Chapter 785: State of Recovery
"Lu Ke is observing, he's still observing, he's once again in a running stance, but... this time it's a fake, it's a pass, Lu Ke has thrown! He's thrown it! The target is... the target is Randy Moss!"
"My God, it's Randy Moss! Unbelievable! For such an important pass, Lu Ke has locked onto Randy Moss! Number 84, Randy Moss, is moving his feet quickly! He's looking for a receiving gap! This is a deep pass! Twenty... a deep pass of about 28 or 29 yards!"
"Moss! Moss! Moss makes the catch in mid-air! Beautiful! The rhythm of this run and pass are perfectly in sync! Moss has completed his most brilliant catch with the San Francisco 49ers! But this is not the end!"
"Moss is adjusting his footwork. My God, Moss refuses to surrender. His footwork is truly inspired! This is the Moss we haven't seen in a long time! Two defensive players have successfully arrived at the position. Moss is retreating, he's still retreating! Wow, a beautiful turn and shake-off, Moss once again gains more yards!"
"Moss! Randy Moss! He's lost his balance, but Moss still gets more yards! He's run into the end zone! Touchdown! It's a touchdown! The San Francisco 49ers have successfully scored a touchdown! The connection between Lu Ke and Moss is unbelievable. It's truly incredible!"
"The 32-year-old veteran wide receiver Moss, who came out of retirement after a year, has scored his first touchdown at Candlestick Park! For the former Randy Moss, this would have been a normal occurrence. He is the player with the most receiving touchdowns among all active wide receivers, but at this moment, it is so meaningful. Moss has once again proven: he can do it! He can still score touchdowns! He can still run! He can still catch!"
The entire Candlestick Park was on fire, with all the fans cheering in unison:
"Touchdown! Touchdown! Touchdown!"
The mighty sound echoed in the stadium. All the passion, all the excitement, all the euphoria was released without reservation, so much so that the eardrums began to vibrate faintly, as if they could feel the solid form of the soul, and the whole person couldn't help but start to tremble.
Sun Tongfei was cheering and jumping excitedly. With just the simplest word, he could fly. Watching the game live was different after all. He just wanted to cry his eyes out. He really loved this place.
"Touchdown! Touchdown! Touchdown!"
Standing in the end zone, Moss tightly held the football in his right hand, spreading his arms like Jack and Rose on the bow of the Titanic, embracing the brilliant and surging red ocean in front of him, as if... as if he were the king of the world. At this moment, he owned the entire world.
"Ah!"
Moss roared wildly, releasing all his frustrations and anger. He missed this moment so much, completing a breakthrough and an explosion... and a touchdown in the midst of fierce confrontation, extreme eruption, and thrilling turbulence! My God, he missed this moment so much that his heart began to tremble slightly.
"Ah! Ahhhhhh!"
He, Randy Moss, was still alive.
As he shouted, his eyes became slightly red, but he couldn't stop. Again and again, one roar after another, a continuous roar, screaming until his throat was sore, as if he wanted to vent all the emotions inside his body. It had been too long, it had really been too long.
Until the other teammates on offense swarmed over, each one excitedly and frantically slapping Moss's shoulders. At this moment, there was no gap or distance between them. They were comrades-in-arms fighting side by side. They were teammates working together with one heart. They were snipers aiming for a touchdown!
This was not just a touchdown.
In this drive, from the very beginning of Lu Ke's run-pass option to Moss's final breakthrough touchdown, the entire offensive strategy was so varied and unpredictable. Two runs and two passes, which gave the New York Giants' defense absolutely no chance. The continuous drives completely opened up the game.
This was the most fluid and powerful drive for the San Francisco 49ers since the beginning of the game. It only took 153 seconds to successfully put the touchdown in the bag!
After the second half began, the New York Giants took the initiative, but the San Francisco 49ers responded with an even more powerful stance. This was indeed more than just a touchdown.
When David Akers kicked the extra point without a hitch, all the fans in the stadium began to raise their arms and shout in unison, "Defense! clap clap! Defense! clap clap! Defense!"
Sun Tongfei was one of them.
The New York Giants' offense and the San Francisco 49ers' defense were on the field again.
Patrick Willis didn't say much, just kept clapping his hands, reminding everyone, "Focus! Focus! Everyone, focus!"
For the San Francisco 49ers' defense, their performance in this game was not satisfactory.
