Chapter 1004: Chapter 1004: Going All Out
Chapter 1004: Going All Out
"Third down for a touchdown!"
"On the previous second down play, Lu Ke’s control and strategy were still on point. He read the defense in advance, but unfortunately, Vernon Davis and Chad Hall’s blocking wasn’t able to hold their position in time. This left Michael Crabtree exposed to the defender. The number 15 receiver, who was rusty from not playing for a while, successfully made a three-yard catch, but he wasn’t able to get a receiving touchdown."
"Now, the 49ers need to face a third-and-goal situation. They are only three yards away from the end zone."
"A multi-receiver pistol formation. There are three receivers on the right and only Crabtree on the left. This is another classic red zone offense from the 49ers. The question now is, what will Lu Ke’s game plan be? This is a real problem for the Cardinals."
"Snap!"
"Crabtree rushes toward the left corner. This is his most classic ’back shoulder fade’ route with Lu Ke! Crabtree alone is attracting the attention of two defenders. With this kind of route running and blocking, we can see that his form is starting to heat up."
"Wait, Ted Ginn!"
"Ted Ginn makes a horizontal cut and quickly moves behind the linebackers. The Cardinals chose to blitz the quarterback. Now, both the linebackers and the defensive line have moved forward, which has created an open space near the end zone. Ginn has keenly spotted the open space!"
"Lu Ke is moving horizontally! There’s a gap in the offensive line’s pocket protection. The defender has broken through the pocket, but hasn’t completely gotten to him yet. Lu Ke’s pocket movement is still steady. He’s looking. He’s still looking! He raises his arm to pass! Before the defender can complete the tackle, Lu Ke has completed the pass!"
"Ted Ginn! On the right side, with the help of Chad Hall and Vernon Davis’s blocking, Ted Ginn and safety Adrian Wilson are in a one-on-one situation! The other defenders have all made a mistake in their judgment!"
"Wilson and Ginn! Ginn and Wilson!"
"Ginn created space with a quick change of direction, and Wilson lost his balance! Wilson’s judgment was off. He collided with the referee in the end zone and lost his position. Ginn is running! Ginn has crossed the middle of the field and is now on the left side! Crabtree has taken two defenders with him!"
"Ted Ginn!"
"Lu Ke completed the four-yard short pass quickly and accurately. Beautiful! Touchdown! The connection between Lu Ke and the number 19 receiver has resulted in the first touchdown of this game!"
"Touchdown! The home team, the 49ers, has scored the first touchdown. It’s still the same familiar offense, it’s still the same familiar Lu Ke. They are moving toward a perfect season with firm steps!"
The referee raised his hands high, confirming the touchdown. Ginn’s catch was completely within the end zone, and he had full control of the ball. There was no yellow flag on the field, so it was confirmed to be an undisputed passing touchdown.
The entire Candlestick Park immediately erupted in a unified cheer:
"Victory!" clap clap!
"Victory!" clap clap!
All the fans in the stadium started clapping their hands, using the applause to replace the stomping from before. There were no emotional shouts or excited screams, but rather a thunderous rhythm that poured down like a storm.
If you were to only talk about the decibels, it couldn’t compare to CenturyLink Field, and it didn’t even have the right to be compared. But the unwavering belief that filled the sound was so powerful and pure. Reflected in the boundless red ocean, it was so beautiful that it was intoxicating.
Even the staff at Candlestick Park joined in. The stadium manager, Raymond Jackson, was one of them. He would shout once and then clap his hands once. He became a drop of water in the vast ocean, creating huge waves and showing their desire for the game and their belief in victory!
This was the unyielding spirit of the 49ers, from top to bottom.
"The Cardinals’ defense couldn’t put up an effective fight at all. In the first defensive drive, the 49ers had a total of nine plays, only one of which was a third-down conversion. They had six passes and three runs, and they were successful eight times. The fluid offense was completely unstoppable!"
"In the first defensive drive, the Cardinals’ defense didn’t improve at all. Misplaced coverage, missed tackles, slow to start, and yellow-flag penalties. What is going on?"
