Chapter 735: One Against Two
Clay Matthews accelerated powerfully. He had made an early prediction and was ready, bumping against Joe Staley's shoulder. Without any pause, he tilted his body to the side, nimbly and agilely avoiding Staley's tackle. Instead, he used the counterforce from the collision to turn more quickly and sprinted into the pocket before Staley could adjust.
The entire motion was fluid, graceful, and seamless. He broke through the pocket almost at the same time as the snap, charging toward the quarterback with the fastest speed and most aggressive posture.
He raised his hands high, ready to dive for a tackle.
But in the next second, Matthews's chest was filled with an uncontrollable fury. The burning rage was about to swallow all his reason because Lu Ke no longer had the football in his hands. Now Lu Ke was just standing in the pocket, observing the trajectory of his pass.
This meant that Lu Ke had completed another quick pass, and the Green Bay Packers' pass defense was once again challenged.
In today's game, Lu Ke's strategy of consecutive quick-release short passes had completely stifled the Packers' defensive line's blitzes and created chaos in the short-pass area. Matthews felt that he had all this energy but couldn't release it. The frustration was too much to bear, as if he had become a puppet on strings, with all his movements beyond his control.
Matthews's mood became irritable. He knew he couldn't roughly tackle a player without the ball, but he still didn't completely shift his body. He bumped shoulders with Lu Ke, not aggressively, but just enough to make Lu Ke stumble back a few steps before he could regain his balance.
Even so, Matthews still couldn't vent his inner turmoil.
Matthews wasn't the only one. The Packers' defense wasn't their strong suit; it could even be called a weakness. The contrast between strong and weak was even more pronounced in today's game. The feeling of being constrained and clumsy everywhere made it impossible for them to keep up with the 49ers' offensive rhythm.
This time was no different.
They couldn't even make an accurate judgment. Only when Lu Ke released the ball did they realize that the target was Ted Ginn.
But by then, Ginn had already created a huge open space.
Logan and Gore in the short-pass area successfully tied up three defenders. Kyle, who was running a straight line on the right sideline, tied up one player. Crabtree, who was on a slant from the left, tied up two players. After subtracting the three defensive linemen and Matthews, who was on a blitz, there was only one player following Ginn's every move—
Charles Woodson.
Morgan Burnett was giving up on Crabtree and trying to cover Ginn, but he was a step too late, a full six yards behind. In a battle of pure speed, he couldn't catch up to Ginn. All hope now rested on Woodson. Still, Burnett chased with all his might.
Woodson was moving laterally quickly because the San Francisco 49ers had reached the Packers' 35-yard line, which meant the end zone was within Lu Ke's range. So, Woodson had been roaming in their red zone, guarding against all potential long passes.
Ginn and Crabtree's quick advancement after their crossing route immediately entered Woodson's sight. He began to adjust his feet with small steps. The two wide receivers had already passed the 25-yard line. Whether it was Crabtree, who had just made an important advance, or Ginn, who had used his speed to score a touchdown in the first half, both were targets Woodson needed to be fully wary of.
He quickly glanced at the direction of Lu Ke's pass.
Sure enough, Woodson caught the parabolic arc of the football as it quickly ascended. He paused slightly and then sprinted toward Ginn. Relying on his position advantage and a decisive judgment, he got in front of Ginn, using his shoulder to push against Ginn's body, constantly disrupting Ginn's acceleration with his running rhythm.
The two were tangled together, their speed slowing down. The 20-yard line, the 15-yard line... The 10-yard line was now in front of them.
At the same time, the full-speed Burnett had arrived, close behind Ginn. He turned around early, predicting the football's descent arc. In his mind, he was calculating the possibility of intercepting the pass and completing an interception.
At that moment, Ginn's feet stumbled. He seemed to have lost his balance due to Woodson's strong push and was staggering toward the sideline. The distance between Ginn and Woodson instantly widened to half an arm's length. Then, Ginn could be seen adjusting his feet in a controlled chaos, turning 180 degrees, and facing the direction of the football's descent.
