Chapter 779: Unwavering Confidence
"14:28."
There were six touchdowns in the first half alone, another battle of offenses, and another tense showdown. It seemed that every time the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants faced each other, they could always unleash a unique spark, ignite the passion of all the spectators, and cause an adrenaline rush.
Today was no exception.
It couldn't be called a surprise, but it couldn't be called not a surprise either. The New York Giants had the upper hand, leading by two touchdowns at halftime. The 49ers' offense was far from showing the smooth and unstoppable momentum it had in the past five weeks. The overall state of the clash was truly disappointing.
Sun Tongfei was a little dazed.
The game was indeed very exciting, and he was so tense that he almost forgot to breathe. It wasn't until the referee blew the whistle to end the first half that he realized he had been clenching his fists the whole time. His muscles were starting to ache from the effort, as if he had just finished an hour of high-intensity training.
But the 49ers were the ones trailing. The mixed emotions of tension and disappointment, and the complex feelings of anxiety and worry, rose and fell in his chest like a fire in a frying pan. The crackling sounds made him feel anxious and irritable, unable to sit still or know what to do.
What should he do now? Can Bambi turn the game around? How should they break through the defense? He couldn't see any flaws at all. When he was sitting in front of the TV, the tactics seemed so smooth, one after another, but now that he was sitting in Candlestick Park, his mind couldn't function at all. He had no idea how to turn the situation around. What if... what if they lost...
Although winning and losing are common in warfare, Sun Tongfei couldn't help but feel anxious and didn't dare to continue thinking about it. He even wondered if his presence had brought bad luck, causing the 49ers to fall into such a terrible situation. So, if he left now, would it allow the 49ers to win the game?
Sun Tongfei found it difficult to breathe.
He subconsciously turned his head to look at his surroundings, but his vision was filled with confusion. His focus couldn't be brought together, and he just stared blankly at the vast red ocean in front of him. Even he didn't know what he was looking for until he heard a series of shouts in his ears. All his attention slowly gathered.
"We are the Niners!"
"We are the Warriors!"
"We are the Niners!"
"We are the Warriors!"
One after another, the shouts surged and vibrated. All 70,000 fans in the stadium shouted in unison, venting all their passion and excitement with hoarse voices.
There was no frustration, no confusion, no hesitation, and no complaints. Although they faced many difficulties in the first half, the home fans were completely unfazed. They immediately showed their determination with actions:
They still had faith in victory!
Sun Tongfei couldn't help but raise his arms and join the ranks of the fans in the stadium. He started with a low voice and gradually got louder until it turned into a roar, unleashing all the energy in his body. With every shout, he was venting the complex emotions deep in his heart, and the corners of his mouth slowly started to rise.
"We are the Niners!"
"We are the Warriors!"
Sun Tongfei also laughed wantonly, truly becoming a part of Candlestick Park and truly feeling the meaning of the name "49ers." He truly experienced the climax of the game atmosphere... He could hear the sound of his blood boiling in his ears. Before his brain could react, a shout came out:
"Bambi!"
This was a start. Gradually, this shout swept through the entire stadium like a tornado, resounding loudly. The entire Candlestick Park could feel this thunderous sound.
Standing at the exit of the player tunnel, Lu Ke could clearly hear the uniform cheers from the entire stadium. They hit his eardrums like a drumstick, creating waves of shock deep in his mind. Everyone was expecting the quarterback to turn the tide. As the most watched position on the entire team, he also bore the greatest pressure in times of crisis.
As the main character, Lu Ke wasn't too nervous. He relaxed his limbs a little, preparing for the second half of the game.
Without anxiety or urgency, Lu Ke looked very relaxed. If he had heard Kirk and Teddy's analysis during halftime, he would have nodded in agreement.
In the first half of the game, the difference in strength between the 49ers and the New York Giants was far from what the score showed. If Lu Ke were to summarize, they were just a little unlucky, both the defense and the offense.
In his impression, the defense had at least two third-down defensive plays that were just short of a perfect result. It wasn't a mistake in defensive positioning, but just a little bad luck in adjusting their center of gravity, which resulted in a near-miss. This allowed the opponent to successfully convert the third down and continue the offense.
