"21:7".
Less than three minutes into the second quarter, the score was already within two touchdowns, and the San Francisco 49ers, who were playing at home, were in the lead. Rookie quarterback Lu Ke scored in his first career game. In the playoffs, he felt hot, and his three touchdown passes were absolutely wonderful. In terms of tactical layout, he was slightly ahead of Drew Brees——
Of course, the game has just begun. Young people are enthusiastic and can easily get into the state; old people are slow to warm up and need to adjust.
Strictly speaking, this was not an unexpected result. After all, the San Francisco 49ers' regular season performance was already good enough, but when it actually happened, it was still a surprise. It reminded people of the Saints' last outing. Card game. So, will the 49ers become the second Lions?
For Drew Brees, his competitive mentality and game process were still not affected. When he came on the court again, he still played methodically and steadily.
After the start of today's game, the first three waves of offense were the first fumble, the second touchdown, and the third interception. Brees' performance was like a roller coaster. It was really exciting. Amid the ups and downs, the score was already two touchdowns behind in the blink of an eye. But what's interesting is that neither team has ever punted yet.
Brees, who appeared again, showed the strong control of an elite quarterback.
A short screen pass, a horizontal pass, and a fake running pass. These three passes seemed to be an understatement, but they respectively took advantage of the close end's matchup advantage, the running back's advantage in slot reception, and the outside receiver's movement to create. In the gap created by the pass, he continued to advance for more than ten yards, easily pushing past the half-court and reaching the forty-three-yard line.
To a layman, the quarterback seems to just stand in the pocket, complete the observation, and then deliver the football. That's it. It is not as complicated as imagined. More difficulty still comes from the receiving player; but for experts, For one thing, Brees' review and control of the entire battle, as well as the arrangement and combination of tactics, easily tore apart the defensive barrier.
This internal strength is admirable!
An accident occurred in the subsequent game. Witler caused a fumble by Sproles, but New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton raised a red flag challenge. After nearly three minutes of video review, the referee finally made a correction. The decision was made and it was determined that this was a successful catch. Sproles had already completed the touchdown and possession of the ball, and then Witler made a dropped ball——
In other words, dropping the ball does not count, and the offensive power is still in the hands of the Saints.
Brees, who had escaped the disaster, seemed to be gradually regaining his touch. Faced with an eight-yard situation in second gear, the entire pocket was once again torn to pieces. Amidst the pursuit and interception of two pass rushers, Brees was stunned to use his own. The two-legged run gained six yards and was within easy reach of the first offensive line. The traditional pocket quarterback's ball-carrying movement was equally heavy and clumsy, but he still successfully broke the deadlock.
Subsequently, facing a two-yard attack on third gear, Brees quickly retreated and suddenly chose a long pass. The 22-yard pass found Jimmy Graham in the middle area, forming a one-on-one matchup. Tom and Donte Vitler.
During the confrontation, Graham had completely lost his center of gravity. Witler completely knocked away Graham's receiving position, but Graham leaned back flexibly in the volley, and his body almost twisted into a Mahua, like a tiger's mouth, pulled the rugby off Vitler's head, forcefully took off the football, and then his whole body fell to the ground, twisting into a strange shape.
An almost perfect replica of the way Ted Ginn scored his first touchdown.
Slowly, Graham stood up, gritted his teeth in front of the red sea of boos from the audience, slowly, slowly smashed the football on the ground, and scanned the audience fiercely. , all the depression and grievances felt so far in the first half were vented.
It seemed like a desperate situation, but Brees still turned it into a miracle. Although Graham's adversity catch must be credited with the touchdown this time, Brees still did not give up in the fragmented pocket and avoided it with a step up. He made a sack that was close at hand and completed the pass at the last moment, once again showing the powerful aura of an elite quarterback.
It is worth mentioning that since the first half of the game, the San Francisco 49ers have made eight hasty passes, but have not recorded a single quarterback sack. In other words, the defensive team has pushed the pocket pressure to the extreme, but Brees, who is not good at running with the ball, has never panicked, completed the dodge with steady pocket steps, and successfully scored two touchdowns. .
Successfully scoring touchdowns after two consecutive close calls seemed to boost the morale of the New Orleans Saints defense.
Next, when Lu Ke led the offensive team on the stage, it was obvious that the intensity of the entire defense had increased. It's not that the pass rush or the second line has become more aggressive, but that the rhythm of the defensive players has finally matched the rhythm of the 49ers' offensive players.
