Patrick Peterson refused to play passive defense. Instead of passively waiting for the opposing quarterback to make a move, he chose to be proactive, disrupting the opponent's running routes and taking the upper hand in the defense.

Sure enough, with one step and one collision, Peterson successfully pushed Williams away. He then used the momentum from the collision to take two big strides toward the accelerating Logan. One second, a second and a half, two seconds. Peterson's speed reached its peak, and he charged toward Logan with the force of a thunderclap. Then, he saw Lu Ke's pass flying toward him. The entire process of anticipation, release, and passing was fluid and seamless. Even though Peterson had attacked and moved early, he was still half a beat too late.

Logan made a perfect catch at his chest, but Peterson's focus didn't waver at all. He lowered his center of gravity and charged hard at Logan. A small cornerback tackling a large tight end is a very skillful move. Peterson's helmet and shoulder were aimed at Logan's hands protecting the football, not his shoulder. With a heavy upward collision, the vertical force instantly flipped Logan's center of gravity. At the same time, Peterson also lost his own balance.

But at that moment, Peterson noticed the outside linebacker, O'Brien Schofield, who was coming to make a tackle from the other side and made a second collision with Logan. The two collisions, one from the left and one from the right, created a huge impact. Then Peterson saw the football fly out of Logan's arms. He instinctively reached out to try to make an interception. But he realized that after he lost his balance, he was slowly moving away from the football. He could only watch as the football fell into a no-man's-land, becoming a dead ball.

"Damn it!" Peterson was extremely disappointed. Although he had forced an incomplete pass, he failed to go one step further and make an interception, which was a huge regret. Standing up, Peterson didn't pay attention to Logan. He turned his head and gestured to Lu Ke with his chin, a hint of provocation in his eyes. Then he turned around and went back to his defensive position. He did that on purpose. He wasn't afraid of Lu Ke throwing in his direction. On the contrary, if Lu Ke was afraid and threw to the other side, he would be extremely disappointed because he wouldn't have a stage to perform on.

As a rookie, he needed such a stage to prove his strength and become a starter. Since the league wants to promote Lu Ke as the representative of Asian players, he doesn't mind stepping on Lu Ke to prove that he is an excellent cornerback.

Second and 10. For this defensive play, facing a long yardage situation, the Cardinals' defensive positions were noticeably more aggressive, further closing in and putting more pressure on the opponent's offensive line to create more opportunities.

After the snap, Peterson once again charged forward aggressively, making a cross-over with the advanced safety, Adrian Wilson. Wilson then covered Williams, while Peterson made an inside cut and charged toward Logan, compressing Logan's running route. Just as the two were about to collide, Peterson made another move, a misstep, and didn't tackle or collide with Logan. Instead, he ran toward the crowded pocket. At this moment, the defensive end, Calais Campbell, successfully got into the pocket. Peterson's sudden pressure created an absolute advantage in numbers, with three more players than the 49ers' offensive line, which made them flustered. Lu Ke was then exposed in Peterson's line of sight.

Lu Ke quickly took a step back, and then another one. Facing the double-team of Campbell and Peterson and a completely broken-down pocket, Lu Ke had nowhere to run. He could only quickly take a step back. But there is a reason why a pocket quarterback is a pocket quarterback and not a mobile quarterback. Lu Ke's running steps were not flexible or light enough; they were even a bit clumsy. Almost in an instant, Campbell and Peterson had caught up, and it seemed a sack was about to be made.

At that moment, Lu Ke's foot slipped, and he fell to the ground awkwardly. The sack had not been made, but Lu Ke had created a dead ball himself. He only had time to turn around and protect the football with his body. The next moment, Campbell and Peterson both charged over and tapped Lu Ke's body. After confirming that the ball was dead, they didn't continue to bother Lu Ke. He had already fallen with the ball, which was embarrassing enough. They didn't need to continue to humiliate the quarterback.

A wave of mocking laughter echoed through the University of Phoenix Stadium, mercilessly ridiculing Lu Ke's clumsy and awkward fall. After the second half began, the Cardinals' performance on the first two defensive plays finally showed some signs of life, which made the fans regain their confidence, and their attention returned.

