Chapter 453: On the Brink

Offense wins games, defense wins championships. This saying holds true on the football field as well.

The Baltimore Ravens are a team renowned for their defense. Their tough defensive presence dominates the Alliance, striking fear into the hearts of their opponents. The key player is Ray Lewis, known as the “Thunder God.”

The middle linebacker was selected by the Raven Team with the twenty-sixth pick in the first round of the 1996 draft, kicking off a brilliant and legendary career.

Without a doubt, Lewis is one of the greatest middle linebackers in the history of the Alliance; one could even argue he is *the* greatest. Even though he hasn’t retired yet, he has long been a lock for the Hall of Fame. Since entering the Alliance in 1996, aside from his rookie season and the injury-plagued 2002 and 2005 seasons, he has been selected for the Pro Bowl every single year.

Every single year!

In other words, as long as Lewis was on the field, he was the undisputed king of the Baltimore Ravens, a player every single team had to pay a great deal of attention to.

Furthermore, when the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl in the 2000 season, the Super Bowl MVP was Ray Lewis.

It is no exaggeration to say that while the heart and soul of other teams might be their quarterback, for the Raven Team, that person was unequivocally Lewis.

He was a middle linebacker capable of changing the outcome of a game. From tackles and blitzes to sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles, and even return touchdowns, he was a master of all. He was also the fastest defensive player in history to record both thirty sacks and thirty interceptions, leaving a string of other astonishing records in his wake.

The Baltimore Ravens, much like the Pittsburgh Steelers in their prime, win games with their defense!

In 2008, the team took on a new look. A young, forty-six-year-old coach named John Hubble became the team’s head coach, his first time in such a role. Furthermore, in the draft, they selected quarterback Joe Flacco with the eighteenth pick in the first round, hoping to build a dynasty—

In addition to their defense, their lackluster offense finally began to show signs of life. Reaching the playoffs three years in a row was the best proof!

It is worth noting that John Hubble is the older brother of San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Hubble. The two brothers are only a year apart, and both have become prominent head coaches in the Alliance, writing a celebrated story of their own, much like the Manning family.

After Jim Hubble officially took the helm of the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, this “battle of brothers” became a major focus. When the schedule was made, the Alliance had little faith in the 49ers’ sudden rise. Still, they scheduled this matchup for Thursday Night Football, with the main draw being the family feud between the two head coaches.

It’s just like the “Manning Bowl,” the matchup between Peyton Manning and Eli Manning that comes around every four years. Because they are in different conferences, their inter-divisional games are on a four-year rotation.

But after the season began, a surprise emerged. The Baltimore Ravens remained a strong contender with a 7-3 record, while the San Francisco 49ers had surged unexpectedly to an 8-2 record. The gap between the two teams was far smaller than anyone had imagined. Following matchups against the Detroit Lions and the New York Giants, the 49ers were once again facing a showdown against a top-tier powerhouse.

And this opponent was even tougher.

For the San Francisco 49ers, the situation was even more pressing. They had just suffered an unexpected loss at home and were now weary from their travels for this away game. First, the Thursday night game threw their preparation schedule into disarray. Then, they had to face their toughest opponent yet, one who was stronger than they could have imagined. More importantly, this was the 49ers’ first time this season facing a true defensive juggernaut—the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense was no longer in its prime.

In other words, this was a classic battle of an unstoppable force versus an immovable object. It all came down to whether the spear was sharper or the shield was stronger. The San Francisco 49ers had to regroup and regain their form as quickly as possible. For Lu Ke and the offense, this was the true test—a playoff-caliber test!

Thursday Night Football always commands a massive audience, with the eyes of the entire Alliance upon it. Now, due to various off-field factors, the hype was skyrocketing. Most importantly, this was the first time the now-famous undrafted rookie of Chinese descent would be playing on a national television broadcast.

Over the past three months, news about Lu Ke had been making massive waves for some time. The moniker “Skywalker” was now famous. Although the game against the Detroit Lions was broadcast online and the match against the New York Giants was replayed several times, the significance of Thursday Night Football was on a whole other level. Naturally, expectations were climbing higher and higher.

All of this turned this Thursday Night Football game into a natural hype machine before it even began.

Even the Alliance office was no exception, sparing no effort to promote the game. Some even saw it as a “potential Super Bowl preview”—the “Harbaugh Bowl”—which semi-officially cemented the game’s status as the marquee matchup of the week.

