A step back, a foot adjustment, a step forward, and a pass. The whole motion was clean, clear, and sharp. It seemed complex, but it all happened in just two to three seconds. Before the defensive line could completely compress the pocket and make a sack, Lu Ke effortlessly threw the football.
"A huge open space! Marcus Lynch! Lu Ke is throwing the football to Lynch! This is a fatal defensive error, my God! Wait, oh, wait! Jesus Christ! It's not Lynch! It's not Marcus Lynch! It's Newman! The target of the pass is Logan Newman! Number 88, Newman!"
The moment Lu Ke threw the ball, there were no fakes and no hidden intentions. Everyone could clearly tell that he was aiming for Marcus, who had no one guarding him. At that moment, Marcus was standing on the 30-yard line, with no defenders in front, behind, or to the sides of him. The closest defender was six or seven yards away, which meant that Marcus could easily catch the ball and continue to advance. After easily making a first down, he could also use his individual ability to maximize the yards gained on this play. This was an easy pass for Lu Ke; it had no difficulty.
More importantly, the three other 49ers receivers all came to a sudden stop at the same time and made a motion to block, which made the other defenders who were also trying to stop even more nervous. They rushed toward Marcus like hungry tigers. But at the moment Lu Ke released the ball, he slightly adjusted the angle of his forearm and flicked his wrist. The parabola of the football was raised, and it quickly and fiercely moved forward.
In an instant, Schofield gasped, "Oh no." From the parabola, the target of the pass was not Marcus at all but a farther and deeper position. If it were any other quarterback, it would have been a passing error, and the wrist control would have failed, sending the football to a position where there were no players, resulting in an incomplete pass. But the quarterback in front of them was Lu Ke? Impossible, absolutely impossible. Schofield came to a sudden stop, then jumped up, reaching his right hand high, trying to make an interception before the parabola fell, but his fingertips only tensed, unable to touch it. He watched as the football glided over his head. The next second, Schofield fell to the ground like a heavy shotput. "Damn it!"
"Newman! Logan Newman! Pass complete! Newman made a solid catch! My God! It's Newman who made the catch, Logan Newman! Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable!"
"Two players are trying to cover, but it's too late. Newman makes a turn and quickly heads toward the last line of defense, Adrian Wilson. The Cardinals' number 24 safety rushes toward Newman with great force, but... Newman uses his arm to block Wilson's powerful collision. After creating a wedge, Newman is pushing forward! He's pushing Wilson forward with great force!"
"My God, oh, my God! Newman! Newman! Still moving forward! Wilson falls! Wilson loses his balance and falls! Newman, Logan Newman! 10 yards, 5 yards, end zone, touchdown! It's a touchdown! A touchdown! Logan Newman scores a touchdown! Jesus Christ! The San Francisco 49ers have successfully scored a touchdown!"
"What a wonderful pass, what a wonderful catch, what a wonderful drive! My God! I love football so much! Facing a third and 6, the San Francisco 49ers used a brilliant offensive play to create an open space all over the field, completely overwhelming the Arizona Cardinals' defense, and scoring a powerful touchdown! Beautiful! This is just too beautiful! Oh, my God!"
In an instant, the entire University of Phoenix Stadium fell into a brief silence. They had expected a touchdown, but they hadn't expected it in such an incredible way. The Cardinals' defense had almost no way to defend and completely fell apart, losing control. 49ers fans were stunned, and so were the Cardinals' fans. Then, a roar came from the field, "Ah!"
Lu Ke, standing in the center, clenched his fists, slammed them down hard, and let out a fierce roar, releasing all the frustration, all the suppression, and all the emotions he had been holding in. Immediately after, all the members of the offense responded, raising their heads and letting out a long roar, "Ah! Ahhh!" The endless energy instantly ignited the passion of the 49ers fans in the stadium, and everyone jumped up, screaming and shouting. Now that they had finally come to their senses, the happiness and joy all came out. The massive cheers pressed down on the nearly 60,000 fans in the stadium, rubbing against them over and over again!
