Chapter 867: Wall-to-Wall Counterattack
A curving moon sword. A rainbow pass.
This was the most appropriate description for Lu Ke's long pass—elegant yet sharp, gliding across the sky and drawing a perfect arc.
But this was only Lu Ke's first pass of the game, and he was so bold as to choose a long pass. Was he aiming for the end zone?
Ted Ginn was sprinting. Logan Newmann was sprinting. Marcus Lynch was sprinting.
The three receivers on the right side were all running at full speed toward the deep area, creating a cloud of dust behind them like galloping horses, forcing the St. Louis Rams' secondary to retreat. But they had already lost the first step.
They had completely misjudged Lu Ke's passing play, and now they could only passively chase the three receivers.
The problem was that after a half-second delay, it was almost impossible to get into position. One-on-one coverage was a pipe dream, and it was also impossible to accurately predict which receiver would get the ball. The defense could only hope that the four secondary defenders would rely on their zone defense to cross each other and stretch the defense to provide timely coverage and positioning.
At this moment, after passing the Rams' thirty-yard line, Ginn suddenly accelerated, creating a single-target effect. His absolute speed advantage was fully displayed at this moment. In just five yards, Ginn had already created distance between himself and Logan and Marcus, and he was charging forward with great momentum.
The zone defense had to react immediately. The entire defense was like a sharp needle piercing a cowhide. The whole cowhide bent into a large parabola, stretching to its limit and trying its best to block the needle from penetrating. But Ginn's penetrating power was too strong. His light footsteps made his speed incredibly sharp, and the Rams' secondary defense was under an unimaginable amount of pressure.
Then, without warning, Ginn's footsteps went in a sixty-degree diagonal direction to the left. With a second burst of speed, his penetration became even more ruthless, further disrupting the defense's zone coverage.
Everyone's attention was on Ginn, because Ginn was too big of a threat. Logan and Marcus seemed to have been forgotten.
Safety Quintin Mikell was making careful adjustments, keeping an eye on Logan's movements, Ginn's route, and the quarterback's passing route. His entire being was on high alert, like a startled bird, constantly on guard.
Suddenly, Logan made a powerful burst, instantly creating space. Quintin only had time to react by rushing forward and getting in his face, but he didn't realize that Logan wasn't creating distance; he was charging directly toward him. Quintin didn't have time to adjust his balance or brace himself for impact. While he was still accelerating, he collided head-on with Logan.
Bang.
Quintin immediately lost his balance and stumbled backward. In his line of sight, Logan, who had started up again, only left a blur as he got farther and farther away. Quintin immediately tried to regain his balance and chase him, but the distance between them kept getting bigger.
Damn it!
Logan's run didn't have any fancy changes. After Ginn pulled to the left, Marcus also moved horizontally to the left. Not to mention Crabtree and Moss, who were already causing a huge stir on the left side. Now, the entire right side was a vacuum.
Logan only ran in a straight line, but under Ginn's cover, he didn't attract any attention. He quietly passed the twenty-yard line and then slightly changed direction, charging toward the right corner of the end zone. His speed got faster and faster, and his momentum got stronger and stronger.
He quickly glanced back out of the corner of his eye. After figuring out Quintin's position and the defensive players' distribution, he turned sideways, adjusted his position with small steps, looked up, and saw the football gliding across the sky. It hadn't reached its highest point yet, and it was clearly aimed at the end zone.
Logan's momentum was not affected. He took large strides toward the end zone, his eyes firmly locked on the football. In the golden ocean, he accurately captured the dark red light and continuously released powerful energy, as if it was drawing in all the cheers from the world.
Fifteen yards!
Ten yards!
Five yards!
Closer and closer!
Logan's footsteps became more frequent, and his balance remained steady. When he crossed the end zone, he raised his hands high, lightly lifted his toes, and jumped up. He leaned back slightly, showing excellent flexibility and coordination, and quietly waited for the football to fall along its arc.