The missed interception was even more so.
The offense was no exception. The five drops were undoubtedly fatal, seriously disrupting the overall offensive rhythm. The stagnation of the passing offense also brought more difficulties to the rushing game, which in turn affected the tactical layout and the choice of execution. However, it was clear that drops were a mistake that every player tried to avoid, and the person who made the mistake was also very annoyed.
In fact, Lu Ke's performance today was really good, with a system value of 86%. Moreover, as the game went on, the value increased slightly. Although it fell back down immediately, the overall performance was still stable and outstanding.
Despite the five drops, Lu Ke still completed two touchdown passes in the first half, which was the best proof.
Relatively speaking, the performance of the receiving players today was consistently mediocre.
Crabtree's competitive state was really low. He was targeted five times, had two drops, and was tightly covered by the defensive players twice, only gaining 13 yards in the end. The lack of firepower from the left-wing wide receiver was fatal for the 49ers.
The performances of Ginn, Vernon, and Williams couldn't be called terrible, but they weren't outstanding either. They were only decent. Everyone had more or less made some mistakes in judgment. Lu Ke could only distribute the passes to different targets and use different routes and tempos to open up the game.
The player the offense truly relied on in the first half was Logan.
Logan's performance was relatively outstanding. He became the main receiving target, but Logan also had an unnecessary drop, which was mainly due to the concentrated pressure from the defense. This put a lot of pressure on Logan. Every time he made a catch, he had to give his all and look for opportunities while being heavily surrounded, which also forced Logan to make unnecessary mistakes.
The halftime score was 14-28. It wasn't so much that the New York Giants overperformed as it was that the 49ers looked a little tired.
So far in the regular season, the team had won five consecutive games. Moreover, in each game, the offense and defense were both firing on all cylinders. The good form had lasted for more than a month, and their energy and physical strength had reached a critical point, just like a runner's physical limit in a marathon. This was an inevitable result.
Although the team's state didn't completely fall apart after being tested by several tough games last season and they were able to stay in the game in the first half without being completely pulled away, it was still very rare. But inevitably, the team still needed some time to adjust.
Of course, the New York Giants' strength and depth were also important reasons.
As the defending champions, they went through a series of intense personnel changes during the offseason. A total of 26 players entered the free-agent market, and eight of them were successfully re-signed. In addition, they also adjusted their final 53-man roster through the draft, focusing on the offense.
Six of the seven rookies were offensive players, and only one seventh-round pick was a defensive tackle.
In the first half of the game, the New York Giants' offense was commendable.
Now, the score difference between the two teams was only two touchdowns, which was still within the range of being caught up and reversed. At least it was much better than the situation in Lu Ke's first NCAA game. At the same time, there was still enough time in the game, and anything was possible.
Lu Ke knew that in the second half of the game, the offense and defense still needed to adjust their state and improve their tempo and intensity in time. Otherwise, the two-touchdown difference would be an insurmountable chasm. But for now, they didn't need to be nervous or flustered. They just needed to have firm confidence and move forward at their own pace. Victory was still within their grasp.
The referee blew the whistle to officially start the second half of the game, and the New York Giants started the offense first.
But after four minutes and fifty-six seconds, the home fans still sighed in regret, because the New York Giants' offense scored another touchdown. It was the running back David Wilson again. This rookie player was the 32nd overall pick in the first round this year. After just a few games, he had quickly adapted to the rhythm of professional games and had won applause again and again.
After this drive, Wilson successfully broke through the defensive line's block and completed a five-yard rushing touchdown. Not only did he sound the horn for the second half, but he also widened the score difference again, pushing the 49ers further to the brink of defeat.
"14:35." The New York Giants now had a 21-point advantage.
Sun Tongfei couldn't help but feel his palms sweat, but this time he didn't panic. He calmed himself down and joined the crowd, passionately shouting the same name, the name that gave them confidence, belief, and faith, hoping that the name could lead them back to the winning track and bring the second half of the game into their rhythm.
"Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!"
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