Chapter 1077: Halftime

"Aooo! Aooo... Aooo... Aooo!"

Vernon Davis fiercely slammed the football onto the turf of the end zone and then howled at the sky like a wolf, venting the frustration of half a season and celebrating the long-awaited touchdown. A hot and surging emotion rolled in his chest. The moment when the longsword is unsheathed and delivers a fatal blow is truly thrilling!

He had been missing moments like this in his bones.

Ted Ginn Jr. and Logan Newman, who had already entered the end zone to help with the blocking, rushed over immediately and slapped Vernon’s helmet, shoulders, and back, celebrating this hard-earned touchdown in an extremely fierce and intense way.

After a mid-season that was seemingly harmonious but lacked synergy, a late season with ups and downs, and a season with a revolving door of receiving options, they finally found their own rhythm and way of playing again.

Logan couldn’t contain his excitement and roared madly at Vernon, "We are?"

"Niners!" Vernon clenched his hands and roared back at Logan in a state of ecstasy, replying.

"We are?" Ginn, who was standing next to him, also roared, not to be outdone, with his veins bulging.

"Warriors!" The three of them yelled in unison, with one voice.

The passion and excitement flowed through their boiling blood. Then, Michael Crabtree and the other offensive linemen also rushed over and celebrated this touchdown with Vernon. This was not just a touchdown. It also announced Vernon’s official comeback, which was a big deal for the San Francisco 49ers’ receiving corps, which was stretched thin.

The three of them roared madly at their teammates, and their teammates also responded with a roar in perfect harmony.

"We are! Niners!"

"We are! Warriors!"

Over and over again, everyone couldn’t help but clench their fists and tense their muscles, releasing all the power from the depths of their bodies. The deafening sound firmly united the entire offense. The belief in victory and the persistence to move forward erupted again, spreading out in a ripple effect in Candlestick Park.

One cheer after another, all the fans in the stadium began to yell along, jumping and roaring, boiling and trembling. That powerful shock penetrated the television screen and surged in the entire city of San Francisco, making people want to become an insignificant part of it.

It was a power that brought tears to one’s eyes and made one want to worship. Just by quietly echoing it, the soul began to tremble slightly.

At this moment, this San Francisco 49ers team was so moving and beautiful, so real and so dreamlike, that it made people fall in love in an instant. Even if they had to burn their souls, they would not hesitate. The only thought in their minds was to open their arms and merge into that boundless red ocean, becoming a part of it.

Even Matt Ryan, standing on the sideline, couldn’t help but show a hint of envy in his eyes. The reason Candlestick Park was called a "demonic home field" was not because of how loud the noise was or how crazy the fans were. It was because of the soul that was condensed in the stadium. It was clear and transparent, pure and fanatical, firm and tough, and it was always burning fiercely.

An opponent like this was truly terrifying.

Matt Ryan let out a light breath. The difficulty of this game would probably be even greater than he had imagined. Even though they still had the advantage, things were still not as simple as they seemed.

David Akers came on the field. This season, Akers’ extra-point success rate was still 100%. His steady and focused control showed the veteran’s energy. This time was no exception. After he successfully kicked the extra point, the score changed to "14-24," and the difference was reduced to within 10 points.

When the Atlanta Falcons’ offense came back on the field, it was obvious that the San Francisco 49ers’ defense’s intensity and rhythm had once again improved.

This feeling was very strange, like being in the rough waves of a vast ocean. Wave after wave came one after another. It was impossible to judge the specific situation with the naked eye, but it felt like they were being suppressed little by little. They couldn’t tell whether the waves were getting stronger or their own spirits were getting tired and they were losing their ability to resist. They could only be sure that their fighting spirit and courage were slowly being worn down and weakened.

Matt Ryan was still gritting his teeth and holding on. The excellent performance of Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez, and Roddy White was continuing their drive. Although the head-on confrontation was getting tougher, they still persisted. With 24 seconds left in the first half, the offense reached the opponent’s 27-yard line but unfortunately suffered a third down.

This was the second time the Falcons had suffered a three-and-out since the game started.

