The fourth quarter began with a suffocating final moment.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who were the first to appear, finally regained their offensive touch. It was still Antonio Brown. This game seemed destined to become Brown's famous game. The second-year wide receiver's catching touch in a tight defense It's really amazing, and his ability to advance after receiving the ball is even more impressive.
It's not that the San Francisco 49ers' defensive team is not strong enough, but that Antonio Brown seems to have entered a super state. He even picked off Ben Roethlisbo with one hand while being double-teamed by three defensive players. The pass that was too high and too far completed the key conversion of eight yards on third gear for the team and successfully entered the red zone.
Such a wonderful performance caused exclamations after exclamations in the studio.
After entering the red zone, facing the intensive defense of the 49ers, the Steelers' offense finally lacked a breath. The running ball under the crisis was firmly pressed above the line of scrimmage and failed to complete the third-down two-yard pass. conversion, in the end, they chose a more secure free kick. After gaining three points again, the score came to "14:27".
Obviously, for the Steelers, every time they score, they are one point closer to winning the game; at the same time, every first attack consumes more game time. Their game strategy has become clearer and clearer. Focus on control, and then you can steadily gain victory.
But the 49ers had to go all out and make a desperate move.
The San Francisco 49ers, who appeared again, were unable to continue the good luck of the previous two waves of offense this time. In the case of six yellow flags, the entire offense stumbled, three of which were fouls by the offensive team, resulting in a loss of yardage. , which further increased the difficulty of advancement, as players on both sides refused to give in.
In the end, Lu Ke advanced to the 23-yard position in the opponent's half and unfortunately struck out.
David Akins went into battle and scored the San Francisco 49ers' first free kick of the game. The score reached "17:27", which was still a very wide gap, but the time spent between you and me, But it is eroding the 49ers' hope of winning bit by bit, and there is really not much time left for them now.
If the first turning point of the game was Lu Ke's hypothermia, which led to the defeat in the first half; then, the next moment is likely to be the second turning point of the game.
With six minutes and 48 seconds left in the game, the 49ers' No. 53 linebacker Navarro Bowman tore apart the opponent's offensive line, got into the pocket, and sacked Roethlisberger. And caused a fumble, and then Alton Smith, who rushed over, caught the fumble and successfully converted the ball, giving the 49ers a chance to start the offense at the 47-yard line in the opponent's half.
That's not all. After Roethlisberger was sacked and fell to the ground, the ankle injury seemed to have some impact. He left the field with the support of his opponent. The specific situation still needs to be completed by the team doctor.
Undoubtedly, this is a critical moment of ball possession transition.
However, whether the San Francisco 49ers can realize this turning point, maximize their profits, and truly turn the situation around depends on the offensive team led by Lu Ke. Otherwise, it may become an opponent that completely overwhelms the 49ers. The turning point for the offensive team, facing the Steelers defensive team who played bravely today, now once again entered the decisive moment.
Although the game is getting more and more tense, the closer it is to the second half of the fourth quarter, the more limited the space left for the 49ers to catch up or even overtake. More importantly, the opponent's defensive team's state has not collapsed and has always maintained a A strong and focused posture; however, when he appeared again, Lu Ke remained absolutely calm and completed the tactical arrangements in an orderly manner.
Afterwards, players from both sides quickly completed their formation.
The San Francisco 49ers boldly adopted a shotgun formation and a multi-line offensive formation.
Lu Ke stood seven yards away from the center and cleared the backcourt. Two receivers, two tight ends and a running back were all sent on the field. He seemed to have made up his mind that this was a passing attack. His strengths showed absolute confidence and strength.
The left wing is heavily stocked with Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree and Ted Ginn - not Kyle Williams, but Crabtree, which also means, a tight end With a forward plus a big wide receiver, plus a fast wide receiver, the tactical permutations and combinations are full of endless possibilities.
The right wing is relatively light, with Logan Newman and Marcus Lynch. Among them, Lynch is located in the slot receiver position, while Logan stands abnormally on the outside near the sideline, forming a confrontation with the cornerback.
On the Pittsburgh Steelers side, a heavy and steady standard defensive formation was set up. They chose zone defense this time, because when Marcus moved his position, the two inside linebackers also followed suit, which also meant that Here, James Farrell is the player marking Marcus.
Although it is a zone defense, the Steelers also had to make adjustments according to the 49ers' tactical formation. On their right side, they gathered William Guy, Lamar Woodley, Ryan Clark and Troy - There are four players including Polamalu. Among them, Polamalu's position is slightly towards the middle, while the other inside linebacker, Larry Ford, changed his position and moved slightly to the right.
