Chapter 968: Chapter 968: The Gambler’s Choice

Chapter 968: The Gambler’s Choice

Was Brady nervous? Of course, he was also human. Was Brady afraid? Of course not. Hadn’t he experienced similar ups and downs throughout his career?

Everyone said that Eli Manning was the quarterback who was best at comebacks in the league. That was because the "neurotic" Manning Jr. always liked to dig a hole in the first half and fill it in the second half. Also, both of his Super Bowl victories were comebacks in the fourth quarter, which created this illusion.

But in fact, according to existing league statistics, the quarterback with the most fourth-quarter comeback victories was Peyton Manning, and the quarterback with the second-most was Tom Brady. Compared to Manning Jr.’s inconsistent performance, Peyton Manning’s and Brady’s ability to control the entire game was the biggest weapon in crucial moments of the fourth quarter.

What’s more, the New England Patriots still had the lead, and Belichick would definitely not give up easily. In the remaining time of the game, they still had more advantages.

It started to get windy at Gillette Stadium again. It wasn’t too strong. It might affect a badminton or ping-pong game a little, but the football was relatively stable and didn’t need to be too worried about. However, a quarterback’s feel during a drive still needed to be paid more attention to.

Brady was confident about this.

Starting the drive from the 20-yard line, Brady played steadily, combining passing and running, and continued to use the short-passing plays that the New England Patriots were best at.

In four plays, he chose to pass three times and run once. All three passes were short passes of about six yards, finding three different targets. Two of them were successful, and one was not. But relying on a personal foul by the San Francisco 49ers’ defense, a slot catch by the running back, and most importantly, his hard-to-defend quick release, they had crossed the midfield line in the blink of an eye.

The older, the wiser.

But then, on the first and 10 from the San Francisco 49ers’ 43-yard line, the defense finally showed an incredible burst of energy.

The 49ers only sent out three defensive linemen to rush the quarterback. The other eight players were scattered in every corner of the field, tightly cutting off the routes of the four receivers and one running back, including Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski.

If this was all, it wouldn’t be a surprise. A mismatch with a numerical advantage was a strategy that every defense could execute.

The key was that the three defensive linemen, Isaac Sopoaga, Justin Smith, and Ray McDonald, showed amazing power and intensity. They, with just three people, completely tore apart the five-man offensive line. The entire pocket was instantly shattered, and they were still aggressively applying pressure. This also forced Brady to start dancing a ballet in the pocket.

He was dodging and dancing gracefully.

But Brady couldn’t find any targets. Every player, whether they were in a short, medium, or deep route, was in trouble. In the end, before Justin Smith, who had broken free from a double-team, could complete the sack, Brady was forced to throw the ball, trying to find Gronkowski and use his strong tight end’s personal ability to make the catch.

Unfortunately, it was not successful.

Brady’s pass was a little off, and Gronkowski’s feet were not in the right position.

In this play, the 49ers had no change in their strategy. They created an advantage with their sheer strength, especially the toughness of the three defensive linemen, which made Brady break out in a cold sweat. This season, the 49ers’ defense was more balanced. Even with some fluctuations in their local strength, they were still at the top of the league. This defensive play just now showed their explosive power.

The problem now was whether they could maintain this consistency and continuity after this initial burst.

An accident happened on the field. Ray McDonald’s knee seemed to have some problems. Accompanied by the team doctor, he walked off the field on his own, which should be a relatively positive sign. But the 49ers still had to send in a substitute player, Ricky Jean-Francois, number 95, to fill the void.

The game started again.

On second and 10, Brady attempted a surprise medium pass, but it was not successful. With the pocket still in danger, the pass didn’t find its rhythm, which forced them into a third and 10 situation.

But in the next pass, Brady was taking a big risk. He still had a quick release and a full acceleration. Then he found his most trusted wide receiver, Wes Welker, number 83, with a bullet pass.

Welker didn’t disappoint Brady. Before the three defensive players could complete their circle, he caught the ball with his abdomen in an awkward posture, and then he fell to the ground. But this pass was a full 15 yards, which was enough to get a first down.