He adjusted his feet as he quickly backpedaled. His calf muscles suddenly tensed, and he jumped high, like a fadeaway jumper in basketball. His arms were stretched out to the maximum. His entire body's muscles were in a perfect state between the limits of relaxation and the edge of tension. His palms were on the line of the football's descent, trying to complete the catch halfway.
Just a quarter-beat behind, Burnett also jumped up, but his body hadn't fully adjusted. He twisted slightly while in the air, awkwardly flipping his arm and body over, trying to disrupt the football's trajectory and prevent the pass connection before Ginn could complete the catch.
In a moment of crisis, Burnett watched helplessly as the football flew past his fingertips. He couldn't touch it. He only felt the friction of the compressed air left on his fingertips as it whistled by. His hand then uselessly swiped at the empty space. He watched as the football flew over his head and continued to descend behind him.
"Thud."
With a dull sound, Ginn's hands accurately caught the football. Then the feeling of being airborne disappeared without a trace. The drag of gravity descended, pulling his ankles down hard.
Ginn hadn't even had time to fully control the football when a powerful force hit his waist, as if a high-speed train was rushing over his body. The ferocious impact made his internal organs churn. The mighty horizontal force disrupted the vertical downward force, unceremoniously pushing him to the left.
Woodson!
At the crucial moment, Woodson completed the tackle in time. He tackled Ginn before his feet could land. With all his might, he violently pushed Ginn out of bounds, trying to force an incomplete pass.
Ginn could even hear the muffled sound of his bones, but he didn't feel any pain. He had completely entered a state of spiritual detachment. In his eyes, he could clearly see the accelerating green grass rushing toward him, and also... the orange pylon, which was within reach!
Subconsciously, he switched from holding the ball with both hands to one hand. Ginn held the football tightly with his right hand. A powerful and persistent desire for a touchdown erupted from within his body. In a flash, he stretched out his arm, his pupils contracted, and he locked onto the orange pylon.
In the blur of light and shadows, the world turned into a meaningless mess of colors, rushing at him in a chaotic and disorderly way. Then, everything shattered into pieces in a heavy impact, plunging into chaos.
"Touchdown!"
The referee standing next to the end zone raised both hands high and blew the whistle, making the judgment.
Taken by surprise, Kirk slammed his hand on the table and roared endlessly. "Touchdown! Touchdown! Touchdown! It's a touchdown! Jesus Christ! Oh, Jesus Christ!"
"Ted Ginn, the number 19 wide receiver, who has returned from injury, was in the strong double coverage of two safeties but used his personal speed and catching ability to overpower Burnett and complete the catch. And with Woodson making the tackle, he stubbornly used the pylon rule to complete this miraculous touchdown!"
"My God! This is an unbelievable catch! Ted Ginn showed unparalleled control! He almost single-handedly destroyed the Packers' secondary defense. Charles Woodson and Morgan Burnett teamed up, but they still couldn't stop Ginn! This is the San Francisco 49ers' number 19! This is a touchdown that breaks the rules and history!"
"Just when everyone thought that Randy Moss's arrival might change the competition among the 49ers' wide receivers, Ted Ginn proved himself with two receiving touchdowns. He is still the team's number one wide receiver! He is still Lu Ke's favorite and most trusted wide receiver!"
"A 35-yard passing touchdown! Lu Ke and Ginn of the San Francisco 49ers have connected for the second time in this game, successfully completing their fourth passing touchdown today!"
This was undoubtedly a miraculous touchdown. Ginn's performance even outshone Lu Ke's. He earned the respect of everyone at Lambeau Field. Even the home fans showed helpless expressions. Kirk's voice had become hoarse, but he was still shouting and roaring uncontrollably.
An even more unbelievable thing was coming.
"Two points! The San Francisco 49ers have chosen to go for a two-point conversion! My God, can this game get any more exciting? The Packers just missed a two-point attempt, and now the 49ers are immediately going for a two-point conversion! Lu Ke is preparing to continue applying pressure. They don't intend to give their opponents any time to breathe!"
"Quick huddle!"
"What will the 49ers choose to do for this two-point conversion?"
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 30 chapters in advance!