Chapter 797: Going All In
"Snap! Jonathan Goodwin suddenly snapped the ball!"
"The quarterback in the pocket is... Marcus Lynch? What? Marcus Lynch! He's running with the ball? My God, my eyes, what's going on?"
"Lynch is moving laterally. The entire New York Giants' defense is pressing hard. Their defense seems to have lost its rhythm and order. It's a chaotic scene. Lynch passes the ball. He passes it to... Ted Ginn? What! Ted Ginn? Ginn is moving. He's looking! The New York Giants are trying to make a play!"
"Wait, wait!"
"This... this..."
"Ginn passes the football. The target is Lu Ke. My God, oh, my God!"
"Lu Ke! Lu Ke! Lu Ke is adjusting his steps, a catch and turn! Oh my! Lu Ke has a firm grip on the football! No defenders. Note, there are no defenders around him! Lu Ke has entered the end zone! The New York Giants' defensive players are just now reacting, trying to assist, but their feet are too slow!"
"This... Lu Ke has completed a receiving touchdown! Ladies and gentlemen, you heard it right. San Francisco 49ers' number 14 quarterback, Lu Ke, completed a receiving touchdown in that last drive! With only 38 seconds left in the game, the San Francisco 49ers have successfully scored a touchdown! They have once again tied the game!"
"The referee raises his hands, signaling that the touchdown is good! There are no fouls or objections. This is a touchdown!"
"Touchdown! Touchdown! A receiving touchdown! This is definitely a touchdown! An absolutely brilliant touchdown!"
After the broadcast ended, Teddy and Kirk exchanged glances. There was still an air of unbelievable surprise and joy between them. Their eyes were shining brightly, and they still couldn't believe what they were seeing. That scene just now had no sense of reality at all, which caused their brains to stop working.
"Jesus Christ!"
"Jesus Christ!"
"Jesus Christ!"
"What are we witnessing? What on earth is going on? What happened on the field? How did that drive happen? Who could have predicted it? My God, who could have predicted it! Even though we are here at Candlestick Park, witnessing everything with our own eyes, we still can't believe it!"
"This touchdown was actually completed by Lu Ke himself with a fatal receiving blow. After his 23-yard run at the start of the second half, Lu Ke has actually gone a step further and completed a receiving touchdown? My God, can someone tell me what happened on the field just now? Can someone tell me what happened during this offseason?"
"In the first five weeks of the regular season, the San Francisco 49ers' performance was already astonishing, but in this game, they have once again shown an even more unbelievable and powerful offense. In the offseason that just ended, they are undergoing a massive transformation!"
Amazement, amazement, and more amazement!
Sun Tongfei had completely lost his mind, cheering, screaming, shouting, jumping, and roaring with abandon. He opened his arms and hugged everyone he saw, roaring continuously, unleashing every last bit of energy hidden in his body.
Even seeing it with his own eyes, he still couldn't believe it. A continuous stream of excitement erupted, wave after wave, as if it could ignite the entire world.
Then, he heard a unified, earth-shattering roar, "Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!"
Without warning, Sun Tongfei's vision became blurry. Even he didn't know why. He just raised his arms with tears in his eyes, joining the crowd, shouting the same name, and offering praise and worship with the highest respect. This was what true football was all about!
In the studio, Kirk and Teddy had already watched the replay, but their sighs and praises still wouldn't stop.
"Brilliant! Truly too brilliant!"
"They used the offensive line to attract the focus of the defense, used Lynch and Ginn's successive position changes to distract their attention, used Newman to contain the defense, and finally cleared the entire right side!"
"Lu Ke didn't face any contact or obstruction, not even the slightest bit of interference. In a completely open space, he completed the pass and catch with Ginn."
"You can see that both Ginn and Lu Ke were a little nervous. Ginn's pass had almost no power, just a controlled landing. And Lu Ke's muscles were tense during the catch, and he was so stiff that he could barely move his feet. But! But the early tactical setup gave them enough buffer space. Even though it was as tense as dancing on a tightrope, they still successfully completed the catch!"
"Spectacular! Absolutely spectacular!"
"This drive not only successfully deceived the entire Giants' defense but also deceived all the spectators and... and us two commentators. It was truly unexpected. Even watching it again, we're still dumbfounded. The San Francisco 49ers' counter-attack was simply beautiful!"
"This is a drive worthy of being in the history books! It's even one of the most spectacular drives in league history! God, we are witnessing history. What's even more unbelievable is that this history comes from a Sunday afternoon game. Roger Goodell, are you there? Are you watching this game? This is the kind of game we need for Sunday Night Football! This is a historic moment!"
"Overtime? We are ready now!"
Lu Ke's whole body was trembling, from both nervousness and excitement. Even after the referee blew the touchdown whistle, his muscles still couldn't completely relax.
He actually did it. With a receiving ability of 40 points, he made the most important catch at the most crucial moment of the game. The feeling was... awesome!
Lu Ke stood still, holding the football with one hand, raising his hands high to face the stands, roaring wildly and selflessly, releasing all his nervousness and anxiety. He roared with abandon, and all the spectators in Candlestick Park erupted, cheering in unison:
"Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!"
The cheers were like a mountain crashing down and a sea roaring, like a world-ending storm. The mighty cheers were completely twisted into one rope, making his blood boil and his adrenaline surge. It was so intense that his soul couldn't help but tremble. Every pore on his body opened up, and he took deep breaths of the hot air and madness.
In this moment, he was the king of the world!
The entire San Francisco 49ers' offense was in a frenzy. When Lu Ke announced the play, no one objected. After a season of working together, Lu Ke had won their trust. But the hesitation and confusion in their eyes were still unavoidable. Could this really work? Could this really fool the opponent? Could this really be a touchdown?
Now, the answer was finally revealed: they did it!
Logan and Ginn were the first to rush over, tightly hugging Lu Ke, constantly patting his helmet, and roaring with abandon, "You did it! God, oh, God, you're a madman. A play like that actually worked! Oh my God! Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!"
Then all the other players also swarmed in, surrounding Lu Ke.
Not far away, all the players on the New York Giants' defense were stunned. They were even more shocked than they were by the "Hail Mary" in the NFC Championship at the beginning of the year. They simply couldn't believe their eyes.
Strictly speaking, the "Hail Mary" was traceable. In the end, the New York Giants' defense just misjudged the landing spot. But this quarterback-receiving play today was completely without any clue. Even if they rewatched it, they would still fall into the same trap.
They were helpless.
This situation left the New York Giants' defense with a deep sense of powerlessness. They couldn't even vent their anger. They just stood there, dazed and confused, not knowing what to do.
For Lu Ke, after a cathartic release of all his mixed emotions, he quickly got rid of his nervousness and excitement. He held the ball with one hand and motioned for his teammates to run back. The score was now "41-42." They were still down by one point. They still needed the special teams to complete the final point to tie the score.
They were ready for overtime. This time, they would definitely not repeat the same mistake and let victory slip through their fingers again.
"Bambi, stop. Stay on the field! We're going for two! Bambi! Bambi! Two points!" Harbaugh shouted loudly, stopping the offense from leaving the field, while constantly raising his right hand to the referee, signaling that they were going for a two-point conversion.
What?
A two-point conversion?
This was like attempting another touchdown. If they succeeded, they would win the game. But if they failed, they would lose. But if they went for the one-point conversion, they could safely go into overtime and continue their battle with the New York Giants, where anything could happen.
All the commentators and analysts were completely dumbfounded. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Harbaugh had gone crazy!
But the home fans were fearless. The cheers of support came down like a tidal wave. "We are the Niners! We are the warriors! We are the Niners! We are the warriors!" They were using their actions to show their most firm support.
Lu Ke's steps stopped. His first reaction was also surprise, but it was fleeting. Since they had already taken a risk, they might as well go all the way! If he could even score a receiving touchdown, then what was impossible? There were still 38 seconds left in the game, and the New York Giants had no timeouts left. Let this battle end in the most intense and thrilling way possible!
So, Lu Ke turned around and raised his right hand to all his teammates on the offense. "Two points."
All the New York Giants' defensive players, who had already left the field to let the special teams take over, suddenly saw the situation and rushed back onto the field in a hurry. This unbelievable showdown was still not over!
This was truly a do-or-die moment.
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