Peterson stood on the side, imitating an Aboriginal dance, with his eyes wide open, brazenly provoking Lu Ke's limits. It was as if he was saying, "See that? See that! This is my strength. I can easily crush you! The first half is history. On this field, I am the master." After a show of force, Peterson didn't pay attention to Lu Ke's reaction. He turned around and swaggered back to his position.

Third and 16. After the second half began, the San Francisco 49ers not only failed to open up the game and advance, but they also lost yards. The Arizona Cardinals, who only had one incomplete pass in the entire first half, put on a huge amount of pressure, immediately putting the San Francisco 49ers in a difficult position. In the blink of an eye, they were in a third-and-very-long situation. In a football game, this is a very normal situation. A small mistake in one or two details can lead to a turnover on downs, which is the same as in soccer. Not every offensive play can result in a goal. In a back-and-forth battle, there is always some kind of confrontation.

Lu Ke stood up again. Jim Harbaugh's play call came through his headset. "Running play, hand the ball to Marcus." In the first offensive series of the second half, the 49ers started on their own 20-yard line. After losing six yards, they had retreated to their own 14-yard line, which was too close to the end zone. It was difficult to run, and if they were not careful, it could lead to a safety. And this was also a third-and-16 situation. Harbaugh's intention was obvious: run the ball to gain a few yards, get a better punting position, give up on this offensive series, and then come back with a new offensive plan. First, it was the beginning of the second half, so there was no need to take a risk. Second, they had a huge lead in the score, so there was no need to rush.

But Lu Ke had a different idea. The Cardinals would definitely guess this. There was a more than 60% or even 70% chance that the 49ers would choose to run the ball. They would definitely pay more attention to the running game. At the same time, they could also cover the short-pass area and further pressure Lu Ke with a blitz, not giving him a chance to complete a long pass. In other words, the Cardinals could be more relaxed and even more aggressive when defending against a third-and-16. The 49ers' conservative approach would only fuel their arrogance.

In Lu Ke's opinion, the opponent's defensive focus should be on blitzing the quarterback and stopping the run, supplemented by covering the short-pass area. Naturally, his opportunities for a long pass would be limited. He could choose a quick short pass to Logan or Crabtree, or even Marcus, to quickly and powerfully tear open the defense and get a better punting position. This was bolder and more aggressive than a running play, but it also had more variations, making it difficult for the opponent to predict.

Lu Ke only used a few sentences to explain his idea. Harbaugh rolled his eyes speechlessly and mercilessly complained, "Honestly, you just don't want to lose to Peterson, do you? I thought you didn't care?" Before Lu Ke could explain, Harbaugh made a decision. "Okay, do it your way. But be careful of interceptions! If you get intercepted, Alex Smith is in for the next game." Harbaugh was a coach with a sense of adventure. From a negative perspective, it was the first offensive series of the second half, so there was no need to be eager for success. But from a positive perspective, even if this offensive series failed, the worst-case scenario was an interception and a return touchdown. They would still have enough time to regain the lead. Harbaugh was the latter, with a gambler's blood in his veins.

"No problem." Lu Ke agreed without hesitation. He quickly gathered his teammates and gave them the play call. This was an unexpected offensive play, but the offensive players were used to it. They were not surprised at all. After confirming the instructions, they calmly turned around and lined up, ready to attack. Then Peterson noticed something unusual. The San Francisco 49ers had actually lined up in a shotgun formation!

Vernon Davis came on the field, replacing Kyle Williams, forming a two-tight-end formation with Logan. Vernon was on the inside, and Logan was on the outside. Both players were on the right side, making this side look bulky with two tall and strong tight ends. On the left side, Crabtree and Ginn were still lined up, one on the outside and one on the inside. What was even more ridiculous was that Marcus had given up on the idea of disguising his position and lined up as a slot receiver between the offensive line and Vernon, slightly behind them, blatantly showing a full-on passing formation and not hiding the fact that he was ready for a head-to-head battle in the short-pass area.

Now, the San Francisco 49ers had five receivers, so what should the Arizona Cardinals do? Five defenders for five receivers. Four defensive linemen for five offensive linemen. Two defensive players in the secondary to stop a blitz. If this were the case, the defensive formation would be completely led by the opponent's nose. They had already lost the initiative before the play even began. What should they do? What should they do?

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