Fifteen yards from the front of the end zone, the third-down attack scored a touchdown. This was definitely a scoring opportunity for the San Francisco 49ers offense.
So far this season, the top six teams in the league's red zone efficiency are the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints.
Among them, the Redskins are mainly based on ground rushing, and quarterback Robert Griffin III's read-option offense is really hard to guard against; the other four teams are led by four elite quarterbacks. Yes, their red zone touchdown efficiency even surpassed that of the Atlanta Falcons, who just lost last week. The efficiency of the offensive team is evident.
But the San Francisco 49ers occupying the top spot does not mean that the offensive team is stronger than several other teams.
In fact, the main reason why the San Francisco 49ers are ranked first is because they have too few red zone offenses. So far, the team has only conducted seven red zone offenses throughout the season and completed six of them. Touchdown, the red zone touchdown rate is 85.7%; many times, before entering the red zone, Lu Ke directly completes the fatal blow through a mid-pass or long pass. Before the strong showdown in the red zone arrives, he has already The goal was achieved, so their offense in the red zone still hasn't been tested too much.
Now, facing the Chicago Bears' red zone defense, the San Francisco 49ers' offensive efficiency will be severely challenged.
Ten yards in first gear.
Standing in the pistol formation, Lu Ke unexpectedly did not choose to step back, but boldly chose to step forward, creating a magnetic attraction with the offensive line - the offensive line quickly gathered together. , tightened the pocket, and wrapped Lu Ke in it more tightly and tightly.
As expected, the Chicago Bears' defensive front chose to attack the quarterback. As soon as they advanced and retreated, the defensive front's impact immediately encountered an iron barrel formation, and there was no way to find a gap to tear the pocket; immediately , all five defensive fronts smelled the danger, and the players led by Julius Peppers and Henry Melton responded quickly——
They all looked up and stretched out their hands, trying to interfere with the pass.
But Lu Ke's action was still one step ahead. After completing the previous step, he raised his right hand and made a light throw. He quickly shot and accurately found Randy Moss on the left side of the short passing area.
Within the strictly guarded red zone, Moss's elusive route became more and more like a fish in the water. He stopped and turned, pulled sideways, rushed forward and retreated... In just one or two seconds, he used his own Xiao Sui Bu's power control allowed him to freely complete several turns within a palm-sized area.
When Moss's footsteps appeared near the left side of the central area, about five yards away from the offensive and defensive fronts, nearby defensive players could detect his position, but his center of gravity could no longer keep up. Two or three yards of space separated them like a chasm, and they could only watch helplessly as Moss jumped up slightly to complete the ball.
Lu Ke's passing arc is very clever. He does not draw a big arc, but a curve that rises and falls rapidly - the general will pass the raised hands of the defensive front players, but he does not lose control. Pushing towards a far-reaching area, he landed accurately and skillfully among the dense crowd and found Moss.
This short pass connection, especially the ability to tear apart the defense in a chaotic formation, shows tactical awareness and precise touch, which is exactly the biggest magic weapon for Tom Brady's brilliant achievements.
Moss only had to jump up a little and put the football in his arms without any effort, taking the chestnut out of the fire!
However, as soon as Moss's feet landed and he only had time to complete his turn, he was chased and intercepted by three defensive players.
Despite this, Moss still used the method of shaking his body's center of gravity, just like dribbling on the football field, to shake away a defensive player, and continued to advance two yards before being forced to fall to the ground. The advance was terminated.
Second gear and three yards.
Lu Ke was still standing in the pistol formation, turned around and handed the football to Marcus.
Marcus stepped up quickly, slipped out from behind Lu Ke, and then stepped up behind Goodwin. This time, the offensive line failed to open up the opponent's defensive line, but chose to push forward with a heavy shoulder——
Rupati, Stanley, Anthony and Boone all gathered towards the central area, forming an arrow-like advancing formation. Together with Marcus, they used pure force to push forward head-on towards the defensive front. Keep advancing yard by yard.
This is the most retro and primitive way of running the ball. When the power is misplaced, it can often complete the task of advancing short yards.
In fact, this kind of advancement is very rare among the San Francisco 49ers' offense, because neither Marcus Lynch nor Frank Gall is a strong running back, and Bruce Miller is a standard traditional fullback - also He is the best candidate for strong running, but Miller's ability is still limited. He mostly appears as a tactical piece to change the rhythm. Playing at critical moments can easily reveal his tactical intentions.
