Chapter 422: In Dire Straits

To be honest, Lu Ke was a little tense.

It wasn’t so much the tension of the game itself, but rather that his lack of experience meant he had to be ready for even more potential surprises. There had been more than enough surprises today. The New York Giants were never an easy opponent, and in the blink of an eye, the lead they had built was completely eroded. What was once a confident, leisurely stroll of a game had suddenly devolved into a brutal, white-hot dogfight.

To make matters worse, Lu Ke had gone completely cold in the third quarter.

In fact, considering how poorly he was playing, Lu Ke felt lucky not to have thrown an interception yet. He figured his luck must be a positive value for this game—and a high one at that. But relying on luck alone wasn’t enough. Lu Ke needed to regain his form as quickly as possible and rediscover the rhythm of a winning game.

There were still over seven minutes left in the game, and with a lead of just one point, the San Francisco 49ers were far from being in a position to run out the clock and rest easy. They had to score again, even if it was just a field goal, to steady their footing and rhythm before mounting another offensive.

The first step now was to get his passing touch back. This had nothing to do with the numbers in his system; it was all about a player’s in-game form.

Some players have incredibly high technical and talent ratings, but in a real game, they can only perform at fifty percent of their potential, which is useless. Strength on paper can’t always be converted into combat effectiveness. Then there are other players whose innate stats are average, but who are born for competition and can always bring one hundred and twenty percent to the game. The results, naturally, are different.

Lu Ke had always been one of the latter.

So, under this intense pressure, Lu Ke didn’t panic, nor did he force himself to calm down. Instead, he began to rally himself, turning pressure into motivation, tension into passion. After a strong first half, a sluggish third quarter, and a slow start to the fourth, the game was now entering its final stretch. It was time to get down to brass tacks and have a real contest.

21–20. The home team, the San Francisco 49ers, still held the lead. Lu Ke led the offense back onto the field.

This time, Lu Ke’s touch finally started to return.

On first and ten, Lu Ke tested the waters with a five-yard short pass, finding Vernon Davis who was coming back to make the catch. It was an easy first step.

On second and five, facing the New York Giants’ four-man rush, Lu Ke unexpectedly scrambled out of the pocket. After drawing in three defenders, he quickly fired a fourteen-yard pass to Ted Ginn Jr., who had cut inside into an open lane. Ginn then ran for another five yards, for a total gain of nineteen.

The offense’s rhythm and efficiency were getting back on their familiar track. But unfortunately, once they reached the opponent’s thirty-eight-yard line, their luck seemed to run a little short.

A run play failed to break through and was stuffed at the line. A short pass advanced two yards, but it failed to have the intended surprising effect as the opponent read the route. On the last attempt, a nine-yard short pass, Logan Newman was completely neutralized by Jason Pierre’s defense. Pierre had him completely blanketed, and Newman could only watch as the football flew past his hands and landed on empty turf.

Three and out.

A lack of luck was one thing, but Lu Ke also felt that his anticipation and passing still weren’t at one hundred percent. He needed to recalibrate and find the right rhythm. The game wasn’t over yet. Lu Ke clenched his fists, his confidence still intact.

Having missed the chance to keep the drive alive, the San Francisco 49ers were faced with a fifty-three-yard field goal attempt. To kick, or not to kick?

Field goals involved a risk. For an attempt from inside the twenty-yard line, a miss meant the opponent would simply start their offense from the twenty. For an attempt outside the twenty-yard line, however, a miss meant the opposing team would take over from the spot of the kick.

This was a field goal attempt from the thirty-eight-yard line, which meant that if David Akens missed, the New York Giants would start their next drive on that same thirty-eight-yard line.

After a moment’s hesitation, Jim Hubble, who had always been a risk-taker, decided to attempt the field goal.

As the entire stadium held its breath, David Akens’s fifty-three-yard field goal attempt sailed wide of the uprights. He missed. Amid a collective gasp from the crowd, Akens stood frozen, his face a mask of frustration and sorrow.

It was Akens’s first missed field goal of the season.

Although no one expected a kicker to maintain a perfect success rate for an entire season—especially on an attempt from over fifty yards out—Akens couldn’t hide his disappointment. That field goal was absolutely priceless for the team. If they ended up losing the game because of this one miss, Akens knew he would be filled with regret.

But a miss was a miss. There was nothing to be done.

