Chapter 1088: Chapter 1088: More than one surprise
Chapter 1088: More than one surprise
A fumble! Turnover on downs!
Another surprise appeared!
The Atlanta Falcons’ offense, after taking the field again, showed a determination to succeed or die trying. Even though they faced the strong defense of the San Francisco 49ers, they still managed to make impressive drives through a ground attack. But in the end, under relentless pressure, they finally made a mistake.
It wasn’t just Matt Ryan’s fumble. The pressure on the offensive line was the first step, the constriction of the secondary defense was the second, and the containment of the receivers’ routes was the third. Because of this, after the snap, Ryan’s focus was always on observing what was in front of him, and his hands made a mistake, leading to the fumble.
Air-tight, breathless.
This was the best way to describe the 49ers’ defense. Ryan stood in place with his hands on his hips, looking a bit sullen. He paused for a moment before leaving the field.
The crisis was slowly but surely spreading, and the Falcons were gradually losing their advantage. The outcome of the game had not been decided yet, but the momentum had once again returned to the home team.
With only 59 seconds left in the third quarter, the San Francisco 49ers’ offense took the field again, standing on their own 37-yard line, ready to launch another scoring drive.
This also meant that if not for the fumble, the Atlanta Falcons’ offense would have been at the 35-yard line. The fumble occurred two yards behind the line of scrimmage, and Aldon Smith wasn’t able to return it. For the offense, they only needed to advance a little more to be in field goal range.
As the second seed in the NFC and having a nine-game winning streak at the beginning of the 2012 season, the Atlanta Falcons were not a pushover. Even though the San Francisco 49ers were now in a great rhythm, the confrontation between the two sides was still very tense, and every offensive and defensive series was full of suspense. The facts also proved this point: everyone could make mistakes.
Off the field, Ryan had recovered and was gathering his offensive teammates, quickly boosting morale, hoping to have a showdown again in the fourth quarter. "We haven’t lost the game!"
On the field, Lu Ke was fully focused, motivating his offensive teammates to find space for a continuous drive against the Falcons’ desperate defense.
Stumbling along, from the third quarter to the fourth quarter, Lu Ke used every trick in the book, combining passes and runs. He saved at least three third-down conversion crises, but at the opponent’s 15-yard line, he still made a mistake, leading to a three-and-out.
Since their comeback in the second quarter, the San Francisco 49ers had scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives. In the end, they were unable to complete this feat a fifth time. Facing a fourth and seven, Jim Harbaugh didn’t take another risk. Because the score difference was so small, only one point, they could completely use a field goal to widen the gap, forcing the Atlanta Falcons to score a touchdown and thus gaining more control for themselves.
And so, the offense went off the field, and the special teams came on.
This was a 32-yard field goal attempt.
Although the distance wasn’t far, David Akers still meticulously prepared. He completed all his pre-kick rituals as usual and then waited for the referee’s whistle. He then ran forward, kicked the ball, and you could see the football quickly flipping up and down in the breeze, flying toward the goalposts.
The moment he kicked the ball, Akers realized that the point of contact was a bit off, and the arc was a bit to the left. His body couldn’t help but lean to the right a bit, as if this action could slightly change the arc of the football. He couldn’t help but clench his fists slightly.
Spin. Spin.
The football flew toward the left goalpost and hit the top of the post with a dull "bang!" sound.
Then, the football’s flight path was changed. In front of 70,000 spectators, it flew toward the stands at an even faster speed, not entering the goalpost area. The two goalpost referees signaled a missed field goal. Hitting the goalpost, such a low-probability event, happened so unexpectedly.
All the fans in the stadium grabbed their heads, feeling as if their hearts had stopped beating, and let out an unbelievable sigh, "Ah!"
A 32-yard field goal was almost the same as an extra point kick. For Akers, he could kick 100 out of 100 in practice. It was an easy feat, but unexpectedly, in this crucial NFC Championship Game, Akers missed.
The goalpost.
Was this a lack of luck, or was it a personal mistake?
After the Atlanta Falcons’ offense had two consecutive mishaps, the San Francisco 49ers’ offense also had one. The intensity of this game was being presented in another way, and even the spectators’ skin could feel the tense heat rolling over them.
