The game had come to a stalemate. After the second passing touchdown, the San Francisco 49ers' special teams successfully kicked the extra point, once again putting them ahead with a score of 14-7. After that, the game seemed to have been paused and put on a loop, making no further progress.
Then, the Seattle Seahawks' offense took the field again. Marshawn Lynch was still the core of the team's offense, but "Beast Mode" wasn't invincible. At the end of the day, Marshawn was still a human being, not a real-life superhero. He couldn't break nine tackles every time.
Under the tight defense of the San Francisco 49ers' defensive unit, Marshawn's efficiency was severely hindered. Travis's passing accuracy was still poor, and he couldn't open up the passing game, which made the Seattle Seahawks' offense incredibly difficult. After barely pushing to their own forty-three-yard line, they couldn't get another first down and had no choice but to punt.
Then, it was the San Francisco 49ers' offense's turn to take the field again. As the commentators predicted, the Seattle Seahawks' defense was starting to hit its stride.
In this offensive drive, there was first a running play, but Dixon not only failed to gain any yards, he was even pushed back and tackled for a loss of two yards.
Then came a pass, but two of the opponent's defenders broke through the offensive line and made the first sack of the game on the quarterback, resulting in a loss of another five yards.
On the last pass, the defenders once again created a hurried throw. Lu Ke had no time to observe and rushed a short pass to try to get a better punting position. But the offensive line was completely torn apart, and three players double-teamed Lu Ke. In a hurry, Lu Ke threw the ball toward Logan, but it was almost intercepted. Luckily, it was only "almost."
Three and out. It was the San Francisco 49ers' first three-and-out of the night.
After this, the tension of the divisional rivalry began to fill the air. The 49ers handed the Seahawks a three-and-out, and the Seahawks responded with two fierce sacks on the 49ers. The 49ers almost made an interception, stopping the Seahawks at the thirty-six-yard line, and the Seahawks responded by forcing a fumble from Dixon and recovering the ball.
In a football game, any player can fumble the ball, and the quarterback is no exception. With a fierce sack from a defender, a player can easily fumble.
A fumble is when, after the snap, an offensive player receives the ball, gains control of it, and starts to run, but then the ball is accidentally dropped. The football then becomes "ownerless," and the first player to gain control of the ball gets possession for their team. An exception to this rule is when a quarterback fumbles the ball before a pass due to a tackle or a sack. In that case, the rules are the same.
For example, after Dixon receives the ball from Lu Ke, the ball is knocked loose by an opponent's collision, tackle, or sack.
If a 49ers player gets the ball first, they keep possession and continue the offense from where the ball was fumbled. But if a Seahawks player gets the ball first, possession changes, and they start their offense from where the ball was fumbled.
However, if an offensive player fails to catch the ball, or if the receiver hasn't gained control of the ball and it hits the ground like a hot potato, it is considered an incomplete pass. Possession doesn't change. In other words, after a completed pass, if the defender forces a fumble, then possession is up for grabs.
Just now, Dixon fumbled the ball during his run, and the Seahawks gained possession at the 49ers' forty-six-yard line.
The San Francisco 49ers had worked hard to get to the halfway point of the field, but with a change of possession, all their hard work was for nothing. The Seattle Seahawks' offense started past the halfway line, and they only needed to push forward a little more to be in field goal range. A little more, and a touchdown would also be possible.
Lu Ke was also furious, but there was nothing he could do.
Fortunately, the Seattle Seahawks' offense, which took the field afterward, still couldn't get their act together. Marshawn's three runs led the team to a first down, but that was all. The next two runs only gained three yards. With Travis's short pass for three yards, the Seattle Seahawks' offense came to a halt.
In the end, they sent their special teams out to kick a field goal. It was a forty-five-yard field goal, and the Seahawks' kicker Steven Hauschka successfully kicked it in, earning the Seahawks three points and bringing the score closer to 10-14.
One fumble, but they didn't lose more points. This was a good thing for the San Francisco 49ers. But the next offensive drive was still a disaster.
In a football game, the balance between passing and running is crucial. Two different offensive methods can not only enrich the offensive play but also disrupt the opponent's defensive rhythm. If it's all passes or all runs, it only makes it easier for the opponent to defend.
