Chapter 1074: The Ground Game

His vision was to the right, but his feet were moving to the left.

His body and brain made different judgments and choices, but Vernon Davis had no time to regret or think. He quickly retracted his gaze and followed his feet, moving quickly diagonally to the left. He made a basic judgment on the positions of the defenders, and his footwork changed accordingly.

He sprinted while observing. Before safety William Moore could get back into position, Vernon had already stormed across the middle of the field like a gust of wind, going from the right side to the left. He continued to rush forward in a 60-degree diagonal direction. He could then see cornerback Robert McClain abandoning Ted Ginn Jr. and sprinting back to cover. At the same time, Moore was also relentlessly compressing Vernon’s advancing space.

Vernon’s feet were gradually compressed into a narrow space. He still didn’t give up. He raised his left hand, which was not holding the ball, and broke through toward the incoming McClain. Compared to Moore, McClain was clearly a more suitable target for a breakthrough.

But McClain had already taken the high ground, waiting for Vernon at his leisure, and he had Moore’s lateral support. This had already put him in an invincible position. What’s more, his defense was simpler. He just needed to push Vernon out of bounds, which was not a difficult task.

Vernon’s left hand supported McClain’s shoulder, but McClain, who had a better position and strength, instead used Vernon’s left hand to apply pressure, disrupting Vernon’s run. The two of them were tangled up, pushing and blocking each other. Vernon’s sprinting speed was slowly worn down, and his slowing footsteps were obvious.

Vernon still didn’t give up. He used his body size and muscles to fight, gritted his teeth, and fiercely collided with McClain’s defensive position, like the Foolish Old Man who moved the mountains. He was doing something he knew was impossible, but that firm and resilient spirit was connecting the entire San Francisco 49ers team, injecting a powerful force, like a giant of the soul, slowly standing up.

It was the same with Michael Crabtree in the last game, and it was the same with Vernon in this game.

The entire style of play was getting tougher!

Even though McClain had the upper hand, he was visibly retreating little by little, losing his position, and then Vernon started to advance.

Then, Moore finally arrived, colliding with Vernon from the side and pushing him out of bounds, ending this offensive push.

"Vernon Davis! Davis is running diagonally across the entire field! Lu Ke’s pass target was actually Vernon Davis! Davis’s running route has a huge range of transfer while maintaining forward momentum. Now his feet have crossed the 25-yard line! The 30-yard line! He’s still advancing! The 35-yard line!"

"Moore’s drop back was not able to hold his position! Davis gained space to continue advancing!"

"McClain gets into position in time! He cuts off Davis’s advancing space! But... Davis didn’t give up! Davis went for a head-on collision! Davis ran into McClain! The two of them are tangled up! Davis is actually pushing McClain forward! Whoa! Davis’s run is incredibly tough! He’s pushing back McClain!"

"McClain is losing his position! Davis and McClain are continuing to move forward! The 40-yard line! Their feet have toughly crossed the 40-yard line! Davis’s tough breakthrough is truly outstanding! Moore arrives in time! McClain is visibly struggling to defend. Moore’s collision came in time, pushing Vernon out of bounds!"

"Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent! Davis’s continuous advance is truly spectacular! My God, this is a 25-yard gain!"

"Unimaginable! Lu Ke only found Vernon with a nine-yard short pass, but he created a 25-yard gain! Before the snap, Lu Ke changed the play multiple times. The seemingly chaotic and frantic play changes showed the wisdom of a play design that was three to five steps ahead. He calculated all the potential possibilities, and this completely disrupted the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive layout. Every defender was unable to stay in their defensive position."

"Unimaginable! This is absolutely unimaginable! This tactical game is truly spectacular!"

"It must be objectively admitted that Lu Ke’s offensive tactics are too complex, like a game of Go. I can’t fully explain it right now. I need to re-watch the replay and analyze it to clear my thoughts! But one thing is for sure, the Atlanta Falcons’ defense is a bit behind Lu Ke’s rhythm now!"

"The game is really getting good!"

"In the previous drive, the Falcons’ offense elevated their game and had an intense confrontation with the 49ers’ defense. In the end, the Falcons narrowly suppressed their opponents and scored a touchdown. And now, the 49ers’ offense has also elevated their rhythm, disrupting the Falcons’ defensive plan step by step. Although this was just one pass, it is clear that Lu Ke is constantly moving forward."