Although the San Francisco 49ers had just suffered a surprising loss, their consistent performance throughout the season had still left a deep impression and built up a fair amount of confidence. This was reflected in the views of numerous industry commentators; opinions didn’t suddenly collapse and swing entirely against them because of one defeat.

On the program “Inside the Alliance,” the analysts were also torn. They generally agreed it was a 50-50 game, with far too many factors that could determine the outcome. It was highly likely that, just like the game against the New York Giants, an unforeseen twist would ultimately decide the winner.

In the end, six commentators, including Charles, picked the Baltimore Ravens. They cited the team’s tenacious defense and the fact that Ray Lewis was still in his prime; besides, defense wins championships. Four commentators picked the San Francisco 49ers, pointing to the offense’s versatility and complexity, especially Lu Ke’s intelligence and composure, which made for a more balanced overall team.

Interestingly, Charles didn’t propose a bet this time.

After the humiliating defeat of his “Cross the Pacific Ocean” bet, he needed to lie low for a while. Deep down, he knew the outcome of this game would be decided by the slimmest of margins. Making a rash bet would be like digging his own grave, and he had no intention of willingly putting his head on the chopping block.

This alone showed just how close and intense the matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens was expected to be. Everything would depend on their performance on game day!

As the regular season entered its latter half, the race for the playoffs was heating up. Every game could decide a team’s postseason fate. Although a playoff berth seemed highly likely for both the 49ers and the Raven Team, they still had to give it their all. Moreover, this game could be considered a warm-up for the postseason—

No one fought this hard just to make the playoffs and be one-and-done.

One thing was certain: both teams would give everything they had to win! Another epic battle was about to begin!

…

“Hsss.”

Sitting in the broadcast booth, even as a spectator, Teddy couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. He winced, crying out in phantom pain. “That was an absolutely vicious hit! Ray Lewis just tore open a lane, cut in from the blind side, and wrapped up Lu Ke around the waist, slamming him to the ground. Lu Ke had no chance, no chance at all!”

“Ouch!” Halfway through his commentary, the replay began on screen. Seeing the moment Lewis sacked Lu Ke, Teddy couldn’t help but cry out, cutting himself off. His entire face scrunched up as he sucked in another sharp breath. “Hsss! That was too brutal, too ruthless. Lu Ke looked like a paper doll just getting torn to shreds.”

At that moment, M&T Bank Stadium erupted in a deafening roar. The home fans were cheering wildly for another outstanding play from Ray Lewis. A powerful sack was unquestionably the most devastating blow one could deliver to an opposing offense. Strangling the play at its source by taking out the quarterback was, without a doubt, the ultimate counterpunch!

For the Raven Team, this was the tempo they loved—ferocious blitzes and collisions that crashed down like a flood, leaving the opposing Offense Line completely disoriented.

For the referees, however, that collision wasn’t quite so clean.

“The referee threw a yellow flag. That’s definitely a penalty: roughing the passer. Not only was the tackle overly vicious, but it was also too low. Looking at the slow-motion replay, the referee’s call was spot-on. A sack like that could easily lead to an injury.”

“God, this is not good. Lu Ke is still on the ground, and he’s not moving. We have no way of knowing if he’s injured. The penalty call is correct, but if the 49ers lose their starting quarterback, that’s a loss that no penalty flag can ever make up for.”

“The San Francisco 49ers’ offensive players are swarming Lewis, and a shoving match has broken out on the field. The Raven Team players are rushing in too. The referees are trying to get things under control, but it’s getting a little heated. Oof!” Seeing the replay of the sack again, Teddy couldn’t help but let out another pained gasp, barely believing his eyes.

Even though football is a sport built on violent collisions, witnessing those brutal, flesh-on-flesh impacts firsthand could still make a spectator wince in pain.

“We’re moving into the latter half of the first quarter. That was Ray Lewis’s second sack of the game. The Raven Team is showing incredible defensive form today, giving the 49ers offense almost no opportunities. Lu Ke has had very limited time to even get a pass off. The game is now falling into the exact rhythm the Ravens prefer.”

Just then, Kirk cut in over Teddy, his voice raised. “Lu Ke is up! The San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback is on his feet! He’s hopping in place a few times, raising a hand to signal that he’s okay. That’s great news! Thank God.”