Chapter 283 281: Back and Forth
"Touchdown! It's a goddamn touchdown!" Jonathan Baldwin heroically cast reason aside. He leaped high into the air and landed hard, roaring madly and celebrating with abandon. His clenched right fist pumped like a pile driver, his face flushed red, the bulging veins on his neck looking like they might burst at any moment. But he didn't care, just kept yelling, "Touchdown!"
Jonathan wasn't the only one.
The whole bar erupted. Jeff Locke shot to his feet, leaning back and pumping his fists as he stared at the TV screen, roaring, "AHH, AHHHH!" He spun around to face Danny Rice and Nate Chandler and roared again, "AHHHH!" His bloodshot eyes surged with excitement, as if to say: *Did you see that? Did you see that!*
Danny and Nate both leaped into the air, bumping chests. They then raised their right hands high, signaling to the people around them. Whether they knew them or not, the two started running, one after the other, high-fiving everyone in their path. They did a full lap around the bar, the fast, loud slaps of their palms creating a small human wave.
Chris Wilson gripped the handle of his mug tightly, his eyes wide and glued to the small TV screen, his mouth hanging open. A roar like a torrential downpour was erupting deep inside him, but not a single sound escaped his throat. It was only when he came to his senses that he realized his hands were clenched into fists, and he was repeatedly slamming them on the bar—
He was slamming the mug in his left hand against the surface. Thankfully, it was a thick-bottomed beer mug made of sturdy enough material that it didn't shatter.
His muscles, stretched to their absolute limit, began to ache slightly, but he didn't care. He just stared, dumbfounded, at Anthony Tinozzo behind the bar.
A brilliant, unrestrained laugh spread across Anthony's face, his eyes narrowing to slits until they almost disappeared. Noticing Chris's gaze, Anthony jutted his chin, gesturing toward the room behind him.
Chris whipped his head around and saw a roiling ocean of people. Everyone was on their feet, raising their beer mugs. Golden beer sloshed and sprayed amidst a turbulent sea of white foam, refracting the light into a thousand brilliant rays. Countless voices flooded his ears, merging into a single word: "Touchdown!"
The San Francisco 49ers had scored a touchdown!
More importantly, this pass had carved a bloody path through sheer chaos and pressure. It was even more spectacular than the first long touchdown pass against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 of the regular season, and even more thrilling than the desperate situation against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2. This was, without a doubt, the most beautiful offensive play the San Francisco 49ers had made all season!
Unyielding and never giving up! Their powerful fighting spirit erupted with terrifying momentum!
A 49ers team like this was intoxicating, driving people into a frenzy.
At this very moment, on the field, Lu Ke kept his eyes glued to the football after the throw. The feeling in his hands the instant he released it told him, 'It's there!'
The problem was, this was a last-second tactical change, and there were still too many variables. Before the catch was complete, anything was possible. Moreover, to give Newman enough time to get under the ball, he had deliberately put more arc on it—which meant he was completely exposed to the defensive players' vision.
His gaze followed the ball intently. The moment Newman made the catch, his heart, which had been hanging in his throat, still couldn't settle. It wasn't until the referee raised both hands to signal a touchdown that the emotions were fully unleashed. Lu Ke subconsciously mimicked the referee's action, throwing his own hands high to signal the touchdown.
"Bambi! Touchdown! Bambi!" Marcus Lynch was the first to lose his cool, rushing toward Lu Ke with a face full of joy and excitement, letting out a jubilant roar.
Right after him, Mike Lupati and Joe Stanley charged over, their eyes shining like children's behind their helmets, utterly ecstatic. Then came Chilo Rachal, Jonathan Goodwin, Anthony Davis, and the others. They all rushed over, swarming around Lu Ke in a boisterous crowd.
A sixty-four-yard touchdown pass for a kill shot. And it came after recovering from a botched handoff, converting on a difficult 2nd and 16, and scoring the touchdown to tie the game—assuming the extra point was good. It was truly unbelievable.
Lu Ke beamed as he shouted to his teammates, "I told you! I told you!" He meant they could provide a perfect pocket, that their abilities were far greater than they'd shown, that they could seize the initiative against the defense, and that they could win this game!
Those simple words united all his teammates. The Offense Line, the receivers, everyone—wait, where was the hero of the touchdown?
At the far end of the field, Newman, who had been slammed hard into the End Zone, scrambled unsteadily to his feet. He had no time to check on himself, his eyes fixed on the referee. Only after confirming it was a touchdown did he raise his hands to cheer. But before the cheer could even escape his lips, he noticed a problem:
Where was everyone?
