Chapter 1146: The Final Moments
"It's good!"
"Justin Tucker has redeemed himself, kicking in this 47-yard field goal for the Baltimore Ravens, once again widening the lead! God, oh my God! What could be more exciting than a game with so many twists and turns?"
"On this drive, Joe Flacco's connection with wide receiver Anquan Boldin completed a third-and-eight conversion, but Jim Harbaugh threw the challenge flag. He believed that Boldin was still short of the first-down line. After reviewing the replay, the referee confirmed that Jim Harbaugh's judgment was correct, so the Baltimore Ravens were in a fourth-and-inches situation."
"Does this situation sound familiar?"
"John Harbaugh also chose to go for it on fourth down. At the very last moment, Joe Flacco's connection with Torrey Smith successfully completed the fourth-down conversion, keeping the drive alive. But in the end, they were once again stopped on third down, and Justin Tucker came on to finish the drive. The 47-yard field goal is good!"
"Unexpected! Unexpected! Still unexpected!"
"This game has had so many unexpected moments. Now, in this Super Bowl matchup, the Baltimore Ravens have once again taken the lead and firmly hold the initiative to win. Not only because the score is '35-41,' but more importantly, there are only 39 seconds left in the game."
"At the same time, the San Francisco 49ers only have one timeout left. All the odds have now shifted toward the Baltimore Ravens. So, can Lu Ke still create a miracle?"
In this last drive, the Baltimore Ravens once again showed great form. After the two-minute warning, they continuously used run plays to run down the clock, forcing the San Francisco 49ers to use their timeouts to stop the clock. Otherwise, they wouldn't have even needed Justin Tucker to come on. The game clock could have already expired, and the score of "35-38" would have remained until the end, with the Baltimore Ravens winning the Super Bowl.
Now, the score was "35-41," and the San Francisco 49ers were six points behind, with no other option but to score a touchdown.
Although there were only 39 seconds left in the game and the San Francisco 49ers only had one timeout left, which meant a slight mistake could lead to a complete loss, or even that Lu Ke might have to attempt a "Hail Mary," at least they still had a chance to try.
The special teams kicked off, and the San Francisco 49ers chose to fair catch. The returner, A.J. Jenkins, did not return the ball. A kickoff return at this point would only waste time and put the team in a more terrible situation. After the fair catch, the San Francisco 49ers would start their drive from the 20-yard line.
Back on the field, Lu Ke quickly glanced at the play clock. Then, Lu Ke looked up at his offensive teammates.
Lu Ke didn't say any motivational words. Any words now would just be unnecessary. He just looked at his ten offensive teammates with a determined look. All the hard work and persistence of the long season were now focused on these last 39 seconds. It was a simple matter of winning or losing. A perfect season, a regular season MVP—all of it would vanish in an instant. Only these 39 seconds mattered now!
That sharp and tough look was the best rally call.
"I'm ready to score a touchdown. Is anyone still unsure?" Lu Ke looked at each of his teammates one by one. No one spoke. They only responded with a determined look, from the offensive line to the wide receivers, from the tight ends to the running back, without exception. Finally, Lu Ke nodded. "Then, on this play, we'll do this..."
Lu Ke quickly finished the play call, then stretched out his right hand and put it in the center. His teammates' hands were also placed on top of his. "Let's remember: We are!"
"Niners!"
"We are!"
"Warriors!"
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
The short and powerful battle cry maintained their focus and energy, once again making their blood boil. Then, all the offensive warriors quickly lined up in a very strange formation.
The left side was empty. The right side was stacked.
All four receivers were on the right side. On the inside was Crabtree, standing side-by-side with offensive tackle Alex Boone, but a half-step behind. Logan was to the right of Crabtree, about a half-step behind. Three yards further was Ginn, standing mostly parallel to Vernon. And three yards further was Moss, also standing parallel.
Although the three wide receivers and one tight end were all on the same side, their positions were not completely spread out. They were concentrated in the inside and middle of the right side, slightly tucked in. Overall, it didn't look like a shotgun formation but more like a rocket launcher, with all the firepower bundled together and fired in a single direction to create maximum destruction.
The only exception was running back Marcus.
