Chapter 738: A Single Pass
Jewel Hampton's movements were a bit clumsy, even stiff.
But his eyes never strayed. He was fixated on the bouncing football, and like the little squirrel from "Ice Age," he hugged the football tightly to his chest, his helmet pressed against it as if he were embracing the most precious treasure in the world.
"Bang!"
Hampton didn't have time to think. He fell heavily to the ground. The huge impact caused the football to bounce quickly in his arms, and his body slid forward uncontrollably, just like a baseball player sliding into a base. Hampton quickly hugged the football tightly, protecting possession.
There was no time to breathe, no time to think.
Hampton could feel someone pouncing on him, hitting and tearing at his arms, trying to strip the football away. And it wasn't just one pair of hands.
A sense of urgent crisis came over him. His mind was blank, with no thoughts or reactions, only the most basic instinct. Reflexively, he curled up his knees, fiercely protecting the football, and used his hands and chest to control the ball with all his might.
One body after another piled on top of him, as if all the players on the field had collectively started a game of king-of-the-hill.
Hampton curled his entire body into a ball. He could feel countless hands, but he was unmoved. He gritted his teeth and held on to the football tightly.
It felt like only a second had passed, and yet it felt like an entire century. The passage of time had lost its meaning. Finally, the "burlap sack" on his torso began to lighten, little by little. Sparse light broke through the darkness, and he heard a voice shout:
"The football. Hey, give me the football! Hey, buddy, the play is over!"
Hampton cautiously lifted his head and saw the referee standing in front of him and his teammates surrounding him. He slowly uncurled his body, but his hands instinctively held on to the football tightly, refusing to let go. He quickly looked around. "Did I get the ball? Sir, did I?"
"Yes, you have possession," the referee confirmed. "The ball belongs to the San Francisco 49ers!"
Hampton immediately raised his hands high, stood up in one motion, with an expression of disbelief on his face, like a six-year-old child who had just won his favorite teddy bear. He shouted, "I got the ball!"
Instantly, all the 49ers special teams players around him cheered, rushed over, and started celebrating around Hampton with screams and shouts, hugging, slapping, and bumping into each other.
Who would have thought that in the final crucial moments of the "San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers" game, an undrafted rookie would step up and become the most brilliant person on the field?
The San Francisco 49ers fans said they could.
Hampton pushed his teammates away, still holding the football tightly in his hands. He frantically sprinted toward the sideline, his eyes wide as he looked at Lu Ke, shouting with abandon, "I did it! My God! I did it!"
From a nobody to a crucial hero, Hampton followed in Lu Ke's footsteps and created his own moment on this field!
Lu Ke raised his hands high, ready to high-five Hampton.
Unexpectedly, Hampton charged forward and hugged Lu Ke tightly, cheering like a child. "I did it! I did it!"
Lu Ke's hands were still raised in the air, a look of confusion on his face.
The offensive players standing next to him were overjoyed. They joined in the celebration, surrounding Lu Ke and Hampton in a group hug. They had successfully taken control of the outcome of the game, which was undoubtedly the best news after such a difficult and tough game.
At the same time, on the other side of the field, the Packers sighed a long breath and then pulled themselves together again.
The onside kick was a gamble. Even if they failed, it wasn't the end of the world. Now, they still had three timeouts in their hands. If the defense could get it together and quickly force a three-and-out, or even go a step further and get a turnover, then anything was still possible. The game was not over yet.
The San Francisco 49ers also knew this.
The celebration didn't last long. All the players on the special teams and defense stood up and cheered on the offense as they once again took the field.
This time, the 49ers' drive started on the opponent's 48-yard line. This was the result of the failed onside kick. The offense had gotten the best starting position of the entire game.
Meanwhile, there was one minute and fifty-two seconds left on the clock.
Because the opponent still had three timeouts, the 49ers could not just kneel to run out the clock. They had to execute their offensive plays, genuinely running out the clock, forcing their opponents to use their timeouts, and then ensuring that the entire game clock was used up in their hands. Only then could they securely hold onto the victory.
First and 10.
Lu Ke chose to hand the ball off to Marcus.
A run play was undoubtedly the best way to run out the clock. With the screen of the offensive line, Marcus successfully advanced three yards, which forced the Packers to use a timeout. Otherwise, the 49ers would have leisurely used up all 40 seconds of the play clock and then snapped the ball again.
Second and 7.
Lu Ke once again chose to hand the ball off to Marcus.
This was still the expected play call. The Packers' defensive linemen all focused on Marcus. Even the secondary players took big steps forward, compressing the defensive space, putting all their pressure on the line, trying to create more opportunities in the short-pass area.
But then, Woodson noticed that Lu Ke was still moving around in the pocket. What was going on?
Woodson quickly moved his feet and swept his peripheral vision. He noticed Logan Newman and Vernon Davis running routes in the short-pass area. It was actually a two-tight-end passing play.
A play-action pass?
But the problem was that the Packers' short-pass area was already heavily guarded, and the 49ers had chosen to use a two-tight-end play to attack the short-pass area. What did this mean? Was Lu Ke trying to break through head-on?
This was a serious underestimation of the Packers' defense. They had six players covering the short-pass area, plus two safeties who could move up and cover at any time. They had a clear numerical advantage. Was Lu Ke deliberately going into a situation where he knew it would be dangerous?
Woodson's anger and pride were ignited. He quickly dived toward Logan's position.
At that moment, Lu Ke raised his right hand and completed the pass. It was a light, lateral toss to the left, which flew over the dense area of the offensive and defensive lines, falling quickly at about six or seven yards. Then, the nimble and agile Marcus Lynch came out and made a light jump, smoothly completing the catch.
"Damn it!"
This was the only thought in Woodson's mind. The two-tight-end play was to cover the running back's slot catch? In this tactical battle, the Packers' defense was once again hit with a fatal blow at the last moment. For the entire game today, they had not been able to gain the upper hand. They were completely suppressed, which was really... frustrating!
Although Marcus wasn't able to advance too far, two inside linebackers and a safety still managed to make a timely tackle. But Marcus's advance still gained a full 13 yards. He not only successfully got a first down but also got to the Packers' 32-yard line.
What did this mean?
It meant that the 49ers were now in David Akers's field goal range.
First, they had a new set of three downs, so they could slowly run down the clock. Second, they could use a running back to slowly run out the clock, and then Akers could kick a field goal, or they could simply use up all the game clock and not give Aaron Rodgers a chance to take the field.
All in all, the victory was basically secured.
Just when everyone thought it was another run, he unexpectedly chose a play-action pass. Just when the defense figured out it was a two-tight-end play, he unexpectedly chose a running back slot catch. The only conclusion was that the 49ers' offense was still in the excellent form from last season, or even better.
They had defeated the Packers in the same way they had defeated the New Orleans Saints.
And that was exactly what happened.
After Lu Ke and Marcus completed their pass connection, the Packers still used a timeout. But then, Marcus ran with the ball again, forcing Mike McCarthy to use his last timeout. And then, there was nothing else.
Lu Ke simply chose to kneel down to run out the downs instead of risking a field goal attempt from Akers. He firmly held control of the ball, using up all the game time, waiting for the referee to blow the final whistle.
The game, after a tumultuous battle, ended in a relatively peaceful way.
The first game of the 2012 regular season, the San Francisco 49ers versus the Green Bay Packers. The number one seed versus the number two seed of the NFC last season, which had been delayed for seven months, finally happened. It did not disappoint, delivering a fierce offensive battle that kept the outcome in suspense until the last minute.
The final score was 33-36. The winner was the San Francisco 49ers! Lu Ke successfully started the season with a victory!
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