Chapter 1068: Falling into a Trap
Defensive end John Abraham chose to blitz the quarterback, while Lu Ke chose a run play. The two choices created a misaligned matchup between the strong and weak sides. After LaMichael James ran with the ball, he effortlessly gained a matchup advantage.
As a fullback, LaMichael's run had no speed and relied entirely on power, rolling forward like a heavy tank. Because the defensive power on this side was slightly weaker, he was given more space to advance. So he used his brute force to advance a full six yards before being stopped by a dense pile of players.
There were no fancy tricks, just a head-on clash. This completely changed the San Francisco 49ers' clever, unusual, and agile offensive tactics. With two consecutive runs, the ground game achieved unexpected results. The run game, which had been less efficient in the second half of the season, showed signs of a resurgence after the divisional game.
Of course, the run game's success was ultimately due to the pre-play defensive reads and the offensive line's formation, which created more favorable conditions for the ground game's successful start. This meant that in the frontal clash, Lu Ke was slowly gaining an advantage.
This version of the San Francisco 49ers was very unfamiliar. At the same time, this version of the San Francisco 49ers was terrifying!
Compared to the first quarter, Lu Ke was less flustered and started to play more steadily.
He didn't notice it as much in the atmosphere of the first quarter, but now that he was in the second quarter, Lu Ke could gradually feel that the unfortunate loss in the NFC Championship last year still had some effect, more or less. Not just on him, but the entire team. You could vaguely feel it. Maybe it was the nervousness of worrying about repeating the same mistakes, or maybe it was the eagerness to prove themselves. No matter what the reason, even though it didn't have a deep effect, it was a real factor.
Now, trailing by a large margin, the entire team let go of their baggage, and their focus returned. Their rhythm and flow gradually got back on track.
Afterward, LaMichael was subbed out again, and Marcus Lynch came in. This seemed to send a signal: "The run game is still an important option."
But suddenly, Lu Ke chose to snap the ball quickly. After the snap, he almost just made a foot adjustment in place and then threw the ball on a small diagonal line, finding Marcus three yards away, who quickly sprinted out along the right slot.
Before the outside linebacker could make a defensive adjustment, Marcus sprinted out like a gust of wind, not allowing the opponent to make a tackle. Then he saw the cornerbacks and safeties rushing over like a tide, and Marcus met them calmly.
Marcus raised his right hand, which was not holding the ball, and pressed it hard against the shoulder of the right cornerback, Asante Samuel.
This four-time Pro Bowl player and former New England Patriots star cornerback, in his ninth year in the league, was finally severely affected by injuries, and his performance this season was not good. At this time, he faced a head-on collision with Marcus. He met the hit head-on, but he still couldn't hold his position, and he instantly fell to the ground.
After Marcus successfully shook off Asante, he increased his speed and power and rushed toward safety William Moore.
Moore did not let up. He lowered his center of gravity and held his position, colliding with Marcus like a wall. Although Marcus's strength still had a slight advantage, Moore was prepared in advance and did not immediately lose his position. The two of them got tangled up, and Marcus's forward momentum had to slow down. Then, the other safety, Thomas DeCoud, had already arrived.
With the help of the two safeties, Marcus was finally tackled.
Nevertheless, Marcus still easily got a first down, advancing a total of nine yards, which was enough for a second-and-five situation.
Just at that moment, the game was unexpectedly interrupted for a moment. The starting defensive end on the Falcons' defensive line, Cliff Matthews, sprained his ankle without any collision. After a brief check by the team doctor, he was taken off the field.
This was bad news for the Falcons' defense. Their defensive front, which already lacked impact, now had an injured key player, and the situation became even worse.
The backup defensive end, Kroy Biermann, was an average player. After being selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round with the 154th pick in 2008, he was never able to become a starter and had almost no highlights. He mostly stayed on special teams. Now, he was called to face Lu Ke.
The Falcons' defense could feel more pressure, but for Lu Ke, this didn't change anything. He still went about his business, preparing for the next play.