The entire Philadelphia Eagles' half of the field contained only one San Francisco 49ers player: Newman. His line of sight was filled with opposing players. Then, he saw them. Near the 49ers' own End Zone, all his teammates were surrounding Lu Ke, celebrating wildly. As for Newman, he was left standing there all alone.
"Hey, I'm the one who scored the touchdown, okay? What's going on?" Newman complained with a forlorn look. He tossed the ball to the referee and started jogging toward his teammates. But before he even crossed midfield, he saw them all leaving the field to make way for the special teams. He had to change course mid-stride. "Hey! You guys! I'm talking to you, you jerks!"
'Those bastards didn't even come celebrate with me!'
"No problem there, the San Francisco 49ers special teams unit has converted the extra point. The score is now 14-7. The gap between the two teams has closed, and the game is getting interesting again. Seeing this, I'm reminded of the Week 2 regular season game when the San Francisco 49ers faced the Dallas Cowboys at home. Isn't the progression of this game remarkably similar?"
A smile appeared on Teddy's face as he asked Kirk, but Kirk shook his head in disagreement.
"Against the Cowboys, the 49ers were always playing catch-up. But in today's game, the 49ers have consistently had the advantage, they just couldn't get things clicking. Now that the 49ers have found their rhythm, we'll have to see how the Eagles respond. The game is about to get truly exciting."
Just as Kirk said, with the third quarter more than halfway over, the game truly became exciting.
Leading the Eagles' offense back onto the field, Michael Vick fearlessly showcased his outstanding form. First, a twenty-seven-yard long pass successfully connected with the team's ace Wide Receiver, DeSean Jackson. After the catch, Jackson continued to advance, gaining another full twelve yards before being pushed out of bounds by 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers.
He then found Jeremy Maclin for a seven-yard gain. Combined with two successful long runs from LeSean McCoy, they were suddenly at the edge of the San Francisco 49ers' End Zone.
Just then, the 49ers' Defense Team stood tall, making three consecutive outstanding plays to stonewall the Eagles' offense at the twenty-one-yard line.
Just when everyone thought the Philadelphia Eagles would opt for a field goal, Vick made the surprising choice to go for it on fourth and three. From this position, a failed conversion would mean all their previous progress was for nothing, resulting in a direct turnover. Yet, the Eagles' Tactical Awareness was firm; they didn't even try to draw them offsides.
Vick ran a read-option, keeping the ball himself at the crucial moment and rushing for five yards. He secured another first down, keeping the offensive drive alive.
Finally, Vick and DeSean Jackson connected once again. Jackson used his physical advantage to forcefully break through the coverage of two defenders and squeeze into the End Zone, answering a touchdown with a touchdown of his own. They seized the advantage once more, and after the extra point, the score widened again to a two-touchdown gap, "21-7".
Lu Ke led the San Francisco 49ers offense back onto the field with composure, starting their drive from their own twenty-three-yard line. They too showed they wouldn't back down, displaying top-tier form.
On their very first running play, Mike Lupati and Chilo Rachal, whose performances had been inconsistent all day, came through. They not only blocked the Eagles' initial Defense Line blitz but also used their own strength to push their opponents back, tearing open a seam and clearing a path for Marcus Lynch.
Lynch, running hard, got blocking help from Crabtree and Ginn. He then used his body weight to break a linebacker's tackle, followed by a nimble lateral juke to evade a second tackle. After shifting to the right side, he continued to push forward behind blocks from Logan Newman and Kyle Williams.
This run went for a full twenty-two yards, setting a new high for the San Francisco 49ers' longest run of the game and serving as an absolutely dominant response.
More importantly, the 49ers' Offense Line had truly reawakened.
Immediately after, Lu Ke completed two consecutive short passes, finding Ted Ginn Jr. and Kyle Williams respectively to pick up another first down. Then, another eight-yard short pass found Michael Crabtree. Using his size advantage as a big Wide Receiver, Crabtree successfully advanced for sixteen yards before being pushed out of bounds.
Following another successful six-yard run by Lynch, the San Francisco 49ers had moved with irresistible, flowing momentum to the Philadelphia Eagles' twenty-yard line. Before they could even catch their breath, they were just a stone's throw away from another touchdown.
At that moment, the referee blew the whistle, signaling the end of the third quarter. The score was still "21-7", with the home team ahead. This meant that the final outcome would have to be decided in the fourth quarter!