Chapter 952: In Peril

Rob Gronkowski was running forward leisurely, his speed was neither fast nor slow, and his seemingly careless footwork actually hid completely tense muscles. His focus was at a high level, and his peripheral vision quickly scanned the field, taking in all of the opponent’s defensive positions.

Within five to seven yards, he could see at least three defensive players following him closely, but overall, the zone defense was not completely torn apart. The gaps in the net were all within a controllable range. The positions between the defensive players were always locked, and they moved in tandem. It was as if the entire defensive net was breathing.

It was clear that as soon as Brady’s pass was released, the defensive players would instantly close in, disrupting the receiver’s balance and footwork. Their two-man defense and mutual support were not airtight, but they were very close.

This time, the San Francisco 49ers’ defense showed a rare high quality!

All of the observations were just a quick glance. Gronkowski’s focus did not waver. His footsteps came to a position parallel to outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks. Cornerback Chris Culliver was about four yards behind Gronkowski at an angle.

At this moment, before Brooks and Culliver could make eye contact, Gronkowski suddenly accelerated. In two big strides, he picked up his speed. Brooks and Culliver reacted immediately, running toward Gronkowski’s front in a diagonal line, intercepting him on his forward path.

Absolute speed was not Gronkowski’s strength. His 265-pound (120 kg) weight and 6.5-foot (198 cm) height meant he was a heavy, blunted sword. He could not move as lightly and agilely as Wes Welker. As a result, the three of them collided at a single point.

Gronkowski didn’t even look at the positions of Brooks and Culliver. He jumped up slightly and then felt the first and second impacts, but he was as solid as a church bell. He extended his hands and easily caught the football.

After his feet quickly landed, Gronkowski regained his center of gravity. He stood his ground and shrugged his shoulders to get rid of Brooks’s tackle, and then took a big step forward and ran straight into Culliver. Culliver, who was not able to control his center of gravity, was sent flying.

At this time, safety Donte Whitner had already arrived on the scene and made a perfect tackle, but...

Gronkowski went with the rotation of Whitner’s tackle, spinning counterclockwise, and then shook off the hands that were firmly wrapped around his waist. The centrifugal force started to increase. Although Whitner still didn’t let go, Gronkowski had already regained the power to run again and immediately moved forward.

He dragged.

And dragged.

Whitner was like a big tail dragging behind Gronkowski, but he had no support or a point of leverage. After dragging for only five yards, the inertia of the centrifugal force made his hands let go, and he was left behind like a rag.

Gronkowski only needed to take two more steps to reach the end zone.

"Touchdown!"

"Another touchdown! This is the New England Patriots’ third touchdown in the first half! It’s also Gronkowski’s second receiving touchdown! The Patriots, playing at home, are still on fire!"

"You know, in the past seven games, their average score was 40.57. The only game where they scored less than 30 points was against their division rival, the Miami Dolphins. Even for the entire season, their average score is as high as 36.3, and they have scored more than 40 points in five games! The offense led by Tom Brady is still the most dangerous team in the league!"

"Against the San Francisco 49ers’ defense, which has performed well for two consecutive seasons, the New England Patriots’ offense has truly shown its momentum and is completely dominating!"

"This last drive was another solid drive that lasted for five minutes and 31 seconds. At the front of the red zone, at the opponent’s 15-yard line, Tom Brady made a nine-yard short pass to Rob Gronkowski on the left side! In fact, the 49ers had already anticipated the play and accurately judged Brady’s passing intentions, but... there was no stopping it!"

"Gronkowski is still an unsolvable problem. He single-handedly fought against the two-man defense and shook off the third player’s cover. He charged into the end zone with an incredibly strong stance and scored another touchdown!"

"There were not many complex tactics or changes. It was the simplest and most familiar corner route, but when it met the unstoppable Gronkowski, everything was solved. The 49ers once again failed in this crucial red zone defense and could only watch as the Patriots extended their lead."

