Jiang Youning was the first to notice Lu Ke's abnormal behavior. It was as if they had a telepathic connection. Even though Lu Ke was the size of a palm in her field of vision and she could barely make out his movements, she knew something was wrong. Then she saw the team doctor come onto the field, and her heart sank, her fingers curling tightly.
Lu Zhengze noticed his wife's tension and turned his head, then also saw Lu Ke talking to the team doctor. His throat tightened slightly, but he still tried to comfort his wife, "They're just talking. It shouldn't be anything serious. You know, he might have noticed something wasn't right, like a pulled muscle or something, and he just needs to get it checked out to prevent an injury. It's nothing to worry about."
Jiang Youning nodded to show she understood, but her eyes were still fixed on Lu Ke, unmoving. She knew all the facts, she understood all the reasons, but she was still worried, and she couldn't stop it. Even if she couldn't help, she wanted to be there for her son.
"Lu Ke, who just came off the field, seems to have some physical issues. The San Francisco 49ers' team doctor is on the field and talking with Lu Ke." In the broadcast booth, Kirk was a little slow, but he also noticed the subtle change in the atmosphere on the 49ers' sideline. He couldn't help but look over, and his voice was filled with concern. It was well known that Lu Ke was on the thin side and didn't have an advantage in physical confrontations. As the regular season progressed, this weakness would become more and more apparent. "Now, we can only hope that no players are bothered by injuries, which would affect the excitement of this game," Kirk said, trying to maintain a neutral stance. He then turned his attention back to the Giants' offense. The game was still going on, and the Giants were still advancing, which was the main focus on the field.
The 49ers' official team doctor, Walter Hudson, quickly walked up to Lu Ke. Instead of immediately making a diagnosis, he asked about the situation, then followed up with, "When did it start?"
"After the long pass in the first half, my muscles felt a little tight, but it didn't affect my motion and there was no pain," Lu Ke said honestly. A 61-yard deep pass is a challenge for any quarterback's arm strength. In fact, through a lot of strength training and a gradual increase in base points, Lu Ke's strength had improved significantly. It was much better than it was at the beginning of the season and even more so than when he first got the system. Logically speaking, a long pass should be easier for Lu Ke now, both on paper and physically.
But in reality, there were many more factors to consider. It was already the tenth week of the regular season, and the dual challenges of physical and mental exhaustion were putting constant pressure on him. The 49ers' 7-1 record was largely due to their passing game, and all of this put more stress on Lu Ke's arm. After the 61-yard deep pass, his muscles felt a little tight, but it wasn't obvious. After his last pass, there were some issues with his arm control, and the nerves in his muscles started to twitch. It was like a tightrope walker. The wire looks taut and calm, but every time he jumps, it shudders. That's how his arm felt now. It wasn't a huge feeling, but it did affect his passing control, especially since Lu Ke was known for his accuracy.
Walter thought for a moment, then stood up and started giving Lu Ke a simple muscle massage on his arm. "It's probably just an issue with the muscles used for throwing that's causing some discomfort. It's nothing serious." This was a common situation for quarterbacks. Their throwing arm was their livelihood, and after overuse, they would inevitably have some issues. "Can you feel any pain when I massage it?" Walter asked while massaging, trying to catch up with the pace of the game. No one knew when the Giants' offense would finish their drive.
After feeling it for a moment, Lu Ke answered honestly, "It's a little sore, but it doesn't hurt." "Okay. You can continue with your extra practice, but remember to massage and ice your arm after every training session. All that fatigue accumulates little by little, so you need to be more careful. In the regular season, there's a limited amount of time for recovery. Even after a normal practice, rest and maintenance are necessary," Walter said, feeling relieved. He looked up and nodded at Kip Christ, signaling that Lu Ke was fine.
In an instant, everyone let out a long sigh of relief. It was clear that the other offensive players were now relaxed, and they finally turned and walked away, slowly calming down. Lu Ke, who didn't understand why, only vaguely noticed that the noise around him seemed to have gotten louder. But when he turned his head, he didn't see anything out of the ordinary, and his questions were left unanswered. "Did you hear what I just told you?" Walter asked sternly, looking at the distracted Lu Ke. Lu Ke nodded obediently, putting on a good-kid expression to show that he understood.
