Chapter 933: A Hard-Fought Victory
Jimmy Graham scores a touchdown.
Randy Moss scores a touchdown.
Mark Ingram scores a touchdown.
Ted Ginn scores a touchdown.
As the commentators in the studio said, there were four touchdowns in the first quarter alone. The home team, the New Orleans Saints, and the visiting San Francisco 49ers were neck and neck. When the referee blew the whistle to end the first quarter, the score was tied:
"14-14."
Of course, a veteran fan who knows how to read the game could see that, overall, the San Francisco 49ers still had a slight advantage. The strength and foundation of their defense were far superior to the home team's, and Drew Brees was under more pressure.
However, football is similar to other competitive sports in one way: an advantage doesn't always translate into a win. When one side is on the attack for a long time or when they have the upper hand but can't break their opponent, a moment of fatigue, frustration, or hesitation can become a springboard for the other team's counterattack, and the outcome of the game can be inconsistent with the on-field situation.
The competition in sports is never a simple "two is greater than one."
What's more, the Saints' offense, led by Brees, still hasn't given up. Even though the 49ers' defense is stronger and more capable, they still managed to score two touchdowns. That's a sign of their ability.
So, the first quarter became a microcosm of the entire game, or rather, a rematch of last year's playoff divisional round.
The New Orleans Saints, led by Drew Brees, once again showed they have a top-five offense in the league, constantly exploiting the weaknesses of the 49ers' two cornerbacks. If the safeties or linebackers started to help the cornerbacks, Brees would always find a weak spot in the defense and adjust his tactics in time to move the ball forward.
Why is it that in the last ten years, out of more than 150 quarterbacks in the league, there are only four elite ones?
Drew Brees answered that question with this game:
Even against the top-ranked defense in the league this season, he can still continue to move the ball and score in desperate situations, carrying the entire team on his back. Is the defense not good enough? No problem, the offense will step up! Is the special teams performing poorly? No problem, the offense will make up for it! Is the offense in trouble? No problem, the quarterback will find a way!
It's that simple and straightforward!
This is the ability of an elite quarterback: using their intelligence to plan and break through the defense, turning a bad situation into a good one.
Although a quarterback can't single-handedly defeat a team of eleven players like Diego Maradona could, they still need the help of their teammates. But their mind and ability can become the general who controls the outcome of the game, allowing one person to play with the power of eleven.
Drew Brees' outstanding performance also highlighted the San Francisco 49ers' defense's poor play.
It wasn't a problem of overall strength.
Throughout the game, the 49ers' defense still showed their top-tier foundation, giving up a total of 29 points, two touchdowns, and five field goals.
You could see that besides the two touchdowns in the first quarter, in the next three quarters, the 49ers' defense no longer allowed the Saints' offensive players to run into the end zone. All their drives were stopped in or before the red zone, and they only gave up five field goals, minimizing the loss of points as much as possible.
In other words, in crucial moments, the San Francisco 49ers' defense can still be tough in the red zone.
Instead, it was a problem with the details of the game.
Throughout the game, the 49ers' defense gave up 12 third-down conversions and only stopped them three times. In other words, Brees' third-down conversion rate was 80%, which is an incredible performance for any offense. This also proves that the 49ers' defense was lacking in the details.
During the game, the San Francisco 49ers' defensive intensity was still far superior to the Saints' defense. They were often able to force Brees into a third-down situation. In the entire game, there were 15 third downs, and nine of them were long-yardage situations, meaning they needed more than five yards to get a first down.
But against the strong third-down offense and third-down defense, the 49ers' defense was never at its best. They constantly made mistakes in small details, either missing a tackle, slipping, getting an unexpected penalty, or other mistakes. It was as if they were always a little short on energy and then watched their opponent convert a third down again.
The true test for a top-tier offense and defense is the third-down conversion rate. Today, the San Francisco 49ers' defense's performance was a disaster.