The Seattle Seahawks' offense was constantly in a stalemate for this very reason: Marshawn Lynch, Marshawn Lynch, Marshawn Lynch. Once the San Francisco 49ers figured out their pattern, their defense became relatively simple.
Although Lu Ke's passing seemed good today, the balance between running and passing was also an important reason why Lu Ke could keep completing passes. So, the San Francisco 49ers' next offensive drive became more complex and varied. The combination of runs and passes made it difficult for the opponent to make an accurate judgment.
The ideal was beautiful, but the reality was harsh.
The problem was that the team's number one running back, Anthony Dixon, was clearly not on his game today. He couldn't gain yards, couldn't find a gap, and couldn't burst with energy. In ten runs, he only gained sixteen yards, which couldn't open up the game at all.
To make matters worse, with the running game restricted, the burden of gaining yards fell on Lu Ke. But the Seattle Seahawks, having gotten a feel for the running game, were now able to dedicate more energy to defending the pass, which further compressed Lu Ke's passing space.
As a result, the San Francisco 49ers' offense was also struggling. The fluid drives from the first two plays were completely gone. The entire offensive play was stumbling and messy, and they couldn't even get past the halfway line. Their performance was a disaster.
"Just as I said, this rookie quarterback is, after all, not capable enough. Once the passing game can't be a threat, he doesn't have the ability to open up the game on his own."
"Number fourteen, this rookie quarterback's weaknesses have been exposed. He lacks the ability to handle physical confrontations and the ability to run. The Seahawks are choosing a powerful rush. Once the offensive line slips up, he'll be in a completely passive position."
"In the last few plays, he was sacked once, hit once, and hurried to throw three times. The San Francisco 49ers' entire offense is completely in pieces, and they can't even get past the halfway line."
"His lack of experience is revealing the rookie's weaknesses. The calmness he had at the beginning is completely gone. The problem for the 49ers now is that their running game can't get going, and as a result, their passing routes are being shut down. In a situation like this, they need a strong quarterback to step up and be the hero of the team. But clearly, number fourteen is not the 49ers' savior."
"The game has now entered a stalemate. Both teams' quarterbacks have serious weaknesses. It seems that the running backs will be the key to deciding the game. In that case, the Seahawks' chances of winning are increasing."
...
The commentators in the booth were all giving their opinions. The panic and shock they had at the beginning were now gone. This version of number fourteen, this version of the 49ers' offense, was what they had predicted and expected. The Asian rookie quarterback was, after all, not up to the task.
The game had returned to the path they were familiar with, and they were once again in their element. But for the players and coaches, it was a different story.
The first half of the game ended quickly. Neither team's offense was able to score any more points. The score was temporarily stuck at 14-10, with the San Francisco 49ers still in the lead.
At halftime, both teams returned to their locker rooms.
In the San Francisco 49ers' locker room, the atmosphere was a bit heavy. There was no joy from being in the lead. On the contrary, there was a faint sense of irritability. No one was talking or making a sound. It was so dull it was suffocating.
They all knew that there was something wrong with the team's offense and defense, but being in the middle of it, they couldn't see the whole picture. So, they didn't know what the problem was. This helplessness and ignorant frustration were heavy in their chests, unable to be spit out or swallowed.
Jim Harbaugh stood outside the locker room and didn't go in immediately. He seemed a little agitated and anxious.
Although the San Francisco 49ers were temporarily in the lead with the score on the field, a score of 14-10 was far from enough for the team to win tonight's game. It was also far from enough to defeat that old fox, Pete Carroll.
The two rivals had fought for three years in college football, and Jim knew better than anyone that Pete was not an easy person to deal with. With just a little carelessness, he could bite and not let go, like a hyena. He had to be strategically contemptuous of his enemy but tactically respectful. Jim would never let his guard down.
Now, there was a problem with the San Francisco 49ers' entire offensive system. But what was the problem?
Why did the team score a touchdown so fluidly in the first and second drives, but then struggle to keep going in the rest of the game? In the entire first half, besides the first two drives, the offense's performance was a disaster.
As the commentators said, if the 49ers couldn't make an effective adjustment in the second half and the Seahawks increased their defensive intensity, the advantage and disadvantage would quickly switch as momentum shifted between the two teams. "14-10" was only a four-point difference. One touchdown could easily turn the tide of the game.
The San Francisco 49ers not only couldn't relax now, they had to sound the alarm!
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