For example, in pass defense, if you are one step ahead, you can get stuck in a better position. You could not do it before, but now you can do it; for example, in running ball defense, if you are half a beat ahead of time, you can accurately tackle it. Running backs, who missed it before, now do it.
It is such a difference in details that makes the competition between offense and defense become fierce.
"Pocket, the 49ers' offensive lineman's pocket was torn open again. This should be the second time in this game. Two players entered the pocket and were trying to complete the first sack of the game! "
"Lu Ke! Lu Ke moved sideways with light steps and avoided a tackle that his opponent was determined to win. He was running out of the pocket, and there was another defensive player chasing closely behind him. Wow, this time the dodge was really good. beautiful!"
"With a step forward and a pause, Lu Ke forcefully shook his opponent's center of gravity, just like a passerby in a football match. He watched helplessly as his opponent flew from behind him, but he was not affected at all! Then he readjusted his steps and Lu Ke was looking for a passing target."
"The target is...Logan Newman! The top receiving point in the San Francisco 49ers! This is an 18-yard pass! Facing the double-team of two players, Logan forcefully broke into a space , picked up the football in the fierce snatching! The ball was successfully caught! This is a successful ball!"
At the critical moment, Lu Ke had to use the special skill of absolute pace. Within three seconds, he opened a gap and successfully completed the ball.
Regrettably, this time they were on the verge of winning but still failed to continue the 49ers' offensive momentum. After stumbling past halftime and reaching the 18-yard line, they encountered the first goal of the game. One strikeout: a two-yard run, a slight miscontrol of a pass that resulted in an incomplete pass, a successful six-yard short pass but was tackled to the ground on the spot, and then faced a fourth-and-2-yard pass. Dilemma.
This time, Hubble took no chances.
The first half of the game has entered the second half. After the players' physical strength and energy have been tense for most of the half, they have now reached the first low point. They need to slow down the pace and let the players quickly complete adjustments and recharge their batteries. After that, the intensity of the game was increased again, and no player could play with high energy throughout the game. Not in the entire league.
As a result, David Akins led the special team to take the first free kick attempt since the start of today's game.
This was a 27-yard free kick, which was not difficult for Akins, but he still did not take it lightly. He prepared carefully and devoted himself seriously. After scoring the free kick steadily, he successfully gained three points for the team. points, while consuming the game time, it also stabilized the slightly hasty game rhythm.
At this time, there are only three minutes and eleven seconds left before the end of the first half. The San Francisco 49ers are slowing down the pace and trying to bring the game smoothly into the second half; but the New Orleans Saints are speeding up the pace because their offensive momentum is rising. , we must pursue the victory. As for the second half, that happens after the halftime break.
"Brees! Brees is in danger! The pocket is torn again! Brees is dancing, he is dancing in the pocket! Danger! Brees is in danger! He is still observing! Keep observing! No chance, no chance at all! Brees threw the football right out of bounds before the sack was made, God!"
"The Saints' offensive line is in endless trouble today. The pocket cannot provide effective protection at all. Brees is now forced into a desperate situation and uses his legs again and again to seek breakthroughs. , this is not the game Brees is good at!”
Continuously raiding the quarterback and forcing the opponent to enter the third gear transition, the 49ers defensive team's performance became more and more tough, but at critical moments, Brees was always able to find gaps and complete the third gear transition. It was just this wave of offense. Among them, three third-speed conversions have been successfully completed!
But there was no game time. After the official timeout, the entire game became stumbling. There was not much time left for the Saints in the first half.
"Again, another tear in the pocket! Brees runs out of the pocket, Brees runs out of the pocket to the right, pass! Brees completes the pass! It's a rainbow pass! Thirty-six yards The rainbow pass was aimed directly at the end zone. God, the arc of this rainbow pass was really perfect! The target of the pass was..."
"Marques Colston! Reggie Smith has finished blocking, he pushed Colston into the corner where the corner post is, God! Colston jumped up and completed the catch with his hands above his head! Colestone! Coleston's feet, wait, he's already out of bounds, is this an out of bounds or... we need to see the video replay!"
"Catch the ball! Land! Right foot, left foot, and then hit the corner post, touchdown! This is a touchdown! At the end of the first half, the New Orleans Saints once again completed a touchdown!"
"24:21", the first half ended.
