Chapter 1050: The Last Straw
Looking at the entire game, Russell Wilson's read-option offense had never been able to show its full power, but the strength of the ground game was beyond a doubt. When Russell chose the read-option offense again, the San Francisco 49ers' defense had to strengthen its run defense. Correspondingly, the secondary defense's positioning was pulled back slightly to prevent the opponent from a long-pass surprise attack.
In this situation, Russell took advantage of the open space in the short and medium pass areas and finally showed his passing ability, which had a quarterback rating of over 100 in the regular season. He led the offense steadily into the red zone. This could absolutely be called the Seattle Seahawks' best drive of the game so far. As long as they could follow through and get a touchdown, the game would return to an even footing.
But in the red zone standoff, the 49ers' defense showed their powerful strength as the number two defense in the league, not to be outdone and meeting them head-on. In a fierce clash, they gained a slight upper hand.
On a first-and-goal, facing Marshawn Lynch's running play, the defensive line and linebackers were highly focused. They moved up instantly and together stopped Marshawn behind the line of scrimmage, not letting him gain even a half-yard.
On a second-and-goal, Russell chose a quick snap and a quick pass. He successfully found his tight end, Zach Miller, but the defense was on him very quickly. Three defenders took Miller down directly, and he only advanced five yards.
On a third-and-goal, Russell used the read-option offense as a cover, making a motion as if he was going to run with the ball. But at the last moment, he changed his mind and passed the football to the wide receiver, Golden Tate. The cornerback, Chris Culliver, directly swatted the football down. He was just a little bit away from getting an interception, but he still stopped the drive before the end zone.
So, it was a fourth-and-goal, or a fourth-and-five.
In the blink of an eye, the Seahawks were already three-and-out.
Everything happened too fast. Although the previous drive was a bit bumpy, Russell, who was decisive and bold in a desperate situation, finally found his rhythm. He led the offense all the way forward. In a trance, it seemed as if his offense was unstoppable. But now, the entire drive had ended decisively.
What should they do now?
It was a fourth-and-five, and they were only five yards away from the end zone, but the Seahawks were denied a touchdown. They were not willing to give up. It was so close, yet so far away. They were truly unwilling to accept this.
For the Seahawks, they could choose a field goal. A field goal from this position was a sure thing for the kicker. Then the score could be "34-24." It would still be a 10-point difference, still two touchdowns behind. Their situation hadn't changed fundamentally.
Of course, they could also choose to go for it on fourth down. If they succeeded, the score would be "34-28," a situation where a touchdown could give them the lead. If they failed, they would very likely push themselves into a losing abyss, and the rest of the game would be very passive. Lu Ke's ability to control the game should not be underestimated.
So, what should Pete Carroll choose?
Carroll, standing on the sideline, looked up at the game clock. There were 11 minutes and nine seconds left. The Seahawks' last drive had taken less than four minutes. The entire offensive rhythm was very fast, which also meant that there was enough time left in the game for the two teams to continue their showdown.
So, Carroll chose to go for it on fourth down.
At a crucial moment, Carroll showed his willingness to take risks. In fact, even if he had chosen a field goal, the Seahawks would have had enough time to catch up, and they could have put their hopes on the defense. What's more, a fourth-and-five was truly too risky, and the success rate was very low.
But Carroll still decided to take a gamble.
Russell remained on the field.
The eyes of all the fans were focused on this offensive-defensive standoff. After the snap, the Seahawks' offensive line immediately faced a powerful impact. The 49ers used seven players to rush, instantly tearing open the pocket and chasing Russell all over the field.
While running and observing, Russell showed his persistent playing style, but the situation was truly too difficult.
Although the 49ers' secondary defense was guarded by two cornerbacks and two safeties, the end zone defense seemed to be not as tight. But this was only a relative statement. The red zone offense was already very crowded, and the 49ers' front line defense erupted with an unbelievably fierce impact.
A total of three defenders broke through the offensive line's protection and charged toward Russell like an inescapable net. And their defensive positions were very smart. They didn't all rush forward at once. Instead, they spread out.
Aldon Smith and Justin Smith closed in on Russell like a hawk catching a chick, one on the left and one on the right. At the same time, Ahmad Brooks followed Russell's steps closely, but he didn't get too close. He just kept his hands up, harassing Russell's passing vision and disrupting his observation of the passing lanes.
