Chapter 1076: Relentless Pursuit

"Set hut!"

Michael Crabtree on the left wing started to adjust his footwork. He sprinted forward for about four yards and then moved laterally to the inside, toward the two linebackers. He not only didn’t avoid the contact but also actively moved forward, disrupting the balance of outside linebacker Stephen Nicholas, who was closer to his side.

Randy Moss and Logan Newman on the right wing both ran in a straight line. The two of them unleashed their acceleration and, side by side, pushed the momentum of their charge to the extreme. In a single breath, they had already crossed the 20-yard line, charging fiercely toward the 10-yard line. This forced the secondary defense to make adjustments in time.

Cornerback Asante Samuel and safety Thomas DeCoud both dropped back. Each of them covered one of the receivers, trying to cut off the momentum of the two receivers’ charge. The other safety, William Moore, immediately realized that the situation was not good. He bypassed his opponent and cut into the end zone, taking a position in advance and preparing to defend.

On the right side, three defenders were against two offensive players. In the middle, two defenders were against one offensive player. On the left side, cornerback Robert McClain was left out and seemed to be forgotten. McClain also followed Moore’s footsteps and immediately cut into the end zone, trying to assist with the coverage. However, his position was too far to the left, and it would take some time for him to sprint over.

One second! Two seconds!

Moss and Logan’s feet had already broken through the 10-yard line and were heading toward the end zone. It was at this moment that Lu Ke raised his hand and completed the pass. The high arc of the football immediately created a tense atmosphere in the end zone. The four defenders who had entered the end zone quickly began to adjust their footwork, staring intently at the positions of the two receivers. But then, they realized that the arc of the football was lower than they expected.

The target of the pass was...

Vernon Davis!

It was Vernon Davis again!

Vernon’s position was nothing special. With Moss on his left and Logan on his right, the three of them stood parallel, looking like the simplest and most basic multi-receiver offensive formation. After the snap, the three of them also took off at the same time, like the contrails left by a jet plane soaring across the sky, three contrails gliding across the blue sky.

But the contrails were of different lengths. The routes on the left and right sides were clearly faster. Although speed was not the strong suit of Moss and Logan, the two of them still tried their best to charge forward, pushing their speed to the limit. Vernon, on the other hand, slightly controlled his speed and didn’t push it to the maximum. It was more like a leisurely stroll.

They were far away. The distance between Moss and Logan was gradually widening. In his peripheral vision, Vernon noticed that the two of them had already crossed the 20-yard line. Only then did Vernon start to accelerate.

The space in front of Vernon was now completely open. All the defenders had created enough distance. There was only one player who was an exception: inside linebacker Akeem Dent.

When Crabtree was tangled up with Nicholas, Akeem was affected, but he was not completely caught in it. He was constantly moving with small steps, adjusting his balance. Then, in his peripheral vision, he saw Vernon’s feet and instinctively started to drop back quickly, trying to cover.

But Vernon’s speed was very fast, and Akeem was still observing the quarterback’s passing route. As he saw Lu Ke throw the ball with a high arc, Akeem began to drop back. He turned around and looked behind him and found that Vernon had already created distance. There were now a full six to seven yards of space between the two of them, and Vernon was still accelerating.

Akeem was the only player who could defend Vernon, but he was not able to hold his defensive position in time. Vernon became unstoppable.

Vernon’s running route seemed simple but was actually very particular. It wasn’t a straight line. He slightly adjusted his route toward the right sideline, creating a small arc as he charged forward. He didn’t completely deviate from the path but just slightly adjusted his route to increase his speed! He sped up again! He went all out! In a flash, he also crossed the 20-yard line and the 15-yard line!

This was still not all.

Vernon maintained his speed and made a half-turn to his left, and then he could see the football falling quickly. However, the arc was still slightly too long, and the landing spot should be within the 10-yard line. This meant that Vernon had to continue to charge forward and couldn’t stop.

The continuous acceleration and sprinting speed were so fast and fierce that Vernon himself lost a bit of control and accidentally ran too far. His form, in the end, had not reached its best, but he finally found his familiar rhythm in this game. His body’s reaction and brain’s instinct were a bit different.

He saw Vernon suddenly jump lightly, forcing himself to use a vertical jump to disrupt the rhythm of the horizontal sprint. He then changed the landing spot of his feet and, like a monkey stealing a peach, caught the football in his arms before his body and the football could pass each other. This was not an easy thing to do, and even Vernon didn’t know how he did it, but he still made the catch!

