Chapter 997: Chapter 997: Unwavering Belief in Victory

Chapter 997: Unwavering Belief in Victory

After scoring the touchdown, the San Francisco 49ers’ offense did not leave the field as usual. Instead, they stayed in the red zone and went for a two-point conversion.

This was Jim Harbaugh’s decision.

In the short time since the game began at CenturyLink Field, the 49ers had already felt the hostility from the home team. The 12s didn’t hide their true intentions at all: they wanted to end their opponent’s undefeated season right here! They wanted to turn this place into their opponent’s graveyard! They wanted to make sure their opponents wouldn’t come back!

In this battle of momentum, the visiting 49ers were already at a disadvantage. Now, facing the rising energy of the home fans, if they couldn’t respond in time and only rely on touchdowns to contain their opponents, the Seattle Seahawks’ offense, which had been on fire in recent weeks, probably wouldn’t be affected much.

So, Harbaugh chose a two-point conversion.

Instead of saying he believed his offense had the ability to do so, it was more like his gambler’s mentality was exposed again.

With the head coach’s command, the offense could only execute it with a unified purpose.

What’s more, Lu Ke stood in front of the Seattle Seahawks’ defense without any fear. No matter if the opponent was now the number one in the league, his confidence in his own strength, his psychological advantage from past encounters, and his unwavering belief in victory all made Lu Ke not fall behind at all, and he even had a slight advantage.

They lined up again on the two-yard line in front of the end zone. This time, Lu Ke didn’t rush to snap the ball. Instead, he calmly read the defense, made some tactical adjustments, and then bent down to get ready to snap the ball.

The insults and boos at CenturyLink Field were endless. The surging waves of sound rolled over his skin, as if they had turned into physical weapons, hitting him again and again. But the invisible sound waves were still invisible and didn’t affect Lu Ke’s focus at all. He snapped the ball. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

A two-point conversion was essentially a fourth-down touchdown in the red zone. It was a do-or-die situation.

According to Lu Ke’s playing style this season, his tactical plays were becoming more and more complex. He often used fake outs to confuse the defense, especially in the red zone. But just when everyone thought Lu Ke would choose another complicated play, he chose the simplest and most direct one:

A quick snap. A quick throw.

After the snap, he caught the ball with both hands, adjusted in place, and immediately threw the football. From the snap to the throw, it only took 1.55 seconds. It was so fast that the pass was completed just as the players on both sides were starting to move. It was a five-yard short pass, thrown at a 45-degree angle to the right.

Ted Ginn Jr. and Chad Hall used a simple crossing route to block. Hall cut in front of Ginn, blocking Earl Thomas’s route back. At the same time, Ginn stood behind Hall and completed the catch with a turn before Richard Sherman could get into position.

Both feet were in bounds! The referee blew the whistle! The conversion was complete!

The entire two-point conversion was clean and simple. Before the Seahawks could even react, the conversion was successfully completed. There was no hesitation at all, which showed the strong confidence of the offense.

Generally, a team would be more cautious with a two-point conversion. The quarterback’s judgment and choice would also be slightly affected, which would add more variables to the conversion. But it was clear that the 49ers, who were at the peak of their confidence, were not shaken at all and completed the conversion decisively.

The entire process was so fast and so powerful that the Seattle Seahawks’ defense seemed to not have even realized that they had just given up a touchdown and a two-point conversion. Because it was so fast, it seemed so simple, even surreal. There was no suspense, and it just ended like that.

This was Seattle’s first defensive play of the entire game!

What did the first offensive or defensive play mean? It meant that the two teams had spent the past few days of rest studying and planning for each other. The coaching staffs had certainly planned the first offensive and defensive plays in more detail and with more purpose. Both sides had used all their tricks to try to get an early advantage.

So, when a team was met with a strong counterattack from their opponent in the first offensive or defensive play, they would inevitably be a bit flustered. The plays they had prepared for the past few days were no longer useful, so what should they do?

This was the case for this game. In the home team’s first offensive drive, the Seattle Seahawks showed their offensive prowess. Even though the 49ers’ defense was not distracted or made any mistakes, they were still helpless and watched Marshawn Lynch run into the end zone. That feeling of frustration was inevitable.

