"Special Mission: A Challenge from Geno Atkins."
Since time was so tight, Lu Ke didn't have time to read the mission description and rewards in detail. He only had time to glance at the mission requirements: "Lead the offense to score three or more times; defeat Geno Atkins by evading a sack three or more times; win on your own: special skills are disabled."
Although Lu Ke's only special skill was "Absolute Steps," which wouldn't have been very useful anyway, he could clearly feel that with the detailed requirements of this special mission and Atkins's aggressive style of play, Lu Ke needed to stay focused and use his tactical arrangements to defeat his opponent.
The confrontation between a quarterback and a defensive tackle or defensive end is never a physical one.
Lu Ke's physique is not top-notch. If you compare rookie quarterbacks like Cam Newton and defensive end J.J. Watt, Watt's height and weight have a definite advantage. Both players have top-notch physiques, but if they were to have a physical one-on-one, Newton would undoubtedly be the one to get hurt.
That's because a quarterback's core skills are their passing feel and tactical awareness. The training for a defensive end and a defensive tackle is physical confrontation. They need to fight against the offensive line, fight against running back rushes, and get sacks on the quarterback. Physicality is the foundation, and the ability to spot opportunities and weaknesses is the ceiling.
Even for Newton, who is known as "Superman," it's unrealistic to expect him to physically confront a defensive tackle or defensive end.
So, Lu Ke's confrontation with Atkins was a clash of wits and strength. Lu Ke had to read the defense, successfully predict the opponent's defensive intentions, and then command the offensive line to make the corresponding blocks. Then, through the running of the receivers and the tactical distribution of the running backs, he had to tear open the defense, break through Atkins and his defensive teammates, and make a drive.
The mission requirements in the special mission were as follows: First, score. Whether it's a field goal or a touchdown, the 49ers need to score. Second, evade. Through the offensive line's blocking, he had to evade Atkins's sacks. Although it was unclear how the specific execution would be judged in the game, Lu Ke basically understood his mission.
So, with the special skills disabled, Lu Ke communicated with the coaching staff and boldly used a trick play to fool the Bengals' entire defense and make a big-yardage drive.
However, this was just the beginning. The entire game had not ended, and neither had this drive.
Now, the San Francisco 49ers' offense was on the opponent's 35-yard line, and the drive was still going. According to the coaching staff's play call, after the snap, Lu Ke handed the ball to Lynch again.
This time, it wasn't a trick play but a real run.
The Cincinnati Bengals' defense was highly focused. After noticing the handoff between Lu Ke and Lynch, two linebackers and a defensive end rushed toward Lu Ke to cover him. The remaining four defensive linemen and one linebacker charged forward fiercely, blocking all of Lynch's running lanes.
But the after-effects of the trick play were still present.
After Lynch got the ball, he didn't blindly charge forward. Instead, he carefully noticed the defensive mismatch and then ran around the offensive and defensive lines, rushing into the gap on the right. The corresponding cornerback and safety on the right immediately covered him, but their speed was a half-step too slow.
Lynch, like a bulldozer, fiercely pushed forward for seven yards before he was tackled.
The momentum of both the offense and defense was raised to a new level. At this moment, the San Francisco 49ers had a slight advantage.
The drive continued, second down and three.
After lining up again, Lu Ke didn't immediately bend down to snap the ball. Instead, he stood up straight and carefully observed the entire defensive formation. It was still the strong blitzing "4-3" formation, and one linebacker had moved up, creating a front five and a back two formation in the front of the field. All eyes were sharp and focused on Lu Ke.
At this point, the end zone was only 28 yards away, which was a long pass range. But the Cincinnati Bengals still showed a posture of not caring and putting on strong pressure. It was the exact opposite of the Dallas Cowboys' strategy last week. They had made up their minds: to kill the snake, you have to hit it where it hurts. They only needed to contain Lu Ke, and all problems would be solved.
The ability to move in the pocket and his physical strength were Lu Ke's weaknesses, which was not hard to find after the first two games. However, in the second week, Lu Ke rushed with the ball twice, showing an amazing ability to move, which also had to be noted.
The Bengals' defensive formation was aggressive. At the same time, they had a lot of players on the front line. Even if the blitz didn't work, their run defense was excellent. It was clear that they had formulated a detailed strategy for Lu Ke: counter speed with speed and strength with strength, and try to avoid the weakness of their pass defense as much as possible.