The performance of Ricky Jean-Francois, who was rushed onto the field, was obviously not as good as Ray McDonald’s, but at a critical moment, his performance didn’t drag the team down. In the past two defensive plays, he responsibly completed his tasks. For the 49ers, this was a blessing in disguise.

Then, after entering the 30-yard line, the 49ers’ defensive momentum was further boosted, and Jean-Francois still didn’t make any mistakes.

On first and 10, Brady chose to hand the ball to the starting running back, Stevan Ridley, number 22. But the highly focused defense didn’t give him any chance. Including the substitute Jean-Francois, at least four players completely cut off the ground running lanes, and then they tackled Ridley directly behind the line of scrimmage.

He not only didn’t gain any yards but also lost two yards.

On second and 12, Brady chose a long pass without any warning. He tried to find a teammate in the end zone with a rainbow pass of about 33 yards, trying to score a touchdown with one fatal blow.

Unfortunately, the safeties and cornerbacks were very focused and never lost their positions, which prevented the receivers from speeding up. They firmly blocked the space for the long pass and suppressed the offense’s momentum, making it impossible for them to get to the receiving spot in time.

At the same time, Brady, who was in a pocket full of waves, once again faced strong passing pressure and the danger of being sacked. He had to throw the ball early, which further compressed his receivers’ space. With all these factors combined, the timing was not perfect.

The pass was incomplete.

Ray McDonald’s unexpected departure did not disrupt the 49ers’ defensive rhythm. They continued to show strong confrontation ability. The momentum of the offense also continued to the defense. In the blink of an eye, the New England Patriots, who were playing at home, once again faced the problem of a long third down.

Third and 12.

After a quick snap, Brady once again found Wes Welker with a quick five-yard short pass. Before the defensive linemen could complete their rush, Brady had already thrown the ball, giving the defense no more chances.

After Welker caught the ball, he used his agile footwork to dodge the outside linebacker Aldon Smith, who came to defend. Aldon, whose form was not at its peak today, missed his one-on-one tackle.

Welker got some space to continue to advance, but he was then immediately tackled. The two safeties and one cornerback moved up very quickly. Although Welker’s short-range sprinting ability was top-notch in the league, Brady’s release was so fast that Welker didn’t have enough space to build up speed. As a result, he still couldn’t break through and fell to the ground just before the first down line.

He was just one yard short of getting a first down.

One yard. Just one yard. That was enough to make the offense and defense switch places between heaven and hell.

The 49ers once again made an important defensive stop in this game. The continuously increasing defensive intensity was compressing Brady’s offensive space and rhythm little by little, forcing Brady to make mistakes, and then slowly bringing the momentum of the game back.

That’s how sports are. If the team with the lead can’t stop the opponent’s comeback in time, the following process will witness the strong rise of the team that is behind. Once they rise, the balance of victory will be completely different.

Fourth and one.

The New England Patriots were now in a difficult situation. If they chose a field goal, it would be a kick of about 38 or 39 yards, which was not a problem for the kicker Stephen Gostkowski. But, the score gap would only change from five points to eight points. Is that... enough?

Eight points, one touchdown plus a two-point conversion. This was still a score that could be tied.

Now, facing the 49ers, who had a great momentum, could the New England Patriots’ defense be trusted?

As mentioned before, Bill Belichick was a coach who was more inclined toward offense, and the New England Patriots’ defense had never been their strongest point. More importantly, Belichick was one of the most cunning and boldest coaches in the entire league. Some of his tactical choices were even more aggressive than Jim Harbaugh’s.

Deep down, both Belichick and Harbaugh were gamblers.

Now, Belichick had to face a choice: to choose a stable three-point field goal to further widen the score and then choose to trust his defense, or to take a risk and try to get the first down on fourth and one. They were now only about 22 yards away from the end zone. A touchdown seemed within reach, and if they scored a touchdown, they could kill the game early.

For other coaches, this might be a difficult decision, but for Belichick, it wasn’t.

"Fourth down conversion! The New England Patriots have chosen to go for it on fourth down!"

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