Marcus was standing side-by-side with Lu Ke. His position was on the left, but the distance between him and Lu Ke was only two yards. His entire body was hidden behind the two big guys on the left side of the offensive line, so the left side still didn't have any kind of receiver lineup.
Strange, very strange.
But the problem was that everyone knew that the San Francisco 49ers' offensive routes could never be straightforward. What was the trick with such a strange formation?
Although the Baltimore Ravens' defense really wanted to figure out Lu Ke's play call and even deliberately left a player on their right side, the opponent's left side, just in case, they couldn't risk it because the stacked formation on the other side was too obvious and couldn't be ignored.
So, the defense made a corresponding adjustment.
The defensive front only left three defensive linemen to rush. Two outside linebackers were on each side, but their feet were slightly behind by one yard. They still left outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw to guard the 49ers' left side. Upshaw could cover Marcus or deal with any other unexpected plays.
The other players, the two inside linebackers, two cornerbacks, and two safeties, were all layered one by one, but their overall momentum was also all shifted toward the Ravens' left side, going head-to-head with the 49ers' receivers, but they still maintained their defensive ability in the middle.
This was the maximum adjustment and compromise that the Baltimore Ravens' defense could make.
Lu Ke began to prepare for the snap, but then he stood up and changed his play call. Logan left his original position and moved to the far right, only two steps away from the sideline, but his parallel position remained the same, still behind Moss and Ginn.
Now, the entire offensive formation was spread out again. The rocket launcher had returned to a shotgun formation. This was one of the most common formations of the San Francisco 49ers' multi-route offense in the last two regular seasons. But the uncertainty for the Baltimore Ravens' defense had gradually expanded.
It was both familiar and tense, strange and tense. It was a no-win situation.
Cornerback Corey Graham moved his feet. He was originally covering Moss, but now he was covering Logan. Thanks to the versatility of the linebacker group, the changes in the Ravens' defense were countless, often being able to change the entire defensive layout by moving just one piece.
There was no tension or anxiety.
Lu Ke then directly announced the snap, as if this were just another normal snap in the regular season.
"Hut!"
The Baltimore Ravens' defense was the first to change their formation. John Harbaugh once again showed his wisdom. Facing the San Francisco 49ers' change of formation, they chose to take the initiative. A total of seven players began to rush.
Three defensive linemen and four linebackers rushed forward together, using their numerical advantage to tear open the pocket. At the moment of the snap, they had already entered the pocket. Whether it was a conspiracy or a strategy, as long as they could cut off the quarterback's offensive hub, they would gain the upper hand on defense.
And so it was.
The four receivers of the offense all sprinted forward at the same time, with dazzling running routes covering short, medium, and deep pass areas. But the four secondary players of the defense completed their man-to-man coverage, immediately aiming at the player they were supposed to cover and following them closely.
At the very least, Lu Ke wouldn't be able to find an open short pass at the moment of the snap, which would create more opportunities for the defensive front to pressure and sack the quarterback.
Now, you could see that the entire offensive line's pocket was in danger. Lu Ke had just announced the snap, and a storm of blood was already rushing toward him. Even though he was already in a shotgun formation, about four yards away from the offensive line, the defensive front immediately pushed the offensive line forward by four yards, completely swallowing up the pocket space.
Drop back.
Drop back.
Lu Ke was continuously dropping back to create space. He had dropped back five yards, but he could still feel the bloody scent raging on his skin. He only had time to raise his chin and sweep the field. He didn't have time to further judge the offensive and defensive positions. Then, he saw the tear in the offensive line's pocket.
"Five offensive linemen versus seven defensive linemen."
The numerical advantage gave the Baltimore Ravens the upper hand in the showdown. The offensive line was almost helpless. A quick glance out of the corner of his eye was enough to see three white figures rushing toward him. One on the right, two in the middle. The three players formed a semi-circular encirclement, quickly moving forward.
Alarm bells were going off in every cell of his body. A short distance of five yards was just a blink of an eye for the defensive front players. Lu Ke had to react in advance, or it would be too late when they reached him.
Without any hesitation, Lu Ke activated his special skill in his mind.
"Bullet Time!"
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