to do?
Crabtree couldn't think. He just made a decision based on his game instincts—Matthews was sprinting toward him with a lateral movement. Matthews's movement also successfully attracted the attention of Shields and Burnett, who were a half-beat slow. They also gave up on Vernon and flew toward him.
At this critical moment, Crabtree's muscles tensed to the maximum. He forcefully made an emergency stop, even holding his breath. His muscles contracted to the max. He stood on his tiptoes, stuck in place.
In the next second, Matthews appeared directly in front of Crabtree.
There was only a half-arm's length between the two of them.
Crabtree barely avoided Matthews's tackle and collision. At the same time, Matthews became a natural barrier, blocking the path between Lu Ke and the other two players, Shields and Burnett.
Almost at the same time, all four players made an emergency stop, their muscles tensed to the maximum. They used their body's strength to overcome the huge inertia caused by gravity, stopping abruptly. Then they readjusted their balance, trying to clash again. This moment of stillness became the most unbelievable moment of the game.
Crabtree, who controlled his body a half-beat earlier, had a slight advantage. He couldn't immediately get a second burst of speed, so he simply took a half-step back, made a less-than-360-degree turn, and then sprinted laterally to his left. He retreated to advance, escaping the circle of three players like a dragon swinging its tail.
The space for advancement on the left wasn't wide, but it was enough for Crabtree. He got on his tiptoes and quickly used small steps to accelerate and burst for a short distance. The "thump, thump, thump" of power continuously burst out, completing his second burst of speed in a high-tempo, powerful way. He quickly increased his speed.
"Whoosh!"
Crabtree instantly passed the three players and continued to advance forward.
Seeing that he had passed them, Shields and Burnett finally adjusted their bodies and followed closely. Matthews, who started his second burst of speed a step earlier, had to go around the wall of his two teammates, chasing after Crabtree's "exhaust" and catching up quickly. But this slight detour delayed him.
At this moment, Vernon, who was already ahead, came to a stop in time. He stayed in place and waited, watching Shields and Matthews rush toward him. He planted his feet firmly, making a block. This short moment of blocking successfully bought Crabtree more space to advance.
Burnett didn't give up.
Charles Woodson, who had rushed over from the other half of the field, didn't give up either.
Burnett and Woodson successfully ran a small arc to get around Vernon and charged toward Crabtree like a storm.
"Hut!"
"Lu Ke is observing in the pocket. He completes the pass. The target is... Michael Crabtree! Not Vernon Davis! It's Michael Crabtree! Crabtree is surrounded by the Packers. There are three players on him!"
"My God! What in the world is going on?"
"Crabtree used an emergency stop to interrupt his run, and he successfully faked out Clay Matthews! Four players are completely frozen! This is truly unbelievable! Crabtree turns around and starts moving backward, gets around the defenders, and keeps advancing! Crabtree is sprinting!"
"Davis makes the block!"
"Crabtree! Crabtree is still sprinting! The Packers' Burnett and Woodson are trying to get back on defense. Crabtree! Forty-five-yard line! Forty-yard line! Thirty-five-yard line! Crabtree is unstoppable! My God! My God!"
"Burnett makes a dive. Crabtree moves a step to the left to avoid Burnett's tackle. He's trying to control his feet. Woodson is catching up! Out of bounds! Crabtree is out of bounds! Under the combined pressure of the two defenders, Crabtree is forced off the field. This drive is over!"
"Spectacular!"
"Crabtree, in this drive, showed his outstanding physical talent. In a tight defense, he found a hole and, after catching the ball, advanced a full 15 yards! This fast-paced short-pass drive was truly spectacular! The change in tempo in the 49ers' drive has completely disrupted the Packers' defense."
The exclamations in the broadcast booth were endless. The offenses of both teams continuously delivered spectacular drives, with one climax after another. The head-to-head battle was simply breathtaking. It was truly worthy of being the most anticipated game of the week. The "Lu Ke vs. Aaron Rodgers" showdown was simply amazing!
This time, Lu Ke suddenly sped up. He waved continuously, signaling the offensive players to quickly line up. They had moved from their own 45-yard line to the opponent's 35-yard line. The defensive intensity would inevitably increase as the space was compressed. So, Lu Ke took the initiative to speed up the tempo and intensity at the same time.
The 49ers quickly lined up and snapped the ball. Lu Ke barely left any time to breathe. He saw that the opposing defense had just gotten into position and their feet hadn't even settled yet, and the "hut" sound had already been made.
Lu Ke held the football in his hands and took two small dropbacks. He adjusted slightly, stomped his left foot hard, and the power from his feet shot up to his arm. The football was already being thrown. He had no intention of hiding his passing route or target. The fast-release offensive strategy completely took away the Packers' defense's initiative, leaving them to defend based on instinct.
But the question was: short pass? medium pass? left side? middle? right side?
A multitude of possibilities filled the minds of the defenders. The confusing information made it impossible for them to make a prediction. They could only passively play a zone defense, executing their defense based on the receivers' running routes. But even that wasn't easy.
The seemingly ordinary two-by-two formation made the defenders helpless, unable to predict.
On the right side, Kyle Williams sprinted out with a powerful straight-line burst, forcefully running along the sideline with his pure speed. Wait, when did Kyle come on the field? And who was he facing? In the chaos, the Packers had lost their attention to the entire field.
On the right, Logan Newman quickly advanced along the slot. With a sharp turn and a stop, he moved toward the wide-open middle of the field. There wasn't a single defender in the area, creating a full six yards of space to catch. This immediately scared the two outside linebackers, and they both immediately ran back to cover.
On the left, Crabtree and Ginn completed the simplest "X" route. Both ran in a 60-degree diagonal line. After running about eight or nine yards, they crossed over and continued to sprint along their designated straight lines, maximizing their advantage.
On the left, Frank Gore came out of the slot and also made a slant, forming a mutual blocking formation with Logan, who had reached the middle. This blocked the two inside linebackers' coverage routes, creating even more space for Logan to catch.
To make things worse, Matthews once again forcefully broke through the offensive line to blitz the quarterback, which was a good thing, but it also meant that the Packers' defense was now short of players!
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