However, one trick play slightly disrupted the Bengals' plan.
Now, the moment of truth in the game had arrived: should they stick to their previous strategy, or should they make appropriate changes? The game is constantly changing, and players must adjust based on the real-time situation. This is the true reflection of a player's ability.
Geno Atkins stared at Lu Ke, his attention highly focused. He could even clearly feel the restless and fiery blood in his veins.
Lu Ke was just a rookie quarterback, an undrafted rookie at that, and a Chinese player. But in the face of such pressure, Lu Ke still showed great composure.
Then, he could do the same.
Atkins secretly encouraged himself. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and tensed his muscles, like a cheetah ready to strike. He noticed Lu Ke's gaze. The gaze hidden in the helmet was so focused and powerful, reading the defense carefully. But he was not moved at all—
Stick to the plan. That was the only thought in Atkins's mind. He would not change his strategy. He would interrupt the drive before Lu Ke could throw the ball. He had done it once, and he could definitely do it a second time.
Then, Atkins saw Lu Ke slowly bend down and stand in the shotgun formation, putting his hands in a catching position, as if he was ready. Atkins threw away all distractions and focused his eyes on Lu Ke's hand gestures. Amid the noisy crowd, Lu Ke was almost ready to snap the ball, but in the next second, Lu Ke straightened his body again.
The tension reached its peak and then suddenly relaxed. This meant that Lu Ke was ready to change the play.
Atkins also had to adjust his position. After being tense for so long, his muscles were a little sore, but his attention was still not distracted. He listened carefully to Lu Ke's on-the-spot play change. "Green 23; Green 23; Green 23."
The same chant was repeated three or four times. After confirming that all the offensive players had heard it, Lu Ke then stepped back, but not too many steps. The shotgun formation became a pistol formation, and Lynch immediately came forward and stood next to Lu Ke.
Atkins's right foot was tapping the ground, like a motorcycle revving its engine, and he started to speed up. He heard Lu Ke's snap count, "Hut, hut, hu...t!"
The signal came!
"Bang," Atkins charged out fiercely, like a swordfish leaping out of the water. He lowered his shoulder and rushed forward, and at the same time, his hands were already reaching forward, ready to push aside the offensive linemen and tear a hole. But then he heard the sound of the whistle, "Beep, beep, beep." Atkins's movements came to an emergency halt, but his momentum was too strong, and he stumbled forward.
At that moment, Atkins realized that the offensive linemen hadn't moved at all.
What did that mean? He moved too early.
The so-called moving too early meant that before the offensive center officially snapped the ball, a player was the first to cross the line between the two teams and start the offense or defense early. This was a "false start." It's the same principle as a false start in a running race.
In the last drive, Lu Ke's snap count wasn't complicated. It seemed to follow his usual style—simple and clean. But in reality, there was a hidden trick in the snap count. The offense didn't snap the ball, but the defensive player had already started to move, so it was a penalty.
"Damn it!" Atkins cursed fiercely. In his highly focused state, he was a little too eager and excited and didn't realize the trap hidden in Lu Ke's snap count. He foolishly fell for it.
Sure enough, after a brief discussion, the referee had no objections. He turned on the microphone at his waist and announced the penalty to the entire stadium, "False start, defense, number 97. Five-yard penalty. The offense is automatically awarded a first down."
Since the San Francisco 49ers only needed three yards to complete the last drive, they automatically got a first down after getting five yards from the penalty. Now they were on the 23-yard line.
Atkins glanced at Lu Ke and then noticed Lu Ke's focused and sharp eyes. It was a head-on confrontation! In their opening clash, Atkins had one sack and one rushed throw, while Lu Ke had one false start and had advanced to the end zone.
They were evenly matched.
Atkins clenched his fist fiercely. After the frustration, his fighting spirit burned even brighter, and he shouted fiercely, "Ah!" It was a show of force to his opponent and a way to cheer himself on.
But Lu Ke didn't care at all. He pulled his gaze back and gathered his teammates again.
Just now, it was a premeditated deception to cause a false start. Lu Ke smelled Atkins's tension, so he cleverly took advantage of his opponent's weakness. If it failed, he would have lost nothing. He would have just snapped the ball as usual and continued the drive. If it succeeded, he would get a first down without a fight and reorganize the red zone offense—
Just like now.
My heart is hurting so much, I can't breathe.
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