Ryan stood in place, gasping for breath, looking unwillingly at the opposing defense that was celebrating wildly. On the last defensive play, they ended all offensive possibilities with a sack on the quarterback, forcing the Falcons to face a fourth-and-12 situation. It was meaningless to take another risk now. A field goal was the only option.

After thinking about it, Ryan heavily hit his left palm with his right fist, venting his dissatisfaction, and then turned around and left the field.

Facing a 44-yard field goal, kicker Matt Bryant didn’t make a mistake. In the intense confrontation of the special teams, he kicked the football into the goal, once again pulling away from the visiting Atlanta Falcons before the end of the first half.

The score was "14-27."

The 13-point gap still required two touchdowns to take the lead. There were still countless possibilities in the second half.

Looking at the entire first half, the Atlanta Falcons got into rhythm very quickly. From offense to defense, they delivered their best performance of the season. The offense, in particular, was impressive. They scored 27 points in just one half, which was indeed their highest-scoring game of the entire season.

The San Francisco 49ers, on the other hand, were a bit slow to start. Entering the NFC Championship game for the second consecutive year seemed to make them a bit overexcited. The quality of the second quarter was a significant improvement compared to the first quarter. The offense’s strong control in the second quarter was slowly taking back the initiative.

It was obvious that the 49ers were on a fast-rising curve, while the Falcons were maintaining a relatively stable development. However, in the second half of the second quarter, the Falcons were slowly being suppressed and were almost breathless. If this continued for a little while longer, the 49ers might have crushed the Falcons. But then the first half ended, and halftime gave the Falcons a chance to adjust.

The question now was, what would happen after the second half started? Would both teams return to the starting line? Or would the form of both teams change again? After the 49ers’ rising momentum was interrupted, could they continue it? After the Falcons got a chance to breathe, could they once again put up a fight?

Everything was hidden in the locker room during halftime.

"Patrick! Patrick!" As he entered the home team’s locker room, Lu Ke called out to Patrick Willis before walking to the offense. He wiped the sweat that was constantly dripping down. He looked as if he had just been pulled out of the water. "I’m not sure if you noticed, but there’s a pattern in Matt’s passes to different targets."

"What do you mean?" Willis stopped and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Ryan was not a rookie who had just entered the league. He would naturally not easily expose his tactical intentions. But every player had their own habits, including Lu Ke himself. In a crisis, the first person Lu Ke’s eyes would look for would be Logan, or when he looked for Crabtree, he would subconsciously choose to throw over his shoulder. Ryan was no exception.

In fact, the offensive and defensive playbooks existed independently of each other. It was a big taboo for a quarterback to meddle in the defensive playbook. It could be said that he was teaching a fish how to swim.

But special cases did exist, like Lu Ke. He was a defensive practice player in college, and his understanding of the team’s playbook was unique. More importantly, Lu Ke’s study of game film was terrifying. He knew every offensive and defensive confrontation like the back of his hand. So, when Lu Ke interpreted offensive and defensive tactics from a quarterback’s perspective, he could often provide more inspiration.

For example, now.

Lu Ke was not coaching the defensive tactics, but rather relaying his observations to Willis. The rest of the work was left to the defensive team’s internal discussion, after all, they were the experts.

"Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez’s receiving positions are almost all in the medium passing area. You can check the specific data that the tactical room sent over, but I estimate it should be over 70%. My point is that we are leaving too much time and space for the receivers to run forward."

As a quarterback, Lu Ke’s perspective was slightly different. The offensive line’s pocket protection not only gave the quarterback more time to observe the field for a pass but also gave the receivers more time to run their routes. This was a mutually beneficial result. The offensive line’s growth was a big reason why Lu Ke’s play design this season had become more flexible.

"Also, their offensive line’s injury problem is more serious than we thought, especially on the right side. I’m not sure if you noticed, but our success rate for a breakthrough on the right side is much higher than on the blind side. You can check the data later. That guard on the right side obviously can’t keep up with the rhythm. After every snap, his movements and reactions are a half-beat too slow. There’s a problem with his coordination with the center and the right tackle."

"Also, when Matt Ryan feels pressure from a pass rush, the first person he looks at is Tony Gonzalez, not Julio Jones..."

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