On the left wing of the Steelers, Ike Taylor plays against Logan Newman, Farrell plays against Marcus, and there is also outside linebacker James Harrison who should not be underestimated at any time.
In the Candlestick Stadium, there was silence; above the stadium, everything was calm. There is no difference at all, it is quiet and peaceful.
Then, Lu Ke's steady voice shouted, "Attack!"
At the moment of kick-off, the four receivers on the left and right started at the same time and sprinted quickly according to their established running routes. However, to everyone's surprise, Marcus Lynch did not move forward, but retreated and turned around. , came to Lu Ke's side in a few strides, and made plans to catch the ball.
Could it be that this is a running attack? Instead of a passing offense? Is the shotgun formation a complete smoke bomb?
The Pittsburgh Steelers were prepared for such a situation early.
On the heavily guarded side, inside linebacker Ford did not rush forward, but switched positions with Woodley. Ford began to retreat quickly and joined the ranks of zone defense; while Woodley rushed forward with a lunge, trying to Split up the offensive line and sack the quarterback.
On the relatively weak side, Farrell moved left and right on his straight line, his eyes fixed on Marcus. Regardless of whether the running back was running the ball or catching the ball, his task was to cut off Marcus's All runs.
But the problem is that Marcus didn't break out of the pocket, so Farrell had nothing to do - there was an offensive line and a defensive line between them. Unless the pocket was torn, Farrell and Marcus would be The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl at both ends of the Magpie Bridge.
Then Farrell realized something was wrong.
With three defensive linemen against five offensive linemen, the numerical disadvantage allowed the Steelers to still press rather than raid, but the entire pressure process was not sharp enough. On the right wing, Adam Schneider, who was standing on the outermost side, actually found time to intercept Woodley; on the left wing, Joe Stanley did not have time to step back, and Harrison made a breakthrough——
Harrison and Woodley prepared to complete the double-team again and try to sack the quarterback. Even if he couldn't capture him, at least he could make Lu Ke dance in the pocket.
Now, Woodley was stuck in position, and although Harrison broke through, Farrell watched helplessly as Marcus stepped forward and became entangled with Harrison.
"Oops!"
…
Lu Ke quickly retreated and adjusted his steps, his eyes swept across the field, and he immediately took in the entire situation on the court.
The left wing was indeed the hardest hit area. The three receiving players were able to restrain the area coverage of the four defensive players. However, Polamalu's footsteps were still moving quickly in the central area, and he was waiting for opportunities to pounce forward. Lu Ke knew that his prediction was correct.
To put it simply, the Steelers judged that the 49ers should choose short passing or running the ball, so they chose to raid. Woodley and Harrison teamed up with three defensive fronts to complete the raid, and used an inside linebacker Farrell to contain the Horse. Kuss, finally uses zone defense to shut down all potential passes.
At the same time, Polamalu waited for the opportunity to step forward, either to help defend in the short passing area or to cover Marcus.
During the defensive reading, Lu Ke captured the position changes of Woodley and Ford, and the two people's centers of gravity showed an abnormal shift. Therefore, Lu Ke boldly made a judgment and used the trick to summon Marcus. Come back and form a numerical advantage.
On the front, six offensive players play against six defensive players; on the left, three offensive players play against four defensive players.
Among them, in the duel between the offensive line and the defensive line, Marcus faced Harrison, eliminated Farrell, and then formed a "five-on-four" numerical advantage on the offensive line, building an impregnable Pocket protection. As for Harrison, who has very strong personal abilities, Lu Ke is not worried. He only needs Marcus to block him for a moment.
Because a gap has been formed——
On the right, an offensive player versus a defensive player, in other words, Logan Newman versus Ike Taylor.
However, Lu Ke did not reveal his passing intention immediately. He had to shake Polamalu's center of gravity to create more conditions for Logan to catch the ball.
This is not a short pass, nor a medium pass, but a long pass.
From the first moment the attack started, Lu Ke had already decided to pass the ball long. Everyone speculated that the 49ers would play steadily. The Steelers even judged that they would choose to run the ball and steadily push forward step by step from the half court. Don't waste this excellent offensive starting position. The fact is that Lu Ke really has no plan. It was a waste, but his plan was a little bolder and a little crazier.
A fake pass, two fake shots, and then a step up to avoid Harrison who flew over after getting rid of Marcus, pass the ball, and take a shot!