"This is not looking good. The situation is really not good! The 49ers have very little time left in the first half."

The situation was indeed not good.

After getting into the end zone, Gronkowski looked like a sumo wrestler. He bent his upper body, then lifted his left leg and stomped it down, and then lifted his right leg and stomped it down as he walked toward the stands.

The home fans also cooperated by making loud "Thud! Thud! Thud!" sounds, as if Gronkowski was a giant, and every step would cause a massive earthquake.

Even though the "Inside the League" vote was "8-2," in fact, professionals and experienced fans both inside and outside the league unanimously believed that the San Francisco 49ers would be the ultimate test of the New England Patriots’ form this season.

This is because their last two regular season games are against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Miami Dolphins, both of which are weak teams and can only cause so much trouble. This means that the 49ers are the last test before the playoffs and a great way to check the Patriots’ chances of winning the championship this year.

This also made everyone on the Patriots hold their breath and want to teach this young dark horse a good lesson. Ever since the 49ers’ strong rise last year, there has been a lot of praise for them, but the Patriots have never been able to play them. The team naturally had a competitive mindset.

And for Gronkowski, Logan Newman, who is also a tight end, is his most direct rival in the league. Last season and this season, Logan was the one with more touchdowns. Gronkowski, who is committed to becoming the best tight end in the league, was naturally motivated to compete.

Now, the first half of the game had not even ended, and Gronkowski had already scored his second touchdown. He was in a great mood and started to celebrate extravagantly, which was a rare sight.

Then, all the Patriots’ offensive players started to laugh happily. The atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful. The game was going smoothly, and they had a big lead, so there was no reason for them not to cheer and celebrate.

As for the 49ers, the situation was not good.

Especially when Lu Ke came back on the field and threw his third interception of the first half, the home fans at Gillette Stadium were already cheering and celebrating as if they had already won the game.

This time, it was Lu Ke’s own mistake!

Lu Ke did not want to make excuses. A mistake is a mistake, and it was his own mistake, but the objective reasons could not be ignored. The weather at Gillette Stadium was truly terrible.

Before the game officially started, it was raining in Foxborough, a light drizzle. But once the game started, and while the Patriots were still on offense, the light rain stopped. The sky even cleared up a bit, although the dark clouds had not completely dissipated. But then, the wind started to blow in the stadium. It was a strange wind, sometimes strong, sometimes weak, sometimes from the left, sometimes from the right, and sometimes fast, sometimes slow. It was completely unpredictable.

Before every pass, Lu Ke had to make a judgment again and again. With just a little carelessness, the control of his strength, the arc, and the landing spot could all go wrong. At least three ridiculous passing mistakes occurred in the first half. They were so ridiculous that even Lu Ke himself didn’t know how the passes were thrown.

The most frustrating thing was not the strange wind, but the fact that Lu Ke knew that the wind direction and strength were having an effect, but he didn’t know how to deal with it. Unfortunately, this was not something the coaching staff could help with. The quarterback had to make judgments and adjustments on his own on the field. So, his lack of experience was magnified even further in this game.

In the next part of the game, a light drizzle started to fall again. It was more like a mist than raindrops. The misty rain fell like clouds and fog, and it was not continuous. The entire game’s rhythm was like a small boat on a sparkling lake. The waves were not rough, and you could even say they were gentle, but they kept coming, and it was impossible to keep a stable rhythm and balance. They were in a constant state of being shaken.

Lu Ke had to admit that he was frustrated, very frustrated. He couldn’t use his strengths and advantages at all.

This last interception was a complete misjudgment of the wind direction. He thought it was a headwind, but it was a tailwind. He put a little too much power into it, and a crosswind affected the pass’s arc, sending the ball directly into the arms of the opposing cornerback.

After the interception, he was immediately tackled by Logan and Boone, and there was no further movement. The referee then blew the whistle to end the first half. But this did not bring much comfort. Just look at the scoreboard above the field.

"27-0."

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