Russell had to do too many things at once and couldn't handle it all. He was like a trapped beast, constantly rushing left and right in the encirclement. In the end, at a critical moment, he made a desperate throw, trying to find his wide receiver, Sidney Rice.
But Rice was under the coverage of cornerback Chris Culliver and couldn't get open. He had no chance. He could only watch helplessly as the football flew out of bounds. Of course, Russell's pass also had an absurd mistake in a difficult situation. Even if Rice hadn't been covered, he wouldn't have been able to catch it. It was at least three bodies away.
The fourth-and-goal failed.
This meant that the Seahawks had worked hard for four minutes, but they had still come up empty-handed. They hadn't been able to shorten the score difference. It also meant that the 49ers' offensive starting position was very awkward. They would start their drive from their own 5-yard line. Any small mistake could lead to the opponent getting a safety. This would be another blow to the offense, so they had to be careful.
Carroll had obviously taken all these situations into account.
That being said, the ball was still back in the 49ers' hands. The Seahawks' offensive players stood in place, a little spaced out. They seemed to have just gotten a little momentum, but it was still extinguished. The morale of the entire team seemed a little depressed. Then they silently left the field.
Lu Ke, once again, came onto the field.
The ability to read the game was also one of Lu Ke's strengths. The changing momentum was becoming subtle. The Seahawks' offense was still relatively immature, just like the 49ers' offense last season. The frustration at a critical moment could easily affect their concentration. This also meant that if Lu Ke wanted to control the momentum of the game in a timely manner, now was the best time.
If there was a last straw that would break the camel's back, now was the time to take it out.
It was a first and ten.
However, this first and ten was very special, because their position was only five yards away from the end zone. Any small mistake could lead to the opponent getting a safety. This would be another blow to the offense, so they had to be careful.
After the snap, Lu Ke quickly handed the football to Gore.
The offensive line had already made a counter-strategy. The right-side guard, Anthony Davis, and the offensive tackle, Alex Boone, became the watershed. Anthony and the other three teammates on his left all pushed forward together. With Joe Staley on the far left as the axis, they pushed the defensive line and linebackers out, like pushing a heavy door.
This was not a passive confrontation. It was a proactive attack.
The four players working together disrupted the Seahawks' defensive formation. Although the middle linebacker, Bobby Wagner, realized that something was wrong immediately and quickly retreated and went around the crowd, trying to make a tackle, he was still a half-beat too slow.
Alex Boone and the defensive end, Bruce Irvin, were in a one-on-one matchup. The two of them were tangled up and pulled to the right, which created a running space for Gore. It was a little closer to the inside than the slot, which put a little distance between him and the cornerback. At the same time, it was also closer to the linebackers, but he gained a brief respite under the offensive line's cover.
After Gore had successfully run out five yards, Wagner had already arrived.
But Wagner's feet didn't get a firm footing. Although he tackled Gore immediately, Gore still stubbornly moved forward for two yards before he was forced to go down.
It was a second and three. At the same time, the offense had successfully escaped the quagmire of the red zone and came to the 12-yard line.
Then, Lu Ke quickly lined up and snapped the ball quickly, increasing the entire offensive speed without any warning.
In this kind of situation, there seemed to be no reason to do so, but Lu Ke just did it, and the Seahawks' defense was indeed caught off guard.
Only four defensive linemen were rushing the offensive line. They couldn't put up an effective ground defense. One inside linebacker was still covering the running back. The two outside linebackers followed their instincts and retreated to make a pass defense. But because Lu Ke's snap speed was too fast, they had to make a quick decision and make a secondary defense against the pass.
This was a basic two-by-two formation. On the Seahawks' left were Ginn and Logan. On the Seahawks' right were Crabtree and Vernon. The entire formation was not new at all. It could even be said to be boring. But it was precisely this unchanged offensive formation that once again showed a magical running route.
The running routes, running rhythm, and running style of the four players were completely different. There was even the running back, Gore, who was constantly swaying back and forth next to Lu Ke. It was impossible to make a judgment as to who the pass was going to. Then, in the short time that the defenders were observing, Lu Ke threw the ball.
It was not a fake. It was a real pass. But... who was the target of the pass?
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!