Chapter 906: Pressing the Advantage

Charles Tillman had put all his effort into the chase, but in the end, he couldn’t catch Logan Newman. His final lunge only grazed a corner of the number 88 jersey, and he completely lost his balance. His feet slipped, and he fell to the ground in a clumsy heap.

To avoid injury, Tillman had to roll several times, dispersing the powerful momentum and impact. He felt like a tumbling gourd, rolling head over heels until he finally came to a stop, just in time to see Logan celebrating his touchdown.

Tillman sat up, with his hands on his knees, and his gaze shifted from Logan to Lu Ke.

With a half-field’s distance between them, and with so many red jerseys and helmets, Lu Ke’s figure wasn’t very clear. After all, he wasn’t a tall, obvious player like Michael Crabtree. But Tillman found Lu Ke in an instant. For the past week, they had been studying this quarterback’s game film.

They had not underestimated Lu Ke. In fact, they had watched all the game film from his two seasons countless times. They had a clear and comprehensive understanding of his passing habits, on-field anticipation, and strategic plans. The defense had made specific adjustments to counter him.

But... why couldn’t they stop this second-year player?

Everyone knows that a game is different from film. Only on the field, in a real battle, can you truly determine who is better, because a game changes in a split second. But in that last offensive-defensive matchup, all of their defensive strategies fell into the opponent’s offensive trap. They were like naive spores, thinking they could pull off a grand deception, when in reality, they were walking right into a hunter’s snare.

Being in the middle of it, the feeling of helplessness and frustration of being led by the nose was something Tillman understood better than anyone.

His stare at Lu Ke was hot and sharp, as if it could burn a hole through the number 14 jersey. Even though the Chicago Bears were slowly sinking into a difficult situation and were on the verge of losing the game, the duel between the cornerback and the quarterback was far from over. The second half had just begun. Did they really think he would surrender now?

No way!

This season, Tillman’s form was excellent, and he was on a hot streak. Many professional analysts believed he was currently the top cornerback in the league. At least, based on his performance and skill so far this season, that was certainly true. Furthermore, Tillman’s ability wasn’t based on hype.

In the first week of the regular season, he matched up against this year’s top rookie, Andrew Luck, and gave him a brutal lesson in professional football.

In the games that followed, he faced the 2009 first-overall pick, Matthew Stafford; the 2010 first-overall pick, Sam Bradford; and the 2011 first-overall pick, Cam Newton, and he won every matchup. He was the "rookie quarterback killer" of the season. He also faced Aaron Rodgers and Tony Romo, with one win and one loss.

In other words, Tillman’s stats and abilities were forged in real games, with no fluff or sugarcoating. They were the result of a thousand-fold tempering.

Today, against Lu Ke, Tillman also showed excellent competitive spirit. But on that last play, Tillman was completely outmatched. This couldn’t help but remind him of the loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 2.

The thing was, that was Aaron Rodgers! A top-tier, elite quarterback in the league! Lu Ke was just a second-year player whose experience and resume were far from mature. How could he be compared to Rodgers?

Tillman spat to the side. During his last effort, he had gritted his teeth and accidentally bit the inside of his cheek, tasting a hint of blood. All right, he thought, let’s see who gets the last laugh in this contest!

Lu Ke could feel the scorching gaze on his skin. It felt like it was about to burn a hole in him. He looked up, following the line of sight, and saw a group of dejected and angry Bears players leaving the end zone. Almost every one of them was looking in the direction of Lu Ke and his offensive line.

Good, he thought. To make your opponents hate you, to make them grit their teeth, means you’re doing something right.

David Akers, who had been consistently solid this game, kicked the extra point without a problem. The score was now 27-3. The scales of victory had tilted even further toward the home team. Now, the question was, how much fight did the Bears have left? If they were to resort to a scorched-earth strategy, a win-at-all-costs plan, would the second half turn into a messy game?

Rivalry, rivalry. Even though they weren’t in the same division, every matchup between the Bears and the San Francisco 49ers was always full of fireworks.

Jason Campbell took the field again, and you could feel a grim determination among the Bears’ offensive players. The score gap was getting bigger and bigger, and they knew they had to get tougher, both on this drive and the next. Otherwise, the outcome was already decided.

But obviously, the 49ers’ defense wasn’t going to let up. If they wanted to win, they had to take it for themselves!

And that’s exactly what happened.

Campbell used every trick he had, throwing, running, and rushing, trying his best to tear through the 49ers’ defense. They succeeded a few times; no defense is impenetrable. But they also failed a few times. The offensive coordination wasn’t flawless, and in the end, Campbell’s abilities came up short. They couldn’t get past midfield, and then...

"Interception!"

"Patrick Willis jumped up and tipped Campbell’s pass, changing the ball’s trajectory. The ball flew high in the air, and Carlos Rogers was in the right place at the right time. He made the catch before the ball hit the ground!"

"Although tight end Kyle Adams tried to stop Carlos Rogers’ interception, he was a half-step too slow and could only watch as Carlos Rogers made a beautiful diving catch! This is an interception! An undeniable interception!"

"Jay Cutler threw an interception in the first half, and now Jason Campbell has thrown one as well. This is a heavy blow to the Bears, who are trying to get back into the game. As we said at halftime, the defense is the star of this game, and the 49ers’ defense is once again dominating. The offense, meanwhile, is the key to changing the momentum, and the 49ers’ offense is about to take the field again!"

"The home team, the San Francisco 49ers, now has a twenty-four-point lead. Can they extend it even further?"

"This drive will start on the 49ers’ 46-yard line. This is a great opportunity for Lu Ke. But for the Bears’ defense, for Julius Peppers and Charles Tillman, they are ready to stop them."

In the broadcast booth, all the commentators were excited because another clash of titans was about to happen. On the field, Lu Ke and the offense could also smell the a-l-l-or-nothing atmosphere.

There were six minutes and forty-three seconds left in the third quarter. There was still plenty of time left in the game, but for the Bears, they were running out of room. They needed to raise their spirits, stabilize their footing, and stop the opponent.

Lu Ke noticed the change in the game’s atmosphere.

Like a seasoned hunter, he knew he had to seize the moment and press the advantage. He had to deliver another heavy blow before the opponent could recover, so he could firmly hold victory in his hands.

"We need to score," he told them. A field goal or a touchdown, it didn’t matter. They just needed to score to widen the gap and crush the opponent’s confidence. By defeating the Bears’ defense, they would demoralize the Bears’ offense and take control of the game. "We are winning right now. We need to keep it up."

Lu Ke stood tall and scanned the field. On the other side, he saw Tillman, who was doing high-knee exercises. His eagerness revealed his determination. Lu Ke looked away and didn’t say much. "We’ve done it before, and we can do it again! All right, let’s get some touchdowns!"

Lu Ke clenched his fist and signaled to his teammates to take the field.

He saw Tillman and Peppers talking in low voices. The short conversation seemed to be a secret code that only they understood. Tillman then moved laterally toward the sideline, his eyes never leaving Lu Ke.

This time, the gaze was incredibly clear. That familiar feeling gave Lu Ke goosebumps. But to him, it didn’t matter. He just glanced at Tillman, then looked away, quickly getting ready for the offense.

Line up. Read. Snap.

The process was still the same, but the Bears’ defense was surprised to see the 49ers’ formation had changed again. Two running backs? This was a two-running back formation?

They had lined up with two wide receivers, one tight end, and two running backs. Marcus Lynch and Frank Gore were positioned on either side behind Lu Ke. Could this be... a dual-wing formation?

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