Chapter 945: Stumbling and Tumbling
"Ted Ginn!"
"Ted Ginn!"
"Touchdown!"
"Ahhh! Touchdown! That’s an undeniable ga-winning touchdown!"
"Number 19 of the San Francisco 49ers, Ted Ginn, has completed a touchdown catch! Oh my God, oh my, oh my, oh my God! Ted Ginn made an incredible touchdown catch just as overti was about to end! They won the ga at the last second! Ga-winning! The San Francisco 49ers were on the edge of a cliff, but at the last mont, they turned the tide and won again!"
"Not a tie! Not a tie! Not a tie!"
"Ladies and gentlen, this is not a tie! With one minute and 15 seconds left in overti, Lu Ke threw a 27-yard pass to the left side to a streaking Ted Ginn. With the blocks from Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis, Ginn completed the catch and, with his speed, forced his way past two defenders to score the touchdown!"
"Ga-winning!"
"That’s a ga-winner!"
"The San Francisco 49ers avoided their first non-win of the season at the last mont, and they won again in a ga-winning fashion! The ga is over! The ga is officially over! The San Francisco 49ers have co back from the dead again, extending their winning streak to 12 gas! Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ, this ga was so exciting! Absolutely so exciting!"
"Who would have thought? God, to be honest, before this ga, who would have thought of this situation? Who would have thought of this score? Who would have thought of this progression? Of course, division matchups are always full of suspense and surprises, and the St. Louis Rams are famous for being good at division gas. But this ga was still far beyond anyone’s expectations! It almost gave a heart attack!"
"Who would have thought that the San Francisco 49ers’ closest ga to a loss in the 2012 season would be against the St. Louis Rams? Unbelievable! Absolutely brilliant! Simply amazing!"
The studio was in a frenzy.
The televisions were in a frenzy.
The stadium was also in a frenzy.
Just as the comntator said, no one had expected the 49ers to have such a difficult ga.
Against the Rams, a team that was good at division gas and bad at non-division gas, a team that was ranked 25th in offense and 14th in defense this season, a team with a 4-7 record in 2012, and a team that the 49ers had easily defeated at Candlestick Park a few weeks ago... the 49ers were in a slump for the entire ga, as if they were in a ghost maze and couldn’t get their act together.
First, the defense.
The 49ers’ defense could not stop Sam Bradford’s passing ga. He repeatedly gave up yards at key monts, allowing the Rams to continue their drive. Especially the connection between Bradford and his two wide receivers, Danny Andola and Brian Quick, they seed to have no answer for them.
The problem was that Andola was an undrafted rookie in 2008, and Quick was a second-round rookie this year. Neither player had any notable performance or record.
To make things worse, veteran running back Steven Jackson, who had been selected to three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro Second Teams, seed to have a sudden revival after being in a slump for more than two years. He had his best performance in the past three years against the 49ers, a team that had a top-ranked run defense for two consecutive seasons.
Although the 49ers’ defense was still comndable in the red zone and held their ground at the end, they lost their ability to force turnovers and three-and-outs. This ant they lost the ability to control the ga.
They couldn’t get the Rams’ offense off the field quickly, so they couldn’t get more ti for the 49ers’ offense. Then, the ga fell into a vicious cycle.
It got worse and worse! More and more sluggish! More and more exhausted!
The entire defense seed to be half-asleep for the entire ga, not knowing what they were doing. They had to be thankful that their opponent was the St. Louis Rams, a team with a truly poor offense. In the end, Bradford lacked the explosiveness and failed to seize the opportunity; otherwise, they would have been torn to shreds.
Next, the offense.
The offensive line’s rhythm never seed to click. Although they only gave up two sacks for the entire ga, the stats weren’t too bad. But the number of tis Lu Ke was forced to hurry his throws under pressure was as high as eight. That stat was terrible. The entire pocket was a chaotic ss. Not to ntion passing, even his footwork was stumbling.
Faced with such a bad situation, Lu Ke still tried his best to make a drive, but he didn’t get much help.
Marcus Lynch and Frank Gore’s running ga was in a slump again. They often ran directly into a wall like headless chickens, losing yards, or they would be tackled after gaining only one or two yards. Not to ntion relieving the pressure of the passing ga, Gore even fumbled once, and the opponent’s defense recovered the ball, giving up the montum of the drive.
