"Amazing! Amazing! That catch was absolutely incredible! How did Brown do that? My god, that footwork, that hand control, that timing, it was a textbook-perfect catch!"

In the studio, Mike Tirico's exclamation led the audience into the video replay. In that drive, Roethlisberger's pass was a little too far and a little too high. To avoid the tight coverage of the 49ers' defenders, the football's landing spot was already out of bounds. But Brown, despite being tightly guarded by two defenders, forcefully created a small gap, then turned, leaped, and with his hands out of bounds, like he was reaching for a star, he turned the impossible into the possible and caught the football. For most people, this would have been an overthrown pass, too high, too far, and too wide, and Roethlisberger's passes are known for being heavy and powerful, which made the football even harder to catch. Most people would have just sighed in amazement.

But Brown not only completed the catch, but after the catch, he immediately sank his body and, while controlling the football, kept both feet in bounds to ensure it was a successful catch! From the slow-motion replay, you can see his left foot landed first, then the toe of his right foot slid along the grass, and finally, he was pushed out of bounds by the defender. The entire catching process was like dancing on a tightrope, yet it was so elegant, so perfect, and so amazing.

The 49ers' defense was still performing well, and their tight, solid coverage didn't leave any room for Roethlisberger. With his back against the wall, Roethlisberger was almost helpless and had no choice but to throw that ball, which was similar to a half-hearted throw. But with no space to catch, Antonio Brown forcefully created a space to make the catch and completed the fourth-down conversion.

Tirico, who had seen countless big games, couldn't help but applaud Brown's performance. The home fans let out disappointed gasps. Their players had played incredibly well, but the opponent's player had played even better, which was indeed a frustrating feeling. But the crowd at Candlestick Park quickly rallied and made a lot of noise to disrupt the Steelers' offensive plays. They prayed that Brown's performance was just a flash of brilliance.

But it wasn't. In the following plays, Brown seemed to have entered a state of transcendence. In seven passes, he was the target four times, and he successfully completed three catches. All three were in extreme situations where he had to forcefully snatch the football from the defenders. In one of the catches, 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers had already made the interception, overpowering Brown and grabbing the football with both hands above his head, but Brown, who was half a step slower, also held on to the football. Then he used the force of gravity and the combined power of his body to crash into Carlos, knocking him away, and gaining control of the football. After landing, Brown awkwardly rolled over on the grass, and the world spun. But after confirming that he had successfully caught the ball, he got up in one swift motion and held the football high, showing off his achievement in front of the entire sea of red.

There was no screaming or roaring. He just stood there calmly, but for the first time, Candlestick Park fell silent. This kind of performance was a top-tier state of transcendence!

The outstanding performance of one player single-handedly revitalized the entire offense. The 49ers' defense had to spend more energy to contain Brown, which loosened up other parts of the defense. Before the defensive coordinator had time to adjust the offensive strategy, Roethlisberger completed a pass to Wallace, who rushed into the end zone and scored the first touchdown of the game. Although it was Wallace who scored the touchdown, Brown, who had made four incredible catches in that drive, was the real hero. With his own power, he broke the San Francisco 49ers' perfect performance in the first quarter and burst onto the stage of Monday Night Football!

The momentum between the two teams began to shift. It wasn't about the opponent scoring a touchdown, but about how they scored it. Antonio Brown's otherworldly performance made every player feel a little dazed! The San Francisco 49ers' defense wasn't a bunch of small-time players who had never seen anything before. They had witnessed the toughness and strength of the Detroit Lions' Calvin Johnson, and they had witnessed the agility and power of the Arizona Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald. But today, when they faced Brown again, they felt a sense of powerlessness and confusion that was even worse than the absolute toughness of Johnson and the unpredictability of Fitzgerald. It was because they didn't leave any gaps, but Brown could forcefully tear open a space, tearing open a gap. What, what should they do about this?

All the defensive players' eyes were on Lu Ke. Every time they encountered difficulties, the 49ers' offense was always able to be reborn from the ashes and regain the advantage with an absolutely powerful stance. They would gradually build up their momentum and, in a head-to-head collision, fight their way to the final victory with courage and sharpness. But the problem was that Lu Ke was not only not getting better, he was also getting colder. This feeling was truly hard to describe, it was like drowning. He was immersed in the endless cold lake water, constantly struggling and paddling with his limbs, trying to rush to the surface, but the weeds tangled around his ankles were pulling him down little by little. As a result, the oxygen in his lungs began to slowly decrease, the strength in his body began to slowly weaken, and finally, his whole body began to sink. That suffocating feeling slowly burned, but every pore on his body could feel the bone-chilling coldness of the lake water.

"Cold hands." Lu Ke now truly understood the meaning of this phrase. It had nothing to do with skill, and it had nothing to do with the game. It had more to do with the weather and his state. Every part of him seemed to be wrong. His fingertip control, his wrist control, his arm control, and even his vision all seemed to be shrouded in an icy fog, chaotic and blurry, cold and blank.

Lu Ke was trying, he was always trying, refusing to give up and refusing to surrender. After he came back on the field, he realized that his passing control was not accurate enough, so he began to adjust his tactical strategy, using short passes and runs as much as possible to control the game. This was not a situation he had never experienced before. For example, in the fourth quarter of the last game against the Cardinals, he could still advance.

And it was true. In short passes, through the cross-running and blocking of the two tight ends, and Marcus Lynch's unexpected running catches, they were able to slowly tear open the Steelers' seemingly airtight defense with complex tactical arrangements and successfully push the team's position forward little by little. Stumbling and fumbling, Lu Ke once again led the San Francisco 49ers past midfield and arrived at the 43-yard line, but the Steelers' defense suddenly became tougher and faster. They put more pressure on the offensive line but still wouldn't blitz the quarterback, and then the entire short passing area became a disaster. One incompletion, one run for a loss, one successful six-yard pass, and before they could even take a breath, they had a three-and-out. Facing a fourth-and-four situation, with Lu Ke's current feel for the ball and state, the San Francisco 49ers couldn't take the risk. So, the offense had to leave the field again.

Lu Ke only felt frustration. The oppressive and nauseating feeling made him unable to hold back, and he got angry at himself. He clenched his fists and roared, "Ah!" But what was even worse was that even his roar gave birth to a deep sense of powerlessness, as if he was stuck in a swamp and couldn't move. The frustration did not ease; it only grew heavier.

After tossing and turning for nearly five minutes, they still couldn't score. To make matters worse, the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense, who