Because, overall, they were more proficient in front-line defense, and their performance in run defense and blitzes was more outstanding, while the secondary defense was a relatively weak link. But today, the on-field performance was reversed. They could not limit the excellent performance of the opposing running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and David Wilson, giving the opponents too much space to gain yards.
Now, the offense had shown an unyielding attitude and had again aggressively closed the score. The defense also had to deliver a good enough performance, otherwise, the victory of this game would be out of their control.
Last season, similar situations happened countless times, and they were always able to turn the tables. This season, the defense had also delivered an impressive performance in the past five weeks. Now, what they needed to do was to focus, adjust their rhythm and form little by little, and launch an attack toward victory.
"Defense! clap clap! Defense! clap clap! Defense! clap clap!"
The uniform and tireless cheers in Candlestick Park made the defensive players on the field focus. Unknowingly, an unyielding spirit began to rise slowly. It was not against the New York Giants, but against their own offense. The offense had just completed such a brilliant drive. Were they still going to continue to be in a slump?
"Hut!"
Eli Manning's snap count rang out. Aldon Smith, who was on the far right, made a quick small step adjustment, pushed away the offensive tackle rushing toward him, and moved away by half a body length. Then, he saw running back Bradshaw, who was looking for a gap under the cover of his teammates.
Ignoring Eli Manning, who was pretending to observe the passing position, and ignoring the offensive line that swarmed up around him, Aldon stared at Bradshaw, instantly exerted force in his feet, and the whole person, like a cannonball, aimed at Bradshaw's waist and completed the tackle firmly.
The entire New York Giants' offense pushed toward the defensive line, using their numerical advantage to forcefully push the defensive line toward the top left corner to clear a path for Bradshaw's run. But Bradshaw hadn't even had time to take a step when he was met with a wall-like tackle, and the whole person was firmly pinned to the ground.
Not only did he fail to gain any yards, but he also lost two yards.
After completing the tackle, Aldon fiercely pounded his chest, like King Kong. The cheers and shouts in Candlestick Park thundered powerfully.
Second down and 12 yards.
Eli Manning had plenty of time to observe in a relatively solid pocket. He finally chose a middle pass, throwing a middle-range pass of about 15 yards, trying to find fourth-year wide receiver Hakeem Nicks in the crowd. But Patrick Willis and Dashon Goldson maintained a high level of concentration and disrupted Nicks' catch.
The pass was incomplete.
Third down and 12 yards.
After the snap, Eli Manning dropped back quickly and stood in the pocket, trying to find a passing target. But this time, the San Francisco 49ers' defense suddenly erupted. The entire front-line defense rushed forward. As the pocket quickly collapsed, the outside linebackers Aldon Smith and Ahmad Brooks on both sides broke through the pocket.
Eli Manning tried to step up and complete the pass, but Brooks was a step ahead and completed the sack first. Then Aldon also arrived and confirmed that Eli Manning could not escape, ending this down.
It was clean and swift, three strikes and they were out.
The San Francisco 49ers' defense suddenly increased its rhythm and intensity. The New York Giants' offense seemed to be mentally unprepared and was then clumsily met with the most powerful defense of the game, a clumsy three-and-out. Facing a fourth and 16 from the front of their own end zone, the Giants had no choice but to punt. There was no other possibility.
"We are the Niners!"
"We are the warriors!"
Sun Tongfei watched every fan around him with excitement and passion. They shouted in unison, pushing the home team's momentum to a new high. After being silent for most of the game, both the offense and the defense showed signs of recovery. The home fans had always been the most stable and firm part of this battle, tirelessly cheering them on.
The New York Giants' punter, Steve Weatherford, walked onto the field, ready to punt.
Weatherford was an undrafted rookie in 2006. After playing for four teams, he came to the New York Giants last season and won a Super Bowl ring with the team. This year, he also made it into the starting lineup again, and he had also crossed the five-year threshold, becoming a veteran in the league.
Weatherford stood near the front of the end zone line. Amidst the noisy interference from the entire stadium, he tried to calm down and observe the entire field. Then he gave the center a snap signal, and he caught the football steadily. He adjusted his steps in an orderly manner, and after two steps forward, he made the kicking motion.
But in the next second, Weatherford noticed a dense mass of black rushing toward him in his vision, and he couldn't help but shout, "Oh no!" in his heart.
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