Chapter 420: State Fluctuation

“Lynch! My God, the San Francisco 49ers actually opted for a run play! That caught everyone completely off guard. The New York Giants’ defense was positioned too far back, leaving a glaring gap in the middle. Marcus found a sliver of space from the slot receiver position, powerfully broke through, and smoothly rushed for three yards. The end zone is right in front of him!”

“Two defenders closed in, trying to shut him down. Lynch! Lynch! Lynch! TOUCHDOWN! Lynch went airborne, hurdling high over both players in a graceful yet ferocious leap—what a beautiful sight! With a thud, Lynch landed right in the end zone for the touchdown!”

“The San Francisco 49ers are firing on all cylinders! Their passing game has remained consistently strong, and over the past few weeks, their running game has also been hitting its stride. Marcus Lynch has truly found his place on this team! Another spectacular performance in today’s game! That leaping touchdown was truly unforgettable!”

“Once again, the San Francisco 49ers offense has lived up to the home crowd’s expectations, scoring another touchdown!”

Troy Ball’s impassioned commentary, with spittle flying, traveled across the airwaves to every corner of California. It wasn’t just Candlestick Park that erupted; all the 49ers fans in California were celebrating wildly. Facing a strong team like the New York Giants, the 49ers’ form and performance this week were truly stunning, making it seem as if the two teams weren’t even in the same league.

It was hard to believe this was a showdown between a 7-1 team and a 6-2 team.

For 49ers fans, game day was a festival, and it was once again becoming a special day for the city of San Francisco.

In the broadcast studio, Kirk and Teddy’s excitement quickly subsided after their initial exclamations. What was supposed to be a clash of titans was now turning into a one-sided affair. For commentators and neutral fans, this was more of a disappointment than a pleasant surprise. Outside of the 49ers fanbase, no one wanted to see a game like this.

Kirk was the first to offer his analysis. “The New York Giants’ form recovered slightly, but the San Francisco 49ers promptly stifled their comeback attempt. Accurate defensive reads and sound play-calling are undoubtedly the reasons for the 49ers offense’s success. They’ve once again widened the score gap and extended their lead with another beautiful touchdown.”

There had been so much praise that it was gradually becoming routine. Faced with another outstanding performance from Lu Ke, Kirk didn’t comment much, mentioning it only in passing.

“That’s right. The score is now 21-6. Even with a touchdown and a two-point conversion, they’ll need at least two more offensive drives to tie or take the lead. For the New York Giants, who haven’t managed to get on track at all today, the situation is looking increasingly dire,” Teddy agreed. “The first half is about to end, and the Giant Team still has two timeouts left. Do you think they’ll go for broke?”

Because they lost a challenge, the New York Giants were down to two timeouts.

“Why not?” Kirk said simply and crisply.

Sure enough, when Little Manning took the field again, he lined up in the Shotgun Formation and immediately started throwing deep, trying to advance the ball as quickly as possible in the limited time remaining to catch up, even if it just meant getting into field goal range for three points.

Unfortunately, Little Manning’s touch in the first half was absolutely abysmal. A long pass attempt turned into his first interception of the game. With no struggle and no resistance, the first half ended unceremoniously. Both teams headed to their locker rooms, waiting to switch sides and resume the fight in the second half.

Kirk and Teddy’s analysis was still echoing when the broadcast cut back to them. The two of them just looked at each other, dumbfounded. It wasn’t Little Manning’s interception that was surprising—the New York Giants led the Alliance in both interceptions made and interceptions thrown this season—but the Giant Team’s abysmal performance.

“Candlestick Park is truly demonstrating its home-field advantage. In the first half, the San Francisco 49ers were in top form, with two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. Facing the Giant Defense Team that completely shut down Tom Brady in their last game, the 49ers offense looks completely at ease.”

Teddy said with a broad smile, shaking his head in resignation. “On the other hand, the New York Giants, playing on the road, seem to be severely affected by the home crowd and have yet to find their rhythm.”

Kirk nodded in agreement with his partner. “That’s right. As I recall, Eli Manning has made at least three bizarre and egregious passing errors, two of which were when he was under no pressure or duress whatsoever. It’s just unbelievable. Other than the intimidation of the home crowd, I really can’t think of any other reason.”

Kirk continued, “Halftime is crucial for both teams. The scales of victory are slowly tipping in the home team’s favor, but no one should forget that the New York Giants are one of the best fourth-quarter teams in the Alliance.”

