A screen pass. The quarterback acts as bait, attracting defenders, and then makes a short pass to a receiver to invade the undefended area and gain yards.
This was a screen pass!
Lu Ke made a seven-yard short pass toward the top-right corner at a 30-degree angle, aiming for Marcus, who had just run out. Marcus caught the ball cleanly and lowered his head, starting a powerful run.
This wasn't a pass, but a deceptive short pass to initiate a run? Damn it! Ware couldn't help but curse inwardly. At this point, it was too late to change his momentum. He could only hope his teammates would be able to tackle Marcus.
Immediately, Ware realized he wasn't the only one who had been fooled.
"Lu Ke, passes! This is a screen pass. The entire 49ers' offensive line is moving quickly to the right, spreading out, and clearing out the defenders one by one!"
Troy's sharp commentary was keeping up with the game on the field, describing the situation in real time. "Crabtree and Newman's blocks are perfectly executed! Their performance is excellent. They each took out a defender, creating a lane for Marcus to run. The Cowboys' defensive players seemed to have lost their balance and couldn't adjust in time. Their defense was a half-step slow."
"Marcus is running! Marcus is running!" Troy shouted excitedly. "Marcus completed a 12-yard run and was finally stopped by a combined effort from the Cowboys' safety and cornerback. A full 12-yard run! This is the most successful run for the San Francisco 49ers tonight, bringing the team directly into the red zone!"
"Beautiful, so beautiful! Lu Ke used his scrambling ability to pull apart the defensive formation, then completed a pass, and used Marcus's powerful run to completely disrupt the Cowboys' defensive strategy. In terms of tactical changes, the 49ers are now a half-step ahead, getting back-to-back first downs! Unbelievable, is this the same offense from the first half? What on earth happened during halftime?"
Troy's brief and precise commentary offered a perfect summary.
With the help of his teammates, Marcus tore through a gap in the Cowboys' dense defense, completing a 12-yard run. Now, they were facing a third and three, and the morale was boosted. The offensive rhythm finally seemed to be coming back a little. But this possession was not over yet.
Marcus handed the ball to the referee without celebrating and quickly returned to his teammates. Everyone gathered around Lu Ke, listening to his tactical instructions. When he heard Lu Ke's familiar voice say, "Let's go!" Marcus's spirits were lifted. He clenched his fists to pump himself up.
Marcus was not alone. The entire offense's mindset was quietly changing.
Third down, three yards to go.
Would it be a touchdown for six points, plus an extra point? Or a field goal for three points? This was the moment of truth!
Although it was third and three, Lu Ke lined up in a shotgun formation, as if he were preparing to go all-out with a pass. The San Francisco 49ers were now on the red zone line. If it was a pass, he would be aiming for the end zone. But what if it was a run? They only needed to gain three yards for another first down, giving them three more chances to score a touchdown.
Not only were the commentators and audience thinking this, but so were the Cowboys' defensive players on the field. So, they stuck to their usual defensive formation, but with a defense so dense in the 10-yard red zone and 10-yard end zone, there seemed to be no breathing room at all, let alone a passing lane.
"Snap! Lu Ke passes! Left side, ah, a fake! Middle! It's a pass to the middle! He throws it! It's open, number 88! Number 88, Logan Newman, catches the pass again! It's a touchdown! It's a touchdown!"
With the fast-paced game on the field, Kirk and Teddy had no time for a detailed commentary. They only had time to call out the key points and then threw their hands up, shouting, "Touchdown!" Then, over and over again, "Touchdown! Touchdown!"
Kirk and Teddy were just a small part of the stadium's frenzy. The entire commentary booth was buzzing. Almost everyone was shouting, yelling, and marveling. The simple phrase "Touchdown" contained all the excitement in their hearts. Many people even started pounding on the table to express their excitement and passion.
Everything happened so fast, so suddenly, and so unexpectedly that all the emotions erupted at once, like a volcano.
Chris Wilson felt like his heart was paralyzed. He just shouted, "Touchdown! Touchdown!" in a reflexive, wild frenzy. His voice was already hoarse and distorted, twisted into a strange shape that even he couldn't recognize.
But Chris didn't care. He was cheering and jumping, hugging everyone around him, celebrating the touchdown with every movement of his body.
The frustration that had been building up for a half, the feeling of being wronged, the enthusiasm, and the anger—all of it was released at this moment.