"Are they starting slow and not in the zone? Or are they affected by playing on the road? Or are they just not motivated to play the last game? But one thing is for sure, with this kind of performance, they will have no chance against the 49ers. At least from what we can see now, the home team, the 49ers, has not let its guard down, even though most of their starters have been rested."
The many speculations before the game had finally been answered. Jim Harbaugh did rest his starters.
In the first offensive drive, Michael Crabtree, Ted Ginn, Chad Hall, and Vernon Davis were the four receivers. Only Ginn was a permanent starter. The other three players did not have much playing time in the second half of the season. In addition, Frank Gore was the starting running back.
On the offensive line, this year’s undrafted rookie Joe Looney and second-year player Daniel Kilgore got a chance to play. Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis, who had minor injuries, were able to rest.
However, overall, with half starters and half second-string players, the team still managed to maintain its main strength. It was clear that the 49ers had not completely given up on this game and still wanted to go for a perfect season. Most importantly, the core of the offense, Lu Ke, was still on the field, fully focused on leading the team. This meant that the quality of the team’s offense was still guaranteed.
In the first offensive drive of the game, Lu Ke easily scored a touchdown.
The Cardinals’ defense, which was ranked 17th in the league, was not able to put enough pressure on the 49ers’ offense.
"From the way the first defensive drive played out, it seems that only the Cardinals’ number 21 cornerback, Patrick Peterson, is still fighting with all his might. But relying on just one person is clearly not enough to stop the 49ers’ offense. If they still want to stop their divisional rival’s perfect season, they have to get it together now. There’s not much time to waste."
Patrick Peterson gritted his teeth in frustration. That feeling of defeat couldn’t help but surge up.
He could clearly feel that his defensive teammates were not at their best. Some of them were even distracted. The ambition from the locker room seemed to have completely disappeared in the unified cheers and shouts from Candlestick Park. A moment of distraction became Lu Ke’s opportunity.
What’s more, Lu Ke was still highly focused in this game, at least in the first offensive drive. He went all out to move the ball. He threw to Patrick twice, succeeding once and failing once. The successful one still resulted in a 14-yard gain. This meant that even when facing a fully in-form Patrick, Lu Ke did not back down at all.
This game was already incredibly difficult even if he gave his all, but now he was fighting alone, and it was a dead end. Patrick didn’t know what to do.
The only thing that could comfort him was that the game had just started, and it was too early to predict the outcome. They still had room to improve. Patrick just hoped that his teammates could wake up and get in the zone as soon as possible so that the Cardinals could have a fighting chance.
For pride!
Next, the 49ers’ defense and the Cardinals’ offense both took the field.
As expected, the home team’s defense also had a large-scale rotation. Six of the 11 starters were replaced, but they still kept the core players. Defensive captain Patrick Willis was still on the field, leading his teammates in a strong defense, and the team still had most of its strength in their play calling and game plan.
But for the Cardinals’ offense, this was an opportunity, a rare opportunity. It was better to face a half-strength defense than a full-strength one.
Number 19 quarterback John Skelton walked onto the field, carrying all the hopes and pressure of the visiting team.
Even though the Cardinals’ offense was ranked second to last in the league, they had Larry Fitzgerald, who was still one of the top receivers in the league this season. The only thing they needed to worry about now was the quarterback. If Skelton could read the defense and make the pass, Fitzgerald could single-handedly make the catch and move the ball forward.
Even if the defense saw through their strategy, Fitzgerald could still win. It was that simple and brutal.
But a problem was called a problem because it couldn’t be solved. This was also the reason why the Cardinals had a nine-game losing streak this season. In those nine losses, John Skelton started six games, and rookie quarterback Ryan Lindley started three.
In Skelton’s games, he only had two touchdowns but nine interceptions. Lindley was even worse, with no touchdowns and seven interceptions.
This was the root cause, and this was the problem.
Now, the same problem was still bothering them. After Skelton took the field, he still couldn’t take on the responsibility of the entire offense. Even when facing the half-strength 49ers’ defense, he was still sacked after two minutes. He had wasted all his opportunities before even crossing the 50-yard line, and their offensive drive was over.
Following the defense, the offense also failed to get in the zone quickly. Now, the entire situation was slowly shifting in favor of the home team, the 49ers.
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