“Although, among the active quarterbacks in the Alliance, Peyton Manning has the most fourth-quarter comebacks and Tom Brady has the second-most, it seems people always remember Eli Manning for his last-minute, game-winning drives,” Teddy added. “Perhaps the impact of Super Bowl XLII was just that immense. Still, no one can deny that the New York Giants’ second-half performance is something to look forward to.”

There’s a saying in sports that never gets old, and it applies to every team: until the clock runs out, anything is possible. A soccer ball is round, and so is a football—even if it’s an oval.

When the game resumed, that saying was proven true—at least, it was in the third quarter.

The New York Giants started the second half on offense, but Little Manning still couldn’t find his rhythm and went a quick three-and-out. To make matters worse, after the punt, the San Francisco 49ers returned the ball to near their own 38-yard line, once again giving Lu Ke good starting field position.

However, when the San Francisco 49ers offense took the field, their performance seemed to falter.

On first down, Marcus ran the ball hard but actually fumbled after a powerful hit from a linebacker. Luckily, Crabtree was right there to recover the football, preventing a turnover.

On second down, Lu Ke found Crabtree for a six-yard pass. But Crabtree, who had just saved the possession, inexplicably got a case of butterfingers while being pulled by an opponent and nearly caused an interception. Fortunately, the referee threw a yellow flag first, signaling a defensive penalty and averting disaster.

On the replayed second down, Lu Ke’s pass was slightly overthrown, grazing Ted Ginn Jr.’s fingertips before flying out of bounds for an incompletion.

On third down, Lu Ke made a desperate pass to Logan Newman, but Logan was tackled after gaining only two yards.

A quick three-and-out. Despite the excellent starting field position, the San Francisco 49ers failed to capitalize and keep the drive going, and were regrettably forced to sound the retreat.

To make matters worse, Lu Ke’s right arm started showing symptoms of muscle spasms.

After the pass, Lu Ke stood in place, stretching his arm. He’d had some trouble with his touch on the last two throws and thought it was just muscle tightness. But as he moved it around, he found his bicep was overly stiff, with the faint signs of a spasm.

This reminded Lu Ke of what Lech Steineberg had once told him. Looking up, Lu Ke could almost see the figures of Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning in the stands, and Lech’s as well.

This time, he chose not to hide it. After coming off the field, he went straight to Kip Kester and asked for the team doctor, wanting to see what was going on.

Instantly, the news spread throughout the 49ers.

On the surface, everyone remained calm and composed, as if they’d weathered plenty of storms and weren’t concerned by such a small matter. But underneath, their gazes couldn’t help but drift toward Lu Ke.

It wasn’t that Lu Ke’s leadership charisma had reached such a level, but that they all knew the offense needed him. Much of their outstanding performance came from Lu Ke’s play-calling. In the middle of a game, Lu Ke’s composure and calmness had gradually become the backbone of the offense.

‘If Lu Ke is injured…’ Involuntarily, everyone’s eyes turned toward Alex Smith. At the beginning of the season, they had all been full of confidence in Alex; now, however, they weren’t so sure anymore.

Logan Newman stood by the bench, gulping down water, his peripheral vision fixed on Lu Ke. A light bump on his shoulder made him turn his head. He saw Mike Lupati’s sweaty face, etched with concern and anxiety, who asked in a low voice, “You alright?”

Lifting his head, Logan noticed Marcus and Gene standing behind Rupati. He also saw Crabtree and Williams pretending to warm up behind the bench while constantly stealing glances, as well as Goodwin and Stanley standing nearby with scowls on their faces. They were supposed to be relaxing, resting, and preparing for the rest of the game, but none of them had left.

Involuntarily, Logan also turned his head, his gaze landing on Lu Ke.

He remembered back in college, on Lu Ke’s first day as a practice player. Lacking technique, he’d gotten so banged up he was bruised and swollen all over. It wasn’t a major issue, not a real injury, just muscle swelling, but his hands and knees wouldn’t stop trembling. He could barely stand, becoming the laughingstock of the entire team.

But the next day, Lu Ke didn’t miss practice and endured it all over again. Then the third day, the fourth day… To this day, Logan clearly remembered the looks on his teammates’ faces, as if they were seeing a ghost. Their laughter slowly faded, and eventually, those mocking smiles were wiped right off their own faces.

“He’ll be fine,” Logan said with conviction. No one knew just how much effort Lu Ke had put in to get to where he was today. But Logan knew. Lu Ke would never just lay down his arms and surrender. Never.