At this moment, Quintin had caught up, but he was still two steps behind. He forced himself to accelerate, but it was counterproductive. His body couldn't keep up with his speed, and he stumbled forward. He had no choice but to lunge forward, bumping his shoulder into Logan's body, trying to disrupt Logan's balance and, thus, the rhythm of his catch.
But Quintin was too late.
Logan's hands firmly grabbed the football without any problem or fumble. He had clearly controlled the ball. Then, during his fall, he felt the impact. He straightened his waist, and his feet landed first—left foot! right foot!—landing perfectly in the end zone!
The next moment, Logan swung his upper body out first, dragging his feet on the ground to ensure his catch was legal. Then he raised his knees high, like a triple jumper, and took big strides forward. His body crashed heavily into the protective boards around the field.
He turned around, and his eyes immediately landed on the referee.
Touchdown!
Thanks to Mario's kickoff return, the San Francisco 49ers' offense started their drive from their own forty-three-yard line. Lu Ke audaciously chose a kill-shot long pass, instantly bringing everyone's memories back to the season opener of the last season. That stunning sixty-six-yard touchdown pass was still a classic that had yet to be surpassed.
This time, Lu Ke challenged a fifty-five-yard touchdown pass!
With precise control, a clever arc, and the right amount of power, and of course, a brilliant play design, he found Logan Newmann at the front of the end zone and successfully scored a touchdown!
Less than a minute after the St. Louis Rams scored a touchdown, the San Francisco 49ers tied the game, erasing their deficit with a spectacular long pass, putting both teams back at the starting line.
After watching Logan complete the catch in the end zone, Lu Ke stood in place and raised his left hand high, showing everyone the gold wristband on his left wrist. He unreservedly showed his dominance and power. It shone brightly in the afternoon sun, and he firmly raised his index finger:
This was the first one!
In response to the St. Louis Rams' challenge, the support from Candlestick Park, and this crucial and special game, this was Lu Ke's response—swift, dominant, and powerful. He responded with a wall-to-wall counterattack. In the offensive showdown this season, they had never been afraid of anyone, and they wouldn't be afraid of any challenge!
You want to fight? I'll fight!
Lu Ke was in this fight to the very end!
"Boom!"
The golden ocean of the entire Candlestick Park boiled over again. The players from the offense, defense, and special teams all celebrated joyfully, as if they had just won the game. Then, at Lu Ke's call, they started waving their golden items again, making the vast golden ocean surge.
In unison, everyone in the stadium shouted the simple yet profound motto again:
"Keep fighting!"
Ryan couldn't help but mumble along, over and over again. He quietly looked at the brilliant gold on the field and at the single gold wristband in the center of the field. It was the symbol that guided him to keep going. Like a lighthouse, it stood firm, preventing him from losing his way in the long and difficult night.
Ryan's fingers could barely make a fist, but he clenched them as hard as he could, gritting his teeth and curling them up little by little. He shouted with a surge of emotion, "Keep... fighting."
The week ten matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the St. Louis Rams had an unexpected start. It wasn't because of the intensity of the game or the chemistry between the teams, but because no one had expected it to turn into a shootout.
The Rams had never been a team known for their offense, not even during the season when Kurt Warner led them to a Super Bowl victory.
Last season, the Rams' offense was ranked last in the league, while their defense was ranked seventh. So far this season, the Rams' offense is ranked twenty-fifth, and their defense is ranked fourteenth.
Whether you compare them horizontally or vertically, this was a team with a better defense than offense.
But after the game started, the St. Louis Rams' offense took the lead first, and their opponent was one of the best defensive teams in the league. This made it even more unbelievable and truly surprising.
As for the San Francisco 49ers, they were not afraid at all. In the entire league, when it came to a shootout, this young and fiery team was not afraid of any opponent. Since their opponent wanted to start a storm of offense, Lu Ke would not hold back!
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