Chapter 601: The So-Called Elite
"21-7."
The second quarter had just begun, not even three minutes in, and the score was already a two-touchdown difference. The home team, the San Francisco 49ers, was leading. The rookie quarterback, Lu Ke, was on fire in his first playoff game. His three touchdown passes were absolutely brilliant. In terms of play calling, he even seemed to have a slight edge over Drew Brees. Of course, the game had just started. A younger player with high energy can get into a groove quickly, while an older player can be slower to start and needs time to adjust.
To be fair, this wasn't a completely unexpected result, given the San Francisco 49ers' excellent regular season performance. But when it actually happened, it was still a surprise. This couldn't help but remind people of the Saints' last wild card game. So, would the 49ers be the next Lions?
For Drew Brees, his competitive mentality and the game's progress were still unaffected. When he took the field again, he was still composed and steady. In the first three drives of the game, he had a fumble, a touchdown, and an interception. Brees's performance was like a roller coaster—it was too thrilling. In the ups and downs, the score was suddenly a two-touchdown deficit, but the interesting thing was that neither team had punted yet.
Brees, who took the field again, showed the strong control of an elite quarterback. With a screen pass, a flat pass, and a play-action pass, his three seemingly casual throws each utilized the tight end's matchup advantage, the running back's slot receiving advantage, and the wide receiver's run to create an open pass. He had continuously advanced more than ten yards, easily crossing midfield and reaching the 43-yard line.
To a layman, a quarterback seems to just stand in the pocket, make an observation, and throw the ball. That's it. It's not as complex as one might imagine; most of the difficulty lies with the receivers. But to a professional, Brees's ability to analyze and control the entire situation, along with his tactical combinations, effortlessly tore open the defensive barrier. This kind of skill was admirable.
The game had an unexpected turn when Whitner forced a fumble from Sproles, but the Saints' head coach, Sean Payton, challenged the call with a red flag. After nearly three minutes of video review, the referee changed the call, ruling that it was a completed catch. Sproles had already made contact with the ground and had possession of the ball before Whitner forced the fumble. In other words, the fumble didn't count, and the Saints still had possession.
Brees, who had narrowly escaped, seemed to be slowly finding his touch. Facing a second-and-eight situation, the entire pocket was once again shattered by the pass rush. With two pass rushers in pursuit, Brees still managed to run for six yards, getting close to the first-down line. This traditional pocket quarterback's run was also heavy and clumsy, but he still successfully broke the stalemate.
Then, facing a third-and-two, Brees took a quick step back and suddenly chose to throw a long pass. The 22-yard pass found Jimmy Graham and Donte Whitner in a one-on-one matchup in the middle of the field. In the battle, Graham had completely lost his balance, and Whitner had completely blocked Graham's catching position. But in mid-air, Graham made a flexible backward arch, twisting his body like a pretzel. Like a tiger taking a tooth out of its mouth, he forcefully snatched the football over Whitner's head and then fell to the ground in a strange, twisted position. It was a near-perfect replica of Ted Ginn's first touchdown.
Slowly, Graham stood up. Facing the continuous boos from the red ocean of fans, he gritted his teeth and slowly slammed the football to the ground, his fierce gaze sweeping across the stadium, venting all the frustration and anger he had accumulated in the first half of the game.
Facing what seemed like a hopeless situation, Brees still turned a bad situation into a miracle. Although Graham's catch in adversity deserved most of the credit, Brees didn't give up in the fragmented pocket. He took a step forward to avoid a sack that was close at hand, completed the pass at the last second, and once again showed the strong presence of an elite quarterback.
It's worth mentioning that so far in the first half, the San Francisco 49ers had forced eight hurried throws but had zero quarterback sacks. In other words, the defense had pushed the pocket pressure to the extreme, but Brees, who wasn't known for his running, never panicked. He used his steady pocket footwork to escape and successfully scored two touchdowns.
After two miraculous escapes that resulted in touchdowns, it seemed to have boosted the morale of the New Orleans Saints' defense. When Lu Ke led the offense onto the field, the intensity of the defense was noticeably higher. It wasn't that the pass rush or secondary was more ferocious, but that the defenders' rhythm had finally matched the 49ers' offensive players' rhythm. For example, in pass defense, being one step early could help them get a better position. Before, they couldn't, but now they could. For example, in run defense, being a half-step early could help them tackle the running back accurately. Before, they missed, but now they could.