At this moment, the momentum and morale of the University of Phoenix Stadium were completely reversed! The last time they played against the Cardinals at home, Lu Ke not only had three interceptions but also no passing touchdowns for the entire game. It was the first time in Lu Ke's career that he had zero touchdowns in a game. His momentum of scoring in every game came to a grinding halt, and he had no chance against the opponent's defense.
If they lost to the Ravens' defense, they would have to admit that the opponent's defense was excellent, and even if they were angry, there was nothing they could say. But against the Cardinals' defense, having no ability to fight back at all was just too frustrating. Today, those emotions were finally released, without any reservation. It wasn't just Lu Ke or Logan; the entire offense was roaring. The defense and special teams could also feel the surge of excitement. In this battle of momentum, the 49ers, with their absolute dominance, completely crushed the opponent's defensive spirit. They not only scored a touchdown but a magnificent one at that!
In the broadcast booth, Kirk and Teddy couldn't wait to watch the replay, and the San Francisco 49ers' offensive play was finally revealed to them, clear and complete.
"We can pay attention to Lu Ke's throwing hand. From the arc and angle, at first, Lu Ke's target was indeed Marcus Lynch, but in the instant before he released the ball, he saw an open space for Logan Newman. So, he took a second step forward, and his forearm and wrist made a subtle adjustment, using a burst of strength to send the football out." Kirk quickly circled Lu Ke's right hand and replayed it over and over again. "The interesting thing is that he not only fooled the defense but also his own teammates. We can see that Williams' first reaction was to go back and help Lynch block, but after realizing that the target of the pass had changed, he stopped and stood there, a little stunned. Haha."
"Control. Without a doubt, Lu Ke has once again shown his delicate control and accuracy with his passes," Kirk concluded. As for the mismatch of the play that caught the defense completely off guard and created countless holes, Kirk and Teddy had already explained it in detail. This was an absolute advantage in terms of tactical deployment. If this was a game of chess, Lu Ke had already moved at least two steps ahead, and the Cardinals' defense was indeed powerless.
"We can see that Logan Newman was surrounded by five defenders. It looked like a tight circle, but Lu Ke still chose Newman. Why?"
"Because the centers of gravity of three of the players had already shifted, and one player was still next to Williams. Even if everyone realized the intention of the pass and started to shift their weight, their momentum was completely gone. Not even Adrian Wilson could get close enough in time to defend."
"After Newman made the catch smoothly, he still had time to create space. He used a push to avoid Wilson's tackle, and in the one-on-one confrontation, he used a wrestling-style move to make Wilson lose his balance and fall. In the end, Wilson could only watch as Newman entered the end zone and scored a touchdown without any suspense."
After analyzing the entire offensive play, Kirk couldn't help but exclaim, "The offense that we know and love is truly back!"
The University of Phoenix Stadium finally came to its senses. The home fans started booing and making loud noises, trying to extinguish the momentum of the San Francisco 49ers, but in the cheers and support of the 3,500 away fans, their voices seemed a bit weak. The momentum shift happened in the blink of an eye.
…
Standing on the sidelines, Patrick Peterson slammed his hand against his thigh and cursed. They had just let the opponent score a touchdown so easily. It only took seven plays, and what was more terrifying was that they had only managed to force one incomplete pass. Damn it! If he had been on the field, he was confident, absolutely confident, that he could have completely shut down Logan Newman. He did it last game, and he could do it this game too. But... he looked at the back of head coach Ken Whisenhunt, and he didn't get the look he was hoping for. Peterson could only grind his teeth in frustration and sit quietly on the bench, keeping his mouth shut.
On the field, the San Francisco 49ers' special teams didn't make any mistakes. After successfully kicking the extra point, the score was now 7:7. From the start, both teams showed no signs of backing down. The sparks flew from the first second, a strong statement that this was a battle to the death. The intensity of this battle of momentum was slowly rising. Now it was up to the Cardinals' offense. If they could score another touchdown, they would regain the initiative and put all the pressure on their opponents. Now, it was a question of who would be the first to falter. Unintentionally, what was supposed to be a defensive battle had turned into an offensive shootout. This seemed a little strange, but it was certainly a treat to watch.
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