In the home team’s first defensive play, the Seahawks also made some adjustments to their pre-planned strategy, catching the 49ers off guard. But what was the result? Lu Ke had scored a touchdown in just one run and one pass. The thunderous momentum didn’t leave any room for the home team’s defense to play. It seemed as if they had just gotten on the field and were already losing all their advantages.

To make matters worse, the 49ers immediately completed a two-point conversion with lightning speed. The Seahawks, who were playing at home, were supposed to be calm and collected, but now they were caught off guard repeatedly. Could it be that they really were no match for the 49ers?

"The visiting San Francisco 49ers have now regained the advantage! Not just on the scoreboard, but also in their morale."

"As the regular season goes on, Lu Ke’s growth and maturity are obvious. Many people believe that Lu Ke’s biggest improvement is in his use of fake outs and tactical changes, but that’s not the case. The part where Lu Ke has made a fundamental improvement is in his ability to read the game."

"In the last game against the New England Patriots, in the last offensive drive, everyone thought Lu Ke would choose a long pass to make a game-winning play. He had the ability to throw a ’Hail Mary’ and the power to end the game with one throw. That was indeed the best choice. But Lu Ke, under the cover of a no-huddle offense, completely disrupted the opponent’s defensive plan with a fast-paced connection of short passes and runs."

"Did you notice? Lu Ke is using Tom Brady’s methods to beat Brady."

"The same goes for this last offensive drive. Just when everyone thought Lu Ke would avoid the powerful defense and move forward steadily, Lu Ke used a classic long pass and a quick short pass to easily score a touchdown and a two-point conversion."

"Do you understand the key now?"

"In a game, things can change in an instant. Even if the coach has planned the plays in advance, the quarterback is the one who has to make the judgments on the fly. Lu Ke’s game is like this—

Before the snap, his ability to read the defense has already reached a top-tier level in the league. After the snap, he can always make accurate judgments about the changes on the field and move the play forward based on the situation. All of this makes Lu Ke’s game more composed. And, its depth and breadth have also evolved."

"Of course, all of this is based on Lu Ke’s deep understanding of the playbook. Although the fact that Lu Ke got a perfect score on the Wonderlic Test is widely known, now, Lu Ke is truly showing what it means to play with your brain. The strategy involved is full of intellectual beauty, and this is an important reason why football is different from just a physical confrontation."

"I’m now starting to look forward to a game between Lu Ke and Peyton Manning. What would that be like?"

The commentators stood on the sidelines and gave an overview of the game, but it didn’t have any effect on the players on the field. Just as the studio said, both on the scoreboard and in terms of morale, the visiting 49ers were gaining the upper hand.

The Seahawks’ defense was indeed a bit frustrated and confused. They didn’t know how they had given up a touchdown, and they didn’t know how they had given up a two-point conversion. It seemed as if they had just gotten on the field and were already losing. And now the home team had to deal with a "7-8" deficit. How did all of this happen? Everything happened so fast that they needed some time to process it.

To be precise, the 49ers’ offensive drive, from the time the offense got on the field to the end of the two-point conversion, only lasted 88 seconds.

The Seahawks, who were playing at home, really needed some time to adjust their tactics. Otherwise, the situation would only get more difficult.

Jim Harbaugh’s gamble worked wonders! The greater the risk, the greater the reward!

However, the 12s at CenturyLink Field were still in high spirits. They weren’t on the field themselves, so their feelings weren’t as direct as the players’. In their eyes, the game had just started, and they were still full of desire and hope for a victory. The roaring cheers echoed again, "Offense! Clap, clap! Offense! Clap, clap! Offense! Clap, clap!"

The unified chants and claps echoed like thunder, cheering on their offense. The 49ers had an unwavering belief in victory, and the Seahawks had the same. In this clash between two strong teams, it all came down to who would have the last laugh.

Russell Wilson took the field again. For the 49ers’ defense, it was the same. How to stop the ground game, how to contain Marshawn Lynch and Leon Washington, and how to read Russell’s read-option offense... These were all things they had to figure out on the field. The players had to be able to sense the slightest change and seize the opportunity to turn the situation around.

The Seahawks’ defense had just failed to contain Lu Ke, and now it was Russell’s turn to go up against the 49ers’ defense.

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