It was these small differences in detail that made the competition between offense and defense more intense.
"The pocket! The 49ers' offensive line pocket has been torn apart again. This should be the second time in this game. Two players have gotten into the pocket and are trying to get the first sack of the game!"
"Lu Ke! Lu Ke makes a nimble lateral move with his feet, avoiding a sure-fire tackle from his opponent. He's running out of the pocket, and another defender is chasing closely behind him. Wow, that was a beautiful dodge!"
"A step forward, a pause. Lu Ke forcefully shook off his opponent's center of gravity, just like a dribble in a soccer game. He watched as his opponent flew past him from behind, but he wasn't affected at all! Then, he readjusted his footwork. Lu Ke is looking for a target."
"The target is... Logan Newman! The number one receiving option on the San Francisco 49ers! This is an 18-yard mid-range pass! Facing a double-team, Logan forcefully created an open space and snatched the football in a fierce competition! A completed catch! This is a successful catch!"
At the critical moment, Lu Ke had to use his special ability to make a quick move, creating an open space in three seconds and successfully completing the pass.
Unfortunately, this close call still failed to continue the 49ers' offensive momentum. After struggling to cross midfield and reaching the 18-yard line, they encountered their first three-and-out of the entire game. A two-yard run, an incomplete pass due to a slight control error, and a six-yard successful short pass that ended in an immediate tackle, which led to a fourth-and-two situation.
This time, Harbaugh didn't choose to take a risk. The second half of the game was already in the later stages. The players' physical and mental energy had been stretched for most of the half, and they had now reached their first low point. They needed to slow down the pace, allow the players to adjust quickly, and then regroup before increasing the intensity again. No player can perform at a high level for an entire game. No one in the entire league can.
So, David Akers led the special teams onto the field for their first field goal attempt of the game. It was a 27-yard field goal, which was not difficult for Akers. But he still didn't take it lightly. He prepared carefully, focused, and kicked the field goal, successfully scoring three points for the team. At the same time, he used up some of the game clock and stabilized the slightly hurried pace of the game.
At this point, there were only three minutes and eleven seconds left in the first half. The San Francisco 49ers were slowing down the pace, trying to bring the game into the second half smoothly. But the New Orleans Saints were speeding up their pace because their offensive momentum was rising. They had to capitalize on their winning streak. As for the second half, that would be something to worry about after halftime.
"Brees! Brees is in danger! The pocket has been torn apart again! Brees is dancing! He's dancing in the pocket! Danger! Brees is in danger! He's still looking! Still looking! There's no chance! There's absolutely no chance! Before the sack could be completed, Brees just threw the football out of bounds! My God!"
"The Saints' offensive line is in endless trouble today. The pocket can't provide effective protection at all. Brees is now forced into a no-win situation, using his legs again and again to look for a breakthrough. This is not the kind of game Brees is good at!"
The 49ers' defense was getting stronger, with consecutive blitzes and forcing the opponent into third-down conversions. But at the critical moment, Brees was always able to find an open space and complete the third-down conversion. He had successfully completed three third-down conversions in this drive alone!
But there was no time left. After the official timeout, the game became bumpy, and the Saints had very little time left in the first half.
"Again! The pocket is torn apart again! Brees ran out of the pocket! Brees ran out of the pocket to the right! A pass! Brees completed the pass! It's a rainbow pass! A 36-yard rainbow pass, and it's aimed directly at the end zone! My God, the arc of this rainbow pass is absolutely perfect! The target is..."
"Marques Colston! Reggie Smith has already held his position. He's pushed Colston toward the corner of the end zone! My God! Colston jumped up and caught the ball with both hands over his head! Colston! Colston's feet! Wait, he's out of bounds! Is this an out of bounds or... we need to look at the replay!"
"A catch! A landing! The right foot, the left foot, and then a collision with the goalpost! A touchdown! It's a touchdown! As the first half is about to end, the New Orleans Saints scored another touchdown!"
"24-21." The first half ended.
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