Chapter 1466: Chapter 1465: Never Give Up
Twenty-two seconds!
Twenty-one seconds!
Every second counts, no time to slow down.
Kyle Shanahan’s brain begins to operate at full speed, he can even hear the sound of his mind turning, the pressure from the Kansas City Chiefs Defense breaking through the boundary of the field, steadily advancing toward Shanahan, almost crushing him.
Palm, slightly dampened.
Shanahan quietly clenches his fist, no time for chaos, the fear of having all disguises uncovered twice in a row leaves no time to savor, decisively unfolding his layout, pushing himself with inertia, the burning adrenaline has his heart wildly pounding against his chest, as if racing against time.
Garoppolo quickly conveys the tactical arrangement, reorganizing the lineup at the fastest speed, snapping the ball again.
“Attack!”
The world begins to operate at full speed.
San Francisco 49ers’ offensive line shrinks in, surrounding Garoppolo like a pocket —
Passing Play.
Third gear, ten yards, Shanahan demonstrates rare audacity, not only choosing a passing play but also opting against his usual protective tactics, starting by displaying a passing stance, the pressure all falls on Garoppolo’s shoulders.
After two consecutive ground plays and two consecutive deceptive plays, Shanahan resolutely returns to minimalism, such audacity is commendable.
This time, it truly caught the Kansas City Chiefs off guard.
Despite Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive front line still applying pressure, this time the San Francisco 49ers come prepared, five offensive linemen plus Yushchek tightly protecting Garoppolo, giving him enough time for observation and release.
Raises hand, swings arm, passes —
Fake move.
As Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive second line focuses entirely on San Francisco 49ers’ top wide receiver Samuel due to Garoppolo’s action, Garoppolo retracts his right hand, slightly adjusts his steps.
At this point, Kansas City Chiefs Defense also becomes aware, San Francisco 49ers seemingly putting all offensive pressure on Garoppolo, but actually, it’s all route running that Shanahan arranged in advance, Garoppolo’s secondary defensive reading isn’t the real read, very likely still a fake move.
So, who is the actual passing target?
Is it Sanders? Or Kittel? Or maybe Bourne?
Anything is possible.
For the defensive group, they can only read Garoppolo’s moves but can’t see into Shanahan’s mind.
Just then, Garoppolo passes, and it’s not the expected short pass.
Long pass, unleashed.
Turns out, Garoppolo’s wait and adjustment were a fake move and also a buildup of power.
The football draws a thrilling reddish-brown arc, flying mightily towards the end zone.
Kansas City Chiefs’ fully pressing defensive group finally sounds the alarm: a backfield sneak attack.
Who would have thought that tonight’s Super Bowl first backfield sneak attack isn’t by Mahomes but by Garoppolo?
Ha!
The crowd exclaims.
Garoppolo’s heart rises high, this is his shining moment, this is his time to prove himself, this is the time the spotlight turns on!
The football, gracefully soaring, then rapidly descending, towards —
Kittel, rapidly descending.
Unexpected, Garoppolo’s long pass, even more unexpected, the passing target turns out to be tight end Kittel!
Kittel, speed is not his strong suit; but like Kelsey, despite their killer move in the league not being speed, it doesn’t mean they lack speed, their forty-yard dash far exceeds the league’s average level, they often play the role of surprise weapon in special gears.
In the 2019 season, Kittel as a passing target, the furthest reception distance was fifty-one yards.
Now, a forty-two-yard long pass is quickly rushing towards Kittel.
However!
Kittel isn’t alone.
Cornerback Fowler relentlessly entangles Kittel, persistently and inexorably.
No one noticed Kittel, no one noticed Fowler either.
The two like Tom and Jerry, chasing and dodging, endlessly entangled, amidst the dizzying turns, Fowler sticks tightly to Kittel’s steps.
One-on-one, face-off duel.
The football, descending, cutting into the edge of the Red Zone, even though it doesn’t enter the end zone, ensures a field goal attempt.
In an instant, that thrilling arc attracts all the attention from all directions, like a snowball, rapidly growing bigger.
Fowler: huffing and puffing, feeling the burn in his gut.
Cornerbacks are at a disadvantage against tight ends, and Kittel’s unstoppable running posture brings incredible pressure to Fowler, feeling a tremor and burn throughout his body, like a skeleton about to break, barely steadying himself with all his might.
“Hold on.”
This is the only thought in Fowler’s mind, from last season to this season, Fowler is evolving into a true Chieftain, cultivating an unyielding tenacity, despite being at a disadvantage, despite not being in top form, despite the opponent performing outstandingly, still refusing to give up.
Biting tightly on his teeth, stubbornly sticking to his steps, Fowler refuses to retreat, refuses to give up —
We chase victory together, we face defeat together, we welcome challenges together.
Never give up, never!
Ah, ah, ah!
Fowler goes ablaze.
Kittel annoyed by the constant attention, Fowler watches him completely, but he needs to multitask, dealing with Fowler while preparing for a catch.
Seeing the football descending fast, no time to hesitate, Kittel discreetly hooks Fowler’s body with both hands, pushes and blocks, then bangs and knocks Fowler away with his shoulder.
Whoosh!
Cold wind rushes in.
Kittel and Fowler create distance, half a torso, Kittel immediately turns his back on Fowler, withstands potential impact, stretches his hands toward the sky to take in.
The football, embraced warmly.
Boom!
Next second, Fowler slams fiercely, giving Kittel no chance to steady, the overwhelming force pushes Kittel away.
Fall!
Hits the ground!
However, Kittel’s steps still cut into the Red Zone!
“Garoppolo! Kittel!”
“Kittel! Garoppolo!”
“Such a crucial connection, an incredible pass, Garoppolo and Kittel’s collaboration propels San Francisco 49ers into the Red Zone, seizing a touchdown opportunity for San Francisco 49ers with six seconds left on the clock…”
“God, unbelievable!”
“The scenario from the American League playoffs repeats, last time, Kansas City Chiefs were the trailing side overtaking, completely shattering Tennessee Titans’ chain of attack and defense; while this time Kansas City Chiefs face the crisis of being overtaken while leading, San Francisco 49ers erupt with incredible energy in such a short time.”
“Situation, reversed!”
Exhilaration. Passion. Losing reason. Buck’s spirited commentary erupts.
But, Aikman first notices the anomaly, “Joe, Joe, Yellow Flag.”
Buck pauses, glances at the field, indeed sees Kittel arguing with the referee, gasps, “Yellow Flag, there’s a penalty on the field, but none of us noticed.”
“A penalty… belongs to the offensive group.”
“George Kittle penalized for offensive interference! Oh, Jesus Christ!”