The Chicago Bears obviously did not expect such a situation. The first reaction was slightly behind by half a beat, and then the offensive line and Marcus had successfully moved forward.
But then, the Chicago Bears defensive team stepped forward in time, like blocking a dam, piling up layer upon layer, and it was visibly visible to the naked eye that Marcus' advancement slowed down.
In the end, players from both sides were all piled up near the first offensive line, unable to move forward or retreat. It was completely like a mountain of meat.
The referees worked hard to pull the players apart one by one and found Marcus who was buried underneath. Then they found that Marcus' fallen position was somewhat ambiguous; the referees asked for a measuring ruler and after measuring , confirmed that it was still a few inches short of completing the first attack.
Third gear several inches.
The San Francisco 49ers once again unexpectedly chose a shotgun formation, and also emptied the backcourt - Marcus stood to the right of Lu Ke. No players could be seen behind Lu Ke, and the entire backcourt was completely cleared. This also clearly lays out the passing formation.
In such a situation, running the ball is the best option, and it is also possible to "gain one yard" with the quarterback, because it almost only needs to be pushed forward to complete, but the San Francisco 49ers actually chose to pass the ball ? It's completely like a gambler's style, which is hard to figure out.
Is this a smoke bomb?
Answer: No.
After the kickoff, Lu Ke moved laterally in a small step and quickly shot diagonally forward to the right, completing the pass almost as soon as his hands touched the ball.
The shot was too fast. The Chicago Bears were still speculating on the possibility of running the ball. The linebackers' eyes were fixed on Marcus, but they didn't expect that Lu Ke actually passed the ball. The little difference in starting speed made a difference. "Third gear several inches" is fatal for a situation like this!
Lu Ke's passing target was clearly Logan Newman. The entire pass was low and fast, only two yards diagonally in front of him, shortening the cornerback's step-up time as much as possible.
Charles Tillman's reaction speed was very quick, but he was still half a beat too late. Logan had already made a gesture to catch the ball and was about to complete the ball. Tillman only had time to rush over with a flying movement. , barely destroying Logan's body balance.
Logan didn't expect it at all. As soon as his hands touched the football, his knees suddenly softened, his catching gesture went wrong, and then the football changed its flight path and jumped out of bounds, like a rocket.
On the one hand, it was Logan's negligence, lack of concentration, and flaw in center of gravity control; on the other hand, it was Tillman's strength and perseverance in defensive blocking that created the possibility for this defense.
As the most outstanding cornerback in the league this season, Tillman is well-deserved. In this game against his rival in the same district, he was even more focused. So far, he has successfully defended two passes on this side. The ball was intercepted by Logan, the opponent's best player at the moment. This ability is amazing.
More importantly, now that the San Francisco 49ers have struck out, they have to face a situation that's inches from fourth down!
"I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it at all!"
"The San Francisco 49ers offense, which has always been strong and stable this season, has now struck out twice in a row. Of course, the offensive team's performance is still outstanding. From a detail point of view, it is only a slight difference that missed the final The first down conversion is disappointing; but from the side, the deviation in details also shows the pressure exerted by the Chicago Bears defense."
"After a season and a half, the San Francisco 49ers offense has become the subject of research for all teams across the league. Now the Chicago Bears have not only conducted in-depth research, but also have the ability to execute. In the two waves of defense so far, Suppressing the opponent, wow, this is so unexpected! It’s so exciting!”
"The San Francisco 49ers offense really encountered a strong opponent! The intensity and momentum displayed by the Chicago Bears defense was even more courageous than the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers last season. Now, this game is great to watch! My It means, it really looks good!”
…
After Logan missed the ball, he curled up his fists in disbelief and stood there in annoyance and depression, "Ahhh!" He couldn't believe his mistake, and then he hit himself hard The helmet came with me and I had no idea what to do.
Lu Ke stood there, his heart contracting slightly. He could not help but experience fluctuations in his mood, but he still took a deep breath to calm himself down and said through the earphones, "Coach, gear four, I want to play hard."
"Okay." Hubble didn't pause or hesitate. To be precise, his idea was even more determined than Lu Ke's. "Let's use this tactic next..."
