In the Fox broadcast booth, a storm had just passed. The space for a breather was completely gone, and even the air began to boil. A gurgling sound could be clearly heard.
"In that last drive, Lu Ke truly showed the courage of a quarterback with a strong heart. In a critical moment, he relentlessly searched for a passing lane. The overall increase in the offense's speed makes you think of Peyton Manning at his peak, when the entire offense was fluid and unstoppable, leaving the opponent with no way to defend."
Kirk was undoubtedly the most qualified person to speak. He had witnessed Lu Ke's a-la-carte offensive style at the Rose Bowl, and he had also witnessed Lu Ke's crucial decision-making and judgment in the past four weeks. In the last two drives, facing the Buccaneers who had suddenly sped up, Lu Ke, who sensed the danger, actually made adjustments along with them.
They could clearly see that the other players on the 49ers' offense were still a bit slow, but Lu Ke's forced adjustments had brought out the full power of the offense. He completed two consecutive passes in a tense and thrilling situation, which was almost suffocating.
"Let's watch the replay first," Teddy had to interrupt Kirk's amazement and return to the focus of the ruling. "Vernon Davis's catch relied on his physical advantage to forcefully push off the cornerback and then adjusted his feet to get ready for the catch.
But it was clear that the connection between Lu Ke and Vernon was not yet smooth. The two were not very familiar with each other's passing and running routes, which caused Lu Ke's pass to be slightly off-target and fly toward the out-of-bounds line. In the most crucial moment, Vernon stretched his body to the maximum, leaped in the air to catch the ball, and completed the catch with a strong posture. He ended up flying out of bounds after losing his balance.
The question now is whether Vernon's feet were in bounds when he had control of the football."
On the field, all the Tampa Bay players made an "incomplete pass" gesture. Everyone was convinced that the moment Vernon completed the catch, one of his feet was already out of bounds, which would make it an incomplete pass. But the referees needed to review the video to confirm.
On the TV screen, the replay began. Both Teddy and Kirk, like the audience in front of their TVs, stared at Vernon's feet.
"He landed with one foot, his right foot first, completed the catch, and then the tip of his left foot slid across the grass, with control of the football. His feet were even in bounds for a moment, and he paused for a moment before flying out. No problem! There is absolutely no problem! This is a textbook pass. Vernon has shown his top-tier receiving ability. Beautiful, that was so beautiful!"
Kirk's commentary declared the result. After he finished, Teddy added, "From our camera angle, this is an undisputed catch. But we still have to wait for the referee's call..." Before he could finish, the referee on the field made a "completed catch" gesture. "Great, after reviewing the video, the referee announced that the catch is valid. This is a successful pass and catch, and the San Francisco 49ers can continue to move forward."
"Wow, this is definitely the performance of a top-tier receiver," Kirk commented. "He made the catch in a desperate situation, and his body control was outstanding. With a small margin for error, he controlled the entire situation.
Excellent, this is truly excellent! In the San Francisco 49ers, only Vernon was considered a first-class receiver, but now a few of the team's receivers have shown top-tier performance. Vernon's position is starting to become dangerous. But with this catch, Vernon has once again proven his ability to be selected for the Pro Bowl!"
"But the most important thing is Lu Ke. He completed two passes in desperate situations. The courage and dominance of this rookie quarterback in crucial moments are truly eye-opening," Teddy took the opportunity to bring the focus back to the game. "Now, the San Francisco 49ers have entered the red zone. The rest of the game is worth looking forward to."
After confirming the successful catch, Vernon Davis quickly walked toward Lu Ke, and through his helmet, he asked with his eyes, "Do I need to come off the field?"
Lu Ke raised his right hand and kept pushing it down, signaling for Vernon to stay. In the short-passing area, Vernon's physical advantage was undoubtedly a huge weapon. He was more impactful than Logan Newman. He needed Vernon as a beacon. Even if he wasn't the receiver, just standing in the red zone was a significant threat.
Vernon was a little nervous, but his years of experience on the field helped him calm down. He returned to his position and lined up.
At the 20-yard line of the Buccaneers' side, the San Francisco 49ers had already entered the red zone.
It was first-and-ten. After the snap, Lu Ke handed the ball to Frank Gore. In the chaos, Gore broke through and gained four yards.