The receivers were the sa. Crabtree and Vernon hadn’t fully recovered their touch; they had only improved a little. Moss’s performance also had its ups and downs. Sotis his routes were normal, but other tis, they were completely illogical. It was truly ridiculous, like a martial artist with a strange sword technique.
So, Ted Ginn and the rotational Mario Manningham beca the last hope. A.J. Jenkins was also forced to rotate in to adjust the pace of the offense.
But Ginn also had one drop and one silly mistake that cost him his position, resulting in two incomplete passes. In addition, Moss also had two perfectly catchable balls, but he ssed up his footwork, which led to incomplete passes.
For Lu Ke, who was struggling to make a play with no support, it was one thing after another. This even led to Lu Ke’s own mistakes. He threw two interceptions in the entire ga, a new career high.
There was no room for excuses. It was Lu Ke’s own mistake. He had a complete lapse in judgnt during his pass observation and failed to spot a defensive player waiting to intercept. The defensive player suddenly appeared and forced an interception before the pass connection could be completed.
When it rains, it pours. This was the best description for the San Francisco 49ers in this ga.
But Lu Ke still didn’t give up. He gritted his teeth and continued to press on. Against the St. Louis Rams’ defense, which had a few good performances this season, Lu Ke still tried his best to make a drive in the storm. In the end, he didn’t lose the ga completely, and he stubbornly dragged the ga into overti.
No one would believe it, even if they saw it with their own eyes.
The final score of the regular ga ti was "6-6."
The San Francisco 49ers, a team that had been scoring touchdowns easily this season and averaging over 30 points per ga, were in a touchdown drought today. This was the first ti Lu Ke had not thrown a touchdown pass in the 2012 season, which truly shocked everyone.
The St. Louis Rams had two field goals.
The San Francisco 49ers had two field goals.
The ga in regulation was so dull, so boring and uninteresting that it made people sleepy. It was hard to imagine that this was a 49ers ga.
But the audience who had watched the entire ga knew that the current situation was hard-earned.
On one hand, Bradford didn’t seize the opportunity. Otherwise, with the 49ers’ defense’s performance, they would have given up at least three touchdowns. On the other hand, Lu Ke’s persistence. He used everything he had, from tactics to execution. He was missing a leg and an arm, but he still tried to find a way to break the deadlock. Otherwise, the 49ers would have lost the ga in regulation.
The "6-6" score was a product of this.
After entering overti, the situation still didn’t get any better.
According to the rules, the first team to score a touchdown or a safety would win the ga. The first team to kick a field goal, if the opponent couldn’t imdiately kick one as well, would also win the ga.
But... the 49ers and the Rams were still unable to score.
The first drive, both sides didn’t score. The second drive, both sides still didn’t score. The third drive... it wasn’t because the defense was so good. It was because the confrontation between the defense and the offense had beco dirty and ugly. Yellow flags were flying everywhere, and mistakes were all over the place. It was like two ruffians wrestling in the mud. Even watching was hard to bear.
Overti was supposed to be a nail-biter, tense and exciting, but the ga was so uninspired that it made people want it to end as soon as possible. This was also a rare sight, which made everyone not know whether to laugh or cry.
If this continued, and neither side could score, then after ti ran out, it would be a tie. After entering the playoffs, because there had to be a winner, there would be another overti. But the regular season wasn’t so demanding. If the score was still tied after one overti, the ga would end in a tie.
But the biggest charm of this ga was that you could never predict what would happen next. When everyone thought a touchdown was about to happen, it was a three-and-out. When everyone thought the winner had been decided, it went back to a tie. Now, when everyone thought it would end in a tie, the winner was suddenly decided.
Just as the ga was about to end, Lu Ke and Ginn finally connected and narrowly completed a touchdown. Relying on the offense’s deep talent and a little bit of luck—or a lot of luck—they successfully turned the ga around and won!
All the fans were in a frenzy, not because it was brilliant, but because it was another thrilling and unexpected ga. They looked at the field with a puzzled expression and a head full of question marks: Did we win? Did we lose? Has the winner finally been decided? Finally! We are finally free!
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