Chris was like a madman, cheering and jumping and gesticulating wildly, and the entire Candlestick Park exploded. The screams were like a tsunami, pouring down unstoppably. "Ahhhhh!" There were no other words, just wild screaming and simple roars that erupted like a tidal wave.
More than a third of the audience had jumped to their feet, pumping their fists, screaming, yelling, and roaring, celebrating wildly. Then they started roaring at each other, like a war chant, making the entire stadium's morale skyrocket.
This was not only the San Francisco 49ers' first touchdown of the game, but more importantly, it showed the offense's signs of a comeback, revealing a glimmer of hope. The suspense of the game was back on!
Everything had happened so fast, in less than three seconds. With a swift motion, Lu Ke's precise and sharp pass resulted in a touchdown.
Not only the commentary booth and the stands, but at this moment, the Fox TV studio was also in an uproar.
Both Teddy and Kirk couldn't help but exclaim, not because they were too excited, but because it was so brilliant. Their gasps of amazement came out involuntarily. Football games always had this kind of magic.
"Let's take another look at the replay," Kirk took the lead, explaining the play. "Facing third and three, the San Francisco 49ers unusually lined up in a shotgun formation. Generally, a run would be a wiser choice, but a short pass is also feasible. However, after the snap, four receivers started running in four different directions, all charging toward the deep end zone, making their intention to score a touchdown obvious."
"Here, viewers, you can see here," Kirk picked up his pen and drew a yellow circle on the touch screen. This was a state-of-the-art broadcasting technology that could synchronize with the TV screen, showing the audience the key points of the commentator's tactical explanation.
The San Francisco 49ers were on the 10-yard line, 10 yards from the end zone, and the end zone itself was 10 yards wide. This meant the entire defensive space was 20 yards, and the passing space was also 20 yards.
At this point, the entire defensive formation was shown on the screen: two Cowboys safeties were standing in the left and right corners of the end zone, 20 yards from the offensive line, while the two cornerbacks were standing near the 10-yard line on the left and right sides, almost parallel to the offensive line.
The circle Kirk drew marked the positions of the two safeties.
"Now, they either choose a zone defense, which means the middle area is completely open and requires two linebackers to assist with coverage, while the remaining two linebackers must participate in run defense and blitzing," Kirk quickly drew a circle around the empty space in the middle with his pen. "Or they choose man-to-man coverage, using safety Abram Elam's running and defensive ability to cover the middle area, while the blitzing would surely be intensified."
After explaining the positioning, Kirk started playing the replay again. "In short, the quarterback just needed to watch the safeties. If they didn't move, the middle was open. If they moved, the two corners were open. After the snap, the four San Francisco 49ers receivers started running their routes, and the Dallas Cowboys chose a zone defense!"
"Here, right here, Lu Ke faked a pass to the left, confirming the Cowboys' defensive players' judgment and keeping the safeties firmly in place. But the next moment, Lu Ke changed his passing route, aiming for the open space in the middle."
"Sure enough, Logan Newman ran to the middle. It was a complete defensive mismatch. The two linebackers' coverage was too slow. They only had time to drop back and didn't have time to judge the player's position before the pass was completed!"
After Kirk's commentary, he continued to praise Lu Ke. "The defensive read before the snap, the defensive judgment after the snap, and the route selection before the pass. Lu Ke truly showed the ability of an excellent quarterback. The continuous successful plays have shaken the Cowboys' defensive formation. The entire passing touchdown was so easy that Logan Newman didn't even have to deal with a defender's tackle!"
It wasn't just Kirk. Teddy, who was sitting next to him, also had nothing but praise. "The number 14 who impressed everyone in the first game is back! The entire drive, a total of four plays: two passes, one run, and one sack that lost yards. They gained 80 yards in 117 seconds to score a touchdown! Brilliant, truly brilliant!"
But for the ESPN broadcast booth, things weren't so great.
Charles Davis kept his mouth shut, his face incredibly ugly, pale as a sheet.
Spencer Larson said mockingly, "Charles, what do you think of this touchdown?"
Charles glanced at Spencer, rolled his eyes, and folded his arms across his chest. "It's just one touchdown. The game is still going on. Next, we need to see the Dallas Cowboys' offense. It's too early to make a judgment."
Spencer chuckled. "At halftime, it seemed like everything was set in stone. Now it seems it's far from being decided." The sarcastic tone made Charles turn his head away in annoyance, clenching his fists.
This rivalry was far from over!
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