Taking a quick drop back, Lu Ke created distance between himself and the offensive and defensive lines. He stood tall, getting a commanding view to find a receiving target. Compared to their run defense, the Bengals' pass defense was indeed weaker, making it easier to break through. But on this one-yard line play, the situation was a little different.
On the left side, Michael Crabtree and a cornerback were tangled up, unable to even turn around. Ted Ginn, who was running a route, was in the defensive coverage of two players, surrounded by danger. Logan Newman was constantly changing his position, but two defenders were right on him. And... where was Kyle Williams? Why didn't he see Williams?
In the one-yard line battle, all twenty-two players—except for Lu Ke—were crowded in the narrow area of the end zone. Every corner of his vision was filled with people. It seemed impossible to find any openings. It felt like being in a ball pit, dizzying and impossible to make out.
No, it was just his imagination. Lu Ke caught a glimpse of an opening. Newman! Logan Newman was open!
Raising his right hand, his forearm swinging quickly, Lu Ke was ready to pass. But at the same time, he felt a powerful impact from behind, like a high-speed train, hitting his left ribs hard. The fierce impact and brutal collision mixed with the heavy force of gravity, and the world spun. For a moment, his entire world fell apart.
Lu Ke fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes. The potatoes in the sack started to roll and collide with each other. The turmoil in his internal organs was directly overwhelmed by the pain of the impact from the ground. But it was only for a moment, and then his whole body felt numb, leaving only a stiff sensation.
The impact was so fierce that his mouthguard was knocked out. His mind went blank for a short time. A buzzing sound rang in his ears. Maybe it was one second, maybe it was three seconds. The world was completely silent, with only the tinnitus echoing. Then, the silence was broken. A cacophony of noise, curses, and shouts came pouring in like a tidal wave, instantly drowning him.
The smell of blood began to fill the air again.
"F***! What's wrong with you guys?" Logan could no longer hold back his anger. He shoved Iupati and Rachal hard, his eyes wide. "Are you all dead? Four times, four fing times! God damn it! You were supposed to protect Bambi's blind side! His blind side! What were you doing! The opponent broke through four times in this game! Look at what's happening to Bambi! F! You a**holes!"
Not just Logan, but Marcus Lynch also became furious, rushing forward and hitting Rachal. "You like that? Huh? You like that? You're a fing jerk! Are you trying to get rid of Bambi for Alex? You shameless b*!" His hands were clenched into fists, and his shouting was completely out of control. "Look at Bambi, look! He's the one leading us to victory, but how are you treating him?"
After two weeks of suppression, two weeks of boredom, and two weeks of patience, the conflicts within the San Francisco 49ers finally exploded after four sacks.
Teddy, sitting in the broadcast booth, noticed the problem right away. "What's going on? The 49ers' offensive players seem to be in a conflict. Things really can't get any worse, Kirk, what do you think?" But Teddy didn't get a response. He had to call out again, "Kirk?"
Kirk was indeed a little stunned. He looked at Lu Ke, who was lying on the ground and hadn't gotten up yet. His heart almost stopped beating. Teddy's call made him slowly come back to his senses, but he was still in a daze. "Uh... the 49ers' offensive line really played terribly today. Four sacks, and the third quarter has just begun. Atkins has already gotten 3.5 sacks in a single game. This performance really needs to be criticized. But now, the more important question is, how is Lu Ke?"
Four sacks. The San Francisco 49ers' offensive line was facing a severe challenge today and was unable to provide effective protection for Lu Ke. This caused the offense to be disjointed, and now Lu Ke was even in danger of getting injured. The situation was becoming more and more unfavorable.
Michael Crabtree, Kyle Williams, Ted Ginn, and others all came forward to pull Logan and Marcus away.
Iupati and Rachal were also hot-headed. Facing the accusations, their anger flared up, and they fought back. But after being pulled apart, they also felt embarrassed. They turned their heads and stood there awkwardly, silent, not knowing what they were thinking.
Geno Atkins was celebrating his sack, but before he could even finish, he noticed Lu Ke's abnormality. He quickly ran over. "My God, man, are you okay?" He didn't mean to do it, he really didn't. He just wanted to play a good game. He just wanted to prove himself.
But now, the situation seemed to be out of control.