Akers stood on the field, his number 2 jersey looking a bit lonely. He raised his head and glanced at the vast red sea of fans, and the mixed emotions were indescribable. If they lost this game because of this field goal, if they fell in the NFC Championship Game for the second consecutive year because of this mistake... what would he do?
This wasn’t a difficult field goal.
Akers turned around and subconsciously walked off the field. His lonely and lost figure seemed like it could be swallowed by the giant red wave of the entire stadium at any moment.
The score remained "28-27." The Atlanta Falcons’ offense took the field again. After a close escape, they now had another chance at life. With 13 minutes and 23 seconds left in the fourth quarter, hope had not died out, and the outcome was still unpredictable.
Lu Ke was flipping through the playbook. The missed field goal didn’t shake his belief: in the next drive, a touchdown was still the offense’s goal, and they would still give it their all! Only by being proactive could they gain the best chance of winning the game!
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Akers sitting next to him. He had taken off his helmet and was leaning against the back of his chair, looking a bit lost. Lu Ke couldn’t help but look at him, and the scene of their loss in the NFC Championship Game last year came to his mind again.
Akers had missed a field goal, and Justin Smith had missed the last defensive play. The two veterans stood there, feeling lonely and lost, not knowing what to do, because they didn’t know if there would be a next season, and even if there was, whether they could challenge for the Super Bowl again.
Making it to the NFC Championship Game for two consecutive years was such a rare opportunity, but Akers had made the same mistake again. Maybe, this really was the last time.
Lu Ke temporarily put down the playbook and handed the water bottle next to him to Akers.
Akers didn’t react at first and was a bit stunned. He then noticed Lu Ke’s action. He shook his head and forced a smile. "I’m not thirsty."
Lu Ke didn’t force him. He took back the water bottle and smiled. "David, I’ll make a bet with you that we can make it to the Super Bowl. Do you believe me?"
Akers looked at Lu Ke with a puzzled face, not understanding what he meant. Lu Ke didn’t explain further. He just said again, "If I win, and we make it to the Super Bowl, then you have to practice passing and catching with Luke and Sawyer all summer. If I lose, then you’ll fight with us for another season."
Luke and Sawyer were Akers’ two sons. They both loved Lu Ke and often came to the training facility to watch him train.
Among them, the older son, Luke, was proud that his name sounded the same as Lu Ke’s. On Thanksgiving this year, Luke specially made a thank-you card for Lu Ke, thanking him for helping his dad realize his dream of challenging for the Super Bowl again, because his dad might not be able to run anymore next year.
At this moment, Luke and Sawyer were watching the game from the stands.
Akers immediately understood what Lu Ke meant. He still looked a bit dejected, but the smile in the depths of his eyes slowly began to spread, and he began to perk up again. "Why does the bet sound like I’m losing either way?"
"Because I’m confident that I’ll win the bet, so you’re going to lose," Lu Ke said with a smile.
Then, Lu Ke didn’t say anything more. He just patted Akers on the shoulder, then returned his focus to the playbook.
Akers watched Lu Ke quietly, not saying a word, but the burden on his shoulders was slowly easing. The game wasn’t over yet, and the outcome hadn’t been decided yet, had it?
While they were talking, a thunderous cheer rang out again from Candlestick Park. When they looked up, they could see Justin Smith and Patrick Willis high-fiving, and Matt Ryan was on the ground, which meant that the 49ers had once again gotten a three-and-out with a quarterback sack, not giving the Falcons a chance to score.
Then, Lu Ke’s voice came to Akers’ ears, "It’s our turn to go on the field." His understated words were full of a belief that they would win!
Both special teams came onto the field.
This time, the one who would return the punt for the 49ers was none other than Kendall Hunter.
The Falcons’ special teams began to punt. Hunter constantly adjusted his footwork. After catching the football near his own 30-yard line, he immediately began his return. He didn’t rush to speed up. Instead, he slightly adjusted his center of gravity, faked out the first opponent who was charging toward him, and then began his return!
The 40-yard line! The 45-yard line! The midfield!
Under the cover of his teammates, Hunter’s return was unstoppable. After crossing midfield, he was still pushing forward, but the Falcons’ special teams began to swarm him, like a tidal wave, blocking all of Hunter’s forward and escape routes.
The 38-yard line!
Hunter went out of bounds at the opponent’s 38-yard line!
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