As the special teams unit came off the field, Lu Ke went up and gave Akens a hug. Not many words were needed; everything was understood. The other offensive players also came over to console Akens.

Taking the field again, the New York Giants found themselves at the thirty-eight-yard line. Without even needing a return, they had gained excellent field position. If they could score—be it a field goal or a touchdown—they would seize the advantage. If they could also burn a significant amount of clock time, all the better.

All of Candlestick Park finally reawakened, unleashing a massive wave of noise in an attempt to give their home team one last boost.

…

“Can you believe it? My God, can you believe it? Eli Manning! It’s Eli Manning again! The star quarterback of the New York Giants, at the most critical moment of the fourth quarter, completes a forty-two-yard long bomb and finds Victor Cruz! With two defenders on him, Cruz practically pulled a tooth from a tiger’s mouth, wrestling the ball away and landing in the end zone!”

Five minutes later, Candlestick Park fell silent, while the broadcast booth erupted.

“Touchdown! It’s a touchdown! Unbelievable! Truly unbelievable!”

“The San Francisco 49ers defense played tough and forced their opponent into a desperate third-and-twelve situation. In the first half, Lu Ke faced a third-and-seventeen predicament and threw a sixty-one-yard, back-breaking touchdown that completely shattered the New York Giants defense’s confidence. This time, we saw the same kind of play, but the hero was Eli Manning!”

“Manning’s long bomb looked a little unstable, the trajectory wobbled a bit, but Cruz caught it! He caught it! He beat two defenders to complete this crucial touchdown reception! My God! The New York Giants have taken the lead for the first time in this game!”

“The fans here at Candlestick Park seem stunned, unable to believe their eyes. Faced with Cruz’s wild celebration, they’ve fallen silent for the first time. The momentum on the field has completely reversed! The outcome of this game is once again anyone’s guess!”

When the New York Giants truly needed a touchdown, Little Manning stepped up and delivered. Not only did he successfully take the lead, 21–27—the Giant Team’s first lead of the game—he also burned a massive amount of clock time, converting on third down at least three times and squeezing the window for a San Francisco 49ers counterattack smaller and smaller.

One look at the stunned silence of Candlestick Park was enough to show the devastating impact of that crucial long pass. It had shattered all the confidence built up during the first half in a single blow.

It wasn’t just the fans; in the broadcast booth, every commentator was shouting, exclaiming, and marveling at the play.

“Eli Manning, here we are again. He spends the first three quarters digging a hole, only to start climbing out of it in the fourth. This team always seems to have that gambler’s streak—an explosive burst at the critical moment, a flurry of combination punches that leaves their opponent seeing stars, unable to recover. After forcing one retreat after another, the game is back in the Giant Team’s hands, and they’re marching step by step toward victory.”

As he said it, Teddy couldn’t help but laugh, finding it unbelievable that this scenario was playing out for real once again.

“This is how the New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl. This is how so many strong teams have lost their matchups against the New York Giants. In the fourth quarter, Eli Manning looks like an omnipotent War God. Now, is this same old pattern about to repeat itself against the San Francisco 49ers?”

“After leading for the entire game, the San Francisco 49ers are now suddenly trailing. There are two minutes and twenty-eight seconds left. After the kickoff, Lu Ke will probably have about two minutes on the clock. Of course, this is a team that never gives up easily. They have the ability to pull off a last-minute miracle comeback. The question is, can Lu Ke, whose performance seemed to fade in the second half, find his form again?”

It was a desperate situation—a truly desperate situation. It wasn’t just that they had fallen behind at the very end after leading the entire game; more importantly, their momentum had been crushed, plunging all of Candlestick Park into a suffocating silence.

After a brief moment of shock, the fans began to cheer again, bravely roaring their support for the home team. But their voices seemed to lack a certain passion. Could it be? Was the New York Giants’ curse about to descend upon Candlestick Park as well?

The special teams unit was still on the field preparing for the kickoff. Lu Ke stood on the sideline and gathered his teammates. He didn’t have many thoughts in his head; the passionate, rousing words all seemed to have vanished. He simply looked at each of his teammates and said in a calm, steady voice:

“I’m ready! I’m ready to step onto this field. I’m ready to beat those guys. I’m ready to reawaken the magic of this stadium. I’m ready to score some touchdowns. I’m ready to claim this victory! Yes, I am ready. Now, who’s ready to join me in this war!”

His words rang with absolute conviction.