If you had to pick a problem, Aldon Smith would have to be the example: two missed tackles, six penalties, and two out-of-position plays throughout the game. His performance was so bad it was hard to watch.
Last year, as a rookie, Aldon was highly anticipated and worked very hard. Most of the time, he came in as a rotational player. Relatively speaking, the opponents' offense had limited opportunities to go against Aldon, which allowed him to shine and deliver great performances every time he was on the field.
This year, Aldon has improved significantly as a second-year player. He not only became a starter but also a crucial player in the defense in the past few games. His interceptions, sacks, and other stats were all at a career high. While taking on more responsibilities, he also shined throughout the league.
This also meant that Aldon had more expectations and pressure on him and faced more physical contact and targeting.
Aldon is a typical prodigy. He was a starter in college at the University of Missouri and a star player in the Big 12 conference. Since entering the professional league from the draft, he has had a smooth ride and has always been a sought-after player. His temper and ego are like a firecracker ready to explode.
When things are calm, he's the one who likes to mess around and have fun. But when there's a conflict, his spoiled, arrogant, impulsive, and impatient temper can easily ignite.
In the off-season this year, after the Super Bowl, Aldon was arrested in Miami for intentionally driving in the wrong direction during rush hour. After training camp, Aldon was involved in an assault with a deadly weapon at his home.
He hosted a party at his mansion in Santa Clara County, and a chaotic situation occurred. Two people were shot, and Aldon was accused of stabbing three people. After an investigation, the police determined that it was an accidental injury, and the people who were injured only had minor injuries, so it was considered a misdemeanor and he only had to pay a fine.
These accidents show that Aldon has a lot of off-field issues. In fact, during the off-season, Lu Ke once invited Aldon to train at UCLA, but Aldon verbally agreed and then disappeared. At the time, Lu Ke didn't think much of it and didn't expect so many incidents to follow.
The same was true for today's game. Aldon's impulsive and hot temper was almost on par with Crabtree's. He had seven penalties in total, costing the team a whopping 45 yards, two of which directly gave the opponent a first down.
You have to remember that the person standing on the other side was Drew Brees. How could he easily miss an opportunity that was given to him?
However, besides Aldon, the other players on the 49ers' defense were also not at their best.
Justin Smith, Ahmad Brooks, Patrick Willis, and Donte Whitner all had mistakes of varying degrees. The Pro Bowl-level inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman and safety Dashon Goldson also had unexpected injuries. Although they were checked and confirmed to be fine and went back into the game, the coaching staff still had to increase the rotation for safety reasons.
On top of that, the cornerbacks were already a little weaker. As a result, Brees was able to convert 12 of the 15 third downs.
This game was the third-highest scoring game for the San Francisco 49ers this season, only behind the games against the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers.
But fortunately, the San Francisco 49ers' offense grit their teeth and maintained their strong performance from the first second to the last.
Although the receivers were still not at their best, Lu Ke still used tactical variations to spread the ball around.
Crabtree had four catches, Vernon had five, Ginn had eight, Marcus and Gore each had one, and even the rotational player Mario had one catch. Even the fullback, LaMichael James, had one catch. Even Moss, who had the most catches, only had 10.
It was truly a team effort! This is only counting the successful catches, and the actual number of passes was, of course, higher. This made Lu Ke's entire offensive system three-dimensional and left the opponent's defense completely confused.
In addition, through fake moves and offensive line plans, the team had 24 runs in the entire game. Regardless of whether they were successful or not, regardless of their efficiency, Lu Ke always insisted on giving the ball to the running backs. Marcus had 10 carries, Gore had 12, and LaMichael had two. He used their powerful running to change the intensity of the offense.
This doesn't even include Lu Ke's own 11-yard run.
Just like Brees, Lu Ke was also using his ability as a quarterback to lead the team to victory one step at a time. When the referee blew the final whistle, the San Francisco 49ers had a total of 37 points.
"29-37."
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