"The Falcons’ defense is getting tense. If this continues, it will get even worse. In the regular season that just ended, this kind of scene has appeared too many times. It feels so familiar. The Falcons’ coaching staff must come up with a countermeasure and make adjustments in time."

"It’s worth mentioning that the receiver who just made the catch, Vernon Davis, this is his best performance in the past seven games. Last game it was Crabtree, is it Davis’s turn this game?"

"Oh! Lu Ke is speeding up!"

"Lu Ke suddenly gets the offense into formation quickly! The San Francisco 49ers’ offense has sped up! The Atlanta Falcons’ defenders are a bit surprised. They can’t keep up with the speed! The situation is critical!"

First and 10.

Lu Ke suddenly sped up the snap. He took advantage of the fact that the opponent’s defense hadn’t completely settled into position and handed the ball to running back Frank Gore, choosing a run play.

Mike Iupati, Jonathan Goodwin, and Anthony Davis on the offensive line all found their defensive linemen. They intentionally spread out the offensive line, creating small gaps between them. Gore nimbly ran through the gap between Iupati and Staley, bypassing the area where the linebackers were covering head-on, and broke through from the left.

The substitute outside linebacker, Stephen Nicholas, number 54, who had just been subbed in, moved laterally, trying to tackle Gore. But Gore’s speed was faster than Nicholas’s anticipation. He was half a step too slow. This half a step caused Nicholas to miss the tackling position. He only had time to wrap his hands around Gore’s waist but couldn’t apply any force. He could only watch as Gore got away.

Gore broke free from Nicholas’s defense and continued to advance. Before the two safeties and one cornerback could form a circle around him, he easily ran over 10 yards and got a first down.

They picked it up high and put it down gently.

The San Francisco 49ers suddenly sped up without any warning. They set up a highly skillful passing formation but handed the ball to the running back in the actual play, starting a tough ground attack. The combination of these two offensive tactics completely disrupted the defensive rhythm. It seemed like there was no play design, but in fact, the offensive moves were decisive. The mix of speed, passing, and running made it hard for the defense to keep up.

First and 10 again.

Lu Ke returned to his original rhythm. He calmly started to set up the play. The lightning strike that exploded and then retracted seemed to be a one-time thing. This made the Atlanta Falcons’ defense feel a bit frustrated, as if they were hit by a punch before they even had a chance to get a stable footing, and then the opponent said, "Let’s officially start now."

Substitute outside linebacker Stephen Nicholas was a bit angry. He felt that he had been fooled.

After entering the league in 2007, he spent his peak seasons in 2008 and 2009. Although he never made it to the Pro Bowl, he was still a dedicated, blue-collar player. He was later seriously affected by an injury, and this season he has not been playing consistently. Today, he finally got to play in a playoff game, and he didn’t want to be a backdrop.

As he saw the 49ers’ offense get into formation again, Nicholas took a deep breath and repositioned himself.

Lu Ke called the snap again. He held the ball with both hands, dropped back, and made a quick throwing motion with his right hand toward Logan on the right, which attracted the attention of the linebackers and cornerbacks. But then he pulled his right hand back and made a light toss, handing the football to Gore, who was on the left.

It was not a pass, but a run. A fake pass and a real run to cover a continuous run play!

Gore’s feet nimbly ran around the confrontation between the offensive and defensive lines, bypassing the standing Joe Staley on the left side, and then sprinted along the left slot.

Because Lu Ke’s fake pass was so convincing, the outside linebacker Nicholas, who was supposed to cover the running back, couldn’t keep up. Defensive end John Abraham was firmly held by Staley, and cornerback McClain was taken away by wide receiver Michael Crabtree. And so...

Gore once again gained space to move forward!

Gore’s run was light and agile. He instantly crossed the line of scrimmage and continued to break through. He completely increased his speed, bursting with powerful force within a short distance. He had already run five yards in just one breath.

McClain and Moore, who hadn’t completely lost their positions, saw that the situation was bad and quickly ran back to cover, tackling Gore in time. But the running back still managed to gain another seven yards and was now at the opponent’s 43-yard line.

The efficiency of the two consecutive runs was astonishing. The ground game’s strong resurgence and upward momentum were unstoppable! The San Francisco 49ers were getting on track!

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