On the field, the Giants had a drive that lasted four minutes and forty-three seconds, with two yellow flags and one defensive offside. But they still couldn't get into field goal range and had to punt. Manning seemed to be warming up a bit, but he also seemed to still be out of sync, leaving everyone unable to make a judgment.
Then, the 49ers came on, and Lu Ke's passing touch was more or less affected. A short pass was inexplicably off-target, missing by a full two steps and landing in an empty area. Such a mistake was extremely rare in previous games. There were also two other short passes where his control of the power and angle was off. One was barely caught by Logan with his body, and the other one bounced off Logan's hands like a hot potato several times before he couldn't catch it. After seven plays, they got two first downs and then unfortunately went three-and-out.
The entire third quarter was a bumpy and disjointed mess. Both teams seemed to have fallen into a swamp of mistakes and penalties. Yellow flags were flying everywhere. In the end, neither the Giants nor the 49ers scored a point in that quarter, and the game went into the fourth quarter in a dull state. A clash between two strong teams is always like this: either it's full of fireworks and brilliant plays, or both teams are in a slump. It's mainly because both teams are so evenly matched that their adjustments and rhythm are similar. So, at the start of the final quarter, the score was still 21-6.
But the fans at Candlestick Park slowly realized something was wrong. It wasn't because the offense was in a slump, but because every time the offense came off the field, the team doctor was massaging Lu Ke's arm. Combined with Lu Ke's inconsistent passing accuracy, the answer was obvious. The worry and anxiety made the atmosphere at home more subdued.
"Victor Cruz, number 80 wide receiver for the Giants, made an incredible catch! Surrounded by three players, he forcefully snatched the ball, completing the catch in a tough third-and-seven situation and helping his team convert the third down! Beautiful!"
"Ahmad Bradshaw, a run! A run! One tackle, two tackles! The 49ers' defense completely misread the play and missed tackles! Bradshaw gained twenty-three yards, putting the Giants in the red zone! If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time the Giants have been in the red zone this game!"
"Touchdown! Touchdown! The Giants have scored a touchdown! After the start of the fourth quarter, the Giants finally got their first touchdown of the game! My God, it's been a long, long wait!"
"Just as the pocket was collapsing, Eli Manning made a last-second pass to tight end Jake Ballard. With Ballard's first catch of the game, he scores a touchdown! Touchdown! This is a touchdown! Now the game is finally getting a little more interesting, and the suspense is back!"
"God, God, God! It's Victor Cruz again! A spectacular fifty-six-yard deep pass! Eli Manning, in a solid pocket and without any pressure, accurately found Cruz just outside the end zone, completing this brilliant deep pass!"
"Just a moment ago, the 49ers only managed one first down before going three-and-out. Who would have thought that this would be a signal for the Giants' comeback? If the Giants can score a touchdown this time, the suspense of the game will be back!"
"Another drive, an eight-yard short pass completion."
"A six-yard pass completion."
"After a series of short passes, Eli Manning suddenly threw a twenty-four-yard deep pass! The target is... Cruz! It's number 80, Cruz, again! It's unbelievable how this undrafted rookie from last year is now shining so brightly! He's advancing! He's still advancing! Twenty-five yards, twenty yards, fifteen yards..."
"The 49ers' number 27 safety, C.J. Spillman, is trying to catch up, but he missed! Cruz pulls off a sudden acceleration and successfully dodges him! Beautiful, truly beautiful! The end zone is right in front of him! Touchdown! This is another touchdown!"
"With seven minutes and twenty-two seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Giants have scored another touchdown, and the score is now 21-20! The two teams are only separated by one point! Wow, the game is getting good! It's really getting good now!"
"Everyone says you should never underestimate Eli Manning's ability to pull off big plays at crucial moments, and he has proven that again today. After being in a slump for most of the game, Manning is once again showing his potential to turn things around in the final moments. Now, the game has truly entered the final stretch!"
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