Atkins was terrified. He tried to pat Lu Ke, but he was worried that his actions might cause a chain reaction. The number one rule on a football field is that when someone is down, other players should not move the injured player. They must wait for the medic to come on the field, or it could cause a disaster.
"Man?" Atkins's eyes were wide, and he was at a loss. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."
The next moment, a shove came from the side. Atkins stumbled two steps, getting out of the way. He turned his head and saw Logan's furious face. "Get out of here! I don't need your fake kindness! F***!"
Seeing Atkins's embarrassment, the Bengals' defensive players also gathered around, and a conflict was about to break out. But Atkins quickly stood up, held his teammates back, and kept moving backward. He shouted, "I'm fine, I'm fine! Calm down, everyone calm down." Right now, the most important thing was that Lu Ke was okay.
On the sidelines, the coaching staff was stunned. Although the game had been a bit bumpy today, everything was under control. The San Francisco 49ers still had the upper hand in both the score and momentum. But now, the domino effect of a single sack was completely incalculable.
More importantly, the undrafted rookie quarterback, who had been performing perfectly so far this season, had physical fitness as his only weakness. Were they now going to have to swallow the bitter pill because of this one weakness? This... this was truly unfair!
Jim Harbaugh was furious. He kicked over a water bottle next to him, but it still didn't vent his anger. So he took it out on Kip Christ, shouting, "What are you standing there for? Get Alex warmed up! F***! F***, f***!"
"My God!" Jeff stood there in a daze, at a loss. He couldn't even express his sadness and anger. He just stood there blankly, looking at Lu Ke, who was lying on the ground and not responding. Time seemed to have stopped at this moment.
Was the magical journey of the undrafted rookie quarterback over?
It wasn't just Jeff. Nate, Danny, Chris, and everyone else were all stunned. The accident came too suddenly, catching everyone off guard and leaving them frozen in place. All reactions stopped, and the entire stands fell into a deathly silence.
In the dead silence, Noah Parker, who always watched the game with civility, stood up, raised his right hand high, and started to shout, "Bambi!" one after another, "Bambi!" His voice wasn't loud. It was just a simple and firm shout. "Bambi!" one after another, conveying his inner passion and support.
Noah, who looked like a weak scholar, showed a rare great wisdom. Then, Cliff finally reacted. Following Noah's call, he started waving his flag again. "Bambi!" This call was not just for encouragement, it was a belief, it was hope!
Gradually, the people in the stands finally came back to their senses. The cheers for "Bambi," tragic and heavy, firm and magnificent, all came together and surged down in a mighty roar. Under the clear autumn sky of Cincinnati, accompanied by the fluttering flag, it painted a shocking picture that echoed through the clouds.
Vaguely, Lu Ke heard the booming shouts in his ears. The blockage in his chest suddenly cleared. He gasped for air, and the dry, agitated oxygen rushed into his lungs, feeling cold. Then, Lu Ke started to cough, and slowly, slowly, he sat up straight.
Logan's loud voice rang out. "Bambi! Jesus Christ! Bambi, are you okay?" The slightly trembling voice revealed Logan's fear and excitement at the moment. The mixed emotions made his fingertips tremble.
Lu Ke let out a light laugh. "I was fine, but seeing how weak you are, now I'm not. You'd better stay away from me." His sarcastic joke didn't make anyone laugh. Opening his eyes, Lu Ke only saw the hot and focused gazes of all his teammates.
"What are you girls going to do? Is no one going to help me up? If I'm not mistaken, we still have a game to finish." Lu Ke shook his head helplessly, half-complaining and half-joking. Then he held out his hands. Logan and Marcus were the first to come forward, grabbing Lu Ke's hands. With a little pull, Lu Ke stood up.
"Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!" Jeff's voice began to warp. He was so excited that he couldn't stop jumping up and down. He almost screamed out loud, but he held back his impulse and continued to shout loudly, louder and more passionately, as if he could pass his energy to Lu Ke through his shouts.
Five thousand away fans, a drop in the ocean, insignificant. But at this moment, they were united, shouting in unison, "Bambi!" The shouts, each one more urgent and more excited than the last, highlighted that dazzling flag, fluttering in the wind, making a flapping sound!
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