He held the football firmly in his arms. His body was soaring like a bird with its wings spread. He made a scissor kick in the air, like the "cloud ladder" in Chinese kung fu, trying to extend his air time. He then used the forward momentum and drive to continue to fly forward.

When his feet landed, Vernon had already entered the 5-yard line.

Akeem was still in pursuit, but he couldn’t catch up at all. The end zone was right under his nose. But the Falcons still had one last chance.

At this point, all the tactical intentions and passing routes had been exposed. The Falcons’ defense could make a play. Cornerback Asante’s position was closer to the outside sideline. He then moved up and charged toward Vernon head-on. Safety DeCoud also noticed this change. He was half a beat late, shook off Moss, and also ran over. But Logan had cut off DeCoud’s path, disrupting DeCoud’s drop-back rhythm.

Asante vs. Vernon.

So, this became a one-on-one situation.

Asante cleverly chose a side collision, trying to use his strength to disrupt Vernon’s balance and force him out of bounds, completing the tackle in the easiest way possible. But Vernon seemed to have anticipated this. He adjusted his footwork for a moment, made an emergency stop, and the collision rhythm between him and Asante was now misaligned.

Asante still collided with Vernon, but it wasn’t a solid collision. Instead, he used too much force and stumbled out of bounds. Vernon’s balance also shook violently. It looked like he was about to fall out of bounds, but Vernon was not willing to give up easily.

He gritted his teeth, which were almost about to break. His muscles, which were tensed to the maximum, were about to explode. But Vernon still managed to control his body, like a person standing on the edge of a cliff. In that moment of a life-or-death situation, he saved himself, and then his feet broke through toward the front again.

One step!

Two steps!

DeCoud appeared right in front of him, but now DeCoud was not able to get his footing. Instead, Vernon, after his adjustment, made a powerful collision that disrupted DeCoud’s balance. Then, Vernon’s feet continued to move forward.

"Touchdown!"

"This is a touchdown!"

"My God, it’s magnificent! Absolutely magnificent! A smooth offense, a flawless change of tempo. The San Francisco 49ers, who have found their rhythm again, are still that team that gives all the defenses in the league a headache!"

"Vernon Davis! It’s Vernon Davis again!"

"The Atlanta Falcons’ defense launched a blitz, but the San Francisco 49ers’ offense managed to hold them off, giving Lu Ke time to observe. Lu Ke took a step forward and completed the pass, finding Vernon Davis in the open space in the middle! This obviously caught everyone by surprise!"

"In the end zone, Moss and Logan were already in position and could have made the catch at any time. Even though it was a three-on-two situation, Logan had already held his position. All he needed to do was complete the pass, and it would have been a bull’s-eye touchdown! But Lu Ke chose Davis!"

"Davis deliberately delayed his run for two beats. After an open space appeared in front of him, he then sprinted diagonally. His powerful but fast run was not covered or held by any defender. Lu Ke accurately found Davis with an 18-yard medium pass, completing the play!"

"And then it was Davis’s moment!"

"He narrowly avoided Samuel’s collision and then ran through DeCoud’s help defense, entering the end zone in one fell swoop, scoring another touchdown!"

"Clean and decisive! In this drive, the San Francisco 49ers’ offense showed an absolute toughness. The rapid changes in rhythm and intensity forced the Atlanta Falcons’ defense to be constantly running around. They made misjudgments on multiple plays. As a result, they couldn’t defend against either the run or the pass! Not a single successful tackle! And then the San Francisco 49ers just got a touchdown!"

"They accumulated their advantage bit by bit and then delivered a fatal blow at the crucial moment, which was accurate and sharp, truly a knockout! This performance is truly outstanding. Now the problems facing the Atlanta Falcons’ defense are truly serious."

"Crabtree in the last game, Davis in this game. The San Francisco 49ers’ receiving corps was in a tough spot because of injuries and their form, but who would have thought that they would come back from the brink in the playoffs? Two former starting players have regained their form and have become important weapons for Lu Ke’s continued advance!"

"In this drive, Davis’s two crucial catches, whether it was his route running or his subsequent run, showed a continuous upward momentum. This is definitely great news for the San Francisco 49ers’ offense!"

"Now the score is getting closer again, ’14-24.’ The San Francisco 49ers’ outstanding performance has put the pressure on the Atlanta Falcons!"

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