After the snap, the San Francisco 49ers' four receivers were like four sharp daggers, running straight and fast, directly into the heart of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense, creating chaos. None of the four of them turned or changed direction. They just ran the simplest and most effective straight routes, maximizing their respective strengths and momentum.
From the 33-yard line, the four straight lines, based on speed and power, showed completely different running routes, causing a major stir in the Buccaneers' secondary.
On the right side, Logan Newman and Kyle Williams started and accelerated at the same time. Within ten yards, Williams' speed was fully up and running at its maximum. He took the cornerback guarding him and stabbed deep into the red zone, sprinting sharply toward the end zone. The safety on that side also started to move quickly, preparing to cover him.
Relatively speaking, speed wasn't Newman's strong suit. Even as he accelerated, and accelerated again, Quincy Black, the outside linebacker, number 58, who was in man-to-man coverage, still stayed close to him. But Newman's physique gave him an advantage. He constantly squeezed his opponent, and his running was very powerful and strong, and he gradually started to get into a more comfortable position.
25 yards, 20 yards, 15 yards, 10 yards...
A running distance of about 20 yards only took a moment, and then Lu Ke raised his right hand and quickly waved his forearm. The football shot out with a whoosh, attracting the attention of all 70,000 fans, and arrived at the end zone with unstoppable force!
Newman had no intention of slowing down, but he twisted his body and turned around. His eyes caught the football's trajectory. Then, with his shoulder, he bumped into Black, using his body to overpower his opponent. His feet were constantly adjusting their steps. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught another figure rushing over: a cornerback.
The cornerback who was originally guarding Williams noticed Lu Ke's passing direction and decisively gave up on Williams. With a few big strides, he rushed over, trying to form an encirclement with Black and complete a tackle to break up the pass.
In the crucial moment, Newman didn't panic. Instead, he got excited. He stomped his feet hard and leaped high into the air. He made an interception one step ahead of the two defenders closing the encirclement and before they could get into position on the arc of the football's descent.
In mid-air, his right arm stretched out to its maximum, like a beautiful bow and arrow, slowly drawn to its full extent. In that instant, time seemed to stand still, but Newman's attention didn't waver at all. His wide hand firmly grabbed the football. The familiar force, the familiar spin, and the familiar feel. His fingertips immediately burst with powerful force, firmly controlling the football.
The next moment, his body began to respond to the call of gravity and started to fall.
"Snap! Set, hut! Lu Ke raises his hand to pass the ball, and Frank Gore tears up a small gap, but... it's not Gore. Lu Ke fakes a handoff and turns to pass. The football draws a small parabola in the air, finding the advancing Newman with pinpoint accuracy."
"Newman is in a pincer movement between two defenders. He leaps high into the air. Wow, a one-handed catch! He made a beautiful one-handed catch. Wow! A one-handed catch! Using his body's advantage, he forcefully suppressed number 58 who was in man-to-man coverage, and completed the catch before cornerback number 20 could close in. That was truly beautiful!"
Witnessing Newman's one-handed catch again, Troy was still amazed. Under the encirclement of two players, this catch once again showed Newman's catching talent. His feel and form were impressive. However, just as Troy thought the play was over and Newman would be stopped at the 4-yard line—the two defenders' combined effort would be enough to tackle him—suddenly...
"What? What just happened? Newman ran into the end zone. After making the catch, Newman ran into the end zone and scored a touchdown! Touchdown! The San Francisco 49ers have scored another touchdown! With an interception, the 49ers' offense was able to start their drive at the Buccaneers' 33-yard line. After Lu Ke used a fake pass to deceive the defensive line, he completed a long pass of about 30 yards from a solid pocket, and Newman finished the play!"
Everything happened so fast that the commentators couldn't keep up. It seemed that with a single breath and a blink of an eye, the situation on the field had changed drastically.
Kirk and Teddy from Fox were the same. After re-watching the replay to confirm the play, their surprise and admiration poured out involuntarily.
"Facing a pincer movement from two defenders, Newman first used a jump to get a head start and made a successful one-handed catch. Then, as he fell, he used his body's advantage and momentum to push past cornerback number 20, who was covering, and then outside linebacker number 58 from the Buccaneers couldn't get a good grip on him and only grabbed Newman's jersey. But Newman didn't care. He relentlessly kept pushing forward, finally breaking free from Black's tackle and running into the end zone! This is... wow."
The charm of sports is always like this, leaving people in awe and speechless.
"In this play, Newman's performance can definitely be called unstoppable. He made the catch in an unreasonable way, broke free from the tackle, and successfully scored a touchdown. The two defenders were helpless and could only watch their opponent enter the end zone. This is the rookie tight end's sixth touchdown of the season. This performance is truly stunning!"
It was the 33-yard line again, a passing play again, a duel on the right side again, and a successful touchdown again. The only difference was that last time, Crabtree made the catch in the short passing area and scored a touchdown with a bulldozer-like push. This time, Newman made the catch in the long passing area, using his positional advantage, and forced his way into the end zone to score a touchdown.
"This is it! This is it!" Newman ran frantically, shouting and laughing all the way. He opened his arms and ran toward Lu Ke, finally giving Lu Ke a big hug and even kissing his helmet. "This is what I was talking about! Beautiful, that was a beautiful pass!"
After Crabtree scored a touchdown, Newman asked for one. A few minutes later, Newman got one. A dream come true!
"Santa Claus, I want one too! Me too!" Williams raised his right hand high, shouting repeatedly. Then Ginn and Crabtree also came over to join in the fun. Even Iupati and Davis joined in, and the whole team's atmosphere was relaxed and lively, immersed in a wave of joy.
Even Lu Ke himself hadn't expected the game to progress this way.
Although Lu Ke's base points had increased after the last game, and his tactical awareness had improved further, which was reflected in the plays so far in this game, and after the loss, this week's preparation was also all-out and extra thorough, so their understanding of the Buccaneers' defense was adequate and deep.
But even so, this start was quite surprising for Lu Ke.
Based on the past four games, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' record of 3-1 was definitely not due to luck alone. In today's game, they seemed to be affected by playing on the road, and their form never adjusted to their best. After they failed to keep up with the defensive rhythm in the first drive, their subsequent play calls and execution were lackluster.
As a result, Lu Ke hadn't even broken a sweat, and the San Francisco 49ers already had a huge lead of 14-0 at home. David Akers's extra point was perfect. After he calmly kicked it in, the 49ers' offensive achievements were further solidified.
What was even more unbelievable was that the game had been going on for less than five minutes. It felt like all the players hadn't even finished warming up, and the score had already changed drastically.
Of course, this was just the beginning. Even after taking the upper hand successfully, it didn't mean victory was guaranteed. The San Francisco 49ers themselves had experienced this in the second and fourth weeks of the regular season. So, they still couldn't let their guard down.
The entire Candlestick Park was a frenzy. After the kickoff, they didn't even have time to sit in their seats. A touchdown, then an interception, followed by another touchdown. They didn't even have time to take a bite of their hot dogs, and the team had already taken a huge lead. For the fans in the stadium, it was a celebratory party. Waves of cheers continued to surge through the stadium endlessly.
Jeff Locke jumped up high, constantly waving his right hand and shouting excitedly, "I told you, I told you long ago."
Although no one knew who Jeff was shouting at—no one around him paid any attention to him and everyone was enthusiastically cheering and celebrating—Jeff didn't care at all. He cheered to his heart's content, "That's Bambi! That's Bambi! He can always create miracles. Do you believe it? Do you believe it? My God, I told you!"
In the vast red ocean, Jeff was just a small bump in the countless waves. Then he saw Jonathan Baldwin stand up, clench his fists, and shout loudly, "One more!"
Jeff stared at Jonathan dumbfounded. "You're a madman. We've had two in a row, and it's still not enough? You want another one? If you guys keep this up, what will the Buccaneers do? You're just trying to kill them, aren't you?"
Jonathan laughed heartily and shrugged. "It seems you understand what I mean."
Jeff was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. "I like it like that." So, Jeff also motioned for his friends to stand up and join Jonathan's ranks, shouting, "One more! One more!"
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