The 49ers' offense was still in a traditional formation, and the Falcons' defense also looked to be in a traditional formation. But after Lu Ke snapped the ball, four defensive linemen and two linebackers all moved forward at the same time, creating a mismatch. With a numbers advantage, they broke through the offensive line's pocket, and Abraham again rushed fiercely toward Lu Ke.
This time, it wasn't a run play.
Lu Ke was dropping back to find a target, but the moment the offensive and defensive lines collided, he noticed the change in the defensive formation. He didn't notice the change in the defensive line but the change in the secondary defense. The movement and advancement of the linebackers immediately sent a warning signal.
Lu Ke adjusted his steps, quickly scanned the field, and then saw Abraham rushing from his blindside.
Joe Staley, who was responsible for protecting the blindside, was facing two defenders due to the mismatched matchup. Although he tried his best to stop Abraham, he couldn't even put up an effective fight, and Abraham had already broken through his block. The obstruction Staley provided was very limited.
Without any resistance or obstruction, Abraham's speed was very fast. By the time Lu Ke noticed Abraham, the distance between them was very short. He could have dropped back and scrambled, but his experience and ability accumulated over two seasons instinctively led him to a different decision.
He didn't drop back. Instead, he stepped forward, actively moving toward Abraham to quickly shorten the distance between them. But he wasn't running into a trap. Instead, he slightly misaligned his steps and body. Before Abraham could fully collide with him, he raised his right hand and quickly completed the pass.
This was a very bold and crazy choice, like a tightrope walk. It made people feel that this was the same Lu Ke who often chose risky plays in his rookie season.
Because the speed of the head-on collision was too fast, Abraham had no time to judge Lu Ke's wrist movement. He could only continue to unleash his speed and power. It seemed he didn't even have time to breathe before Abraham heavily collided with Lu Ke, but the football had already left his hand.
Pass completed!
"Bang!"
Head-on collision!
The two things happened one after the other, with only a slight gap in between. In this emergency situation, the commentators in the broadcast booth and the fans in the stadium had the illusion that they happened at the same time. It looked as if Lu Ke had walked into a trap, and during the intense collision, the football was knocked out of his hand. The scene was truly too thrilling.
But the reality was a bit different. Because Lu Ke actively moved toward the head-on confrontation, his muscles and center of gravity were prepared in advance. After misaligning his body, he unloaded some of the force. The collision between the two of them did not fully align with the force, which was good news. After that, he fell heavily to the ground.
This season, the 49ers' offensive line has made great strides. Lu Ke has only been sacked 21 times all season, second only to the New York Giants and tied with the Denver Broncos. And in the last playoff divisional game, Lu Ke wasn't sacked at all.
In other words, Lu Ke had almost forgotten the feeling of being sacked and hit. He had forgotten to use his "iron skin and bones" skill. He was once again experiencing the most exciting part of a football game: the collision and confrontation. The feeling of his internal organs churning was too real. His muscles began to tighten slightly, and the adrenaline rush made the realism and urgency of the game increase dramatically.
In the midst of the chaos, Lu Ke gritted his teeth. The flexibility and toughness of his body burst out at the same time, and he endured the hit. In the chaos, he even had time to raise his head and look at his pass, worrying about whether the subtle control of the pass was on point.
But in the crowd of people, he couldn't see clearly. He could only vaguely make a judgment from the cheers of the fans: the pass should have been completed.
The football drew an irregular arc in the air.
On the surface, it looked like an accidental release after a collision. The spin and arc of the football seemed unstable. But upon closer inspection, you could see that the control of the arc and angle still maintained a clear trajectory despite the intense movement. This meant that Lu Ke had still controlled the pass!
The wrist control he had just perfected before this game played its part. Everything happened too fast. Lu Ke relied entirely on his wrist to control the ball. With just the delicate power of his wrist, he controlled the landing spot and direction of the football within the expected range, and it found—
Randy Moss!
Randy Moss, who was quickly running toward the sideline!
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