It was second-and-six. Standing in the shotgun formation, Lu Ke took a big step forward and released the ball with incredible speed. He completed the pass with a crisp motion, and Vernon made the catch again. Although he was tackled on the spot, with this seven-yard pass, he still managed to get a first down and arrived at the nine-yard line. Thus, the San Francisco 49ers had a great chance for a first-down touchdown.
After starting the drive again, the first pass was interfered with by a yellow flag. Lu Ke hadn't even had time to raise his hand to pass when the referee's yellow flag stopped the play. Vernon on the offense had an early start, moving his body before the snap was announced. This resulted in a five-yard penalty for the San Francisco 49ers, pushing them back to the 14-yard line.
The members of the offense all looked at each other with a mix of amusement and frustration. The tense atmosphere was slightly relieved. Vernon, who had become the center of attention, tried to say something, but he couldn't. So he straightened his back, pretended that nothing had happened, and returned to the line of scrimmage.
"Snap out of it, all of you!" Lu Ke's shout successfully helped Vernon out of his awkward situation, and the San Francisco 49ers re-entered the drive.
Due to the penalty, the San Francisco 49ers had to start a new first-down.
It was first-and-fifteen. Lu Ke found Kyle Williams for a five-yard pass, and Williams continued to advance for another three yards. The drive moved forward a total of eight yards.
Second-and-goal—meaning that as long as they complete this drive, they can get a touchdown. They were now seven yards away from the end zone, so it was a second-and-goal situation.
Frank Gore, who was in excellent form today, had the ball again. This seemed to have caught the Buccaneers off guard once more. Facing the end zone just a few yards away, Lu Ke gave up his accurate short passing game and chose to trust his running back again. The intensity of the entire defensive line was slightly reduced.
As a result, Gore completed a decent run, gaining five yards. In such a narrow and dense space, the entire defense was severely compressed. For a running back, the space to run and sprint was greatly reduced, so gaining five yards in this situation was truly a rare feat.
Third-and-goal. They were now just a mere two yards away from the end zone. But these two yards were no different from a battle on the one-yard line, and the San Francisco 49ers only had one chance. If they failed, they would have to settle for a field goal. Seven points becoming three points would not be a good trade.
All the players on the offense huddled around Lu Ke. After entering the red zone, the Buccaneers' defensive intensity and density had increased by a notch. Scoring a touchdown was exponentially more difficult, and they were feeling the pressure now.
Lu Ke looked up at his teammates and, without unnecessary words, said, "I think we can do it. What do you guys think?"
"Duh," "Of course," "Definitely," came the answers one after another, but Lu Ke shook his head, showing his dissatisfaction. He clenched his fists tightly. "What's our goal?"
"Touchdown!"
"What's our goal?"
"Touchdown!"
All the chaos and restlessness subsided. The focus in their eyes came back together, and their fighting spirit erupted. With a unified will, Lu Ke nodded heavily and slammed his fist into his left palm. "Good, then let's go get a touchdown!"
After the play call was quickly completed, the San Francisco 49ers' offense lined up.
In the midst of the chaos, Lu Ke let out a long, long breath. He stared intently at Bennett, who was standing opposite him, but only for a moment before looking away. The entire world slowed down tenfold in his eyes. It wasn't bullet time or a special ability, but the calmness of a crucial moment. Everything became clearer than ever before, and he could seemingly catch every subtle change on the field.
"Hut!"
In an instant, Lu Ke held his breath, received the football with both hands, and without any hesitation, quickly moved to the right. Not just him, but the entire offensive line also shifted to the right. The two lines of offensive and defensive linemen were completely misaligned. They couldn't make a solid hit, and in the end, they just moved horizontally with completely different rhythms, and the vertical impact disappeared completely.
At the same time, all the receivers and defenders in the end zone piled up in the same direction, and the small area was densely packed with countless players. It seemed that every inch of space was filled.
Vernon Davis sprinted in a straight line, then cut back to the left in the opposite direction. He moved quickly toward the end zone line near the middle of the field. Then he suddenly turned and raised his hands high, giving a signal. Almost at the same time, Lu Ke raised his right hand and threw the football without any hesitation.
The football, like a cannonball, flew in a straight line with great force, and you could even clearly see the trail of air swirling around it. It flew fiercely over the heads of the players and arrived at Vernon's position.
Vernon leaped high, firmly grabbing the football with both hands. His ten fingers tightened, and then, at the call of gravity, he fell heavily to the ground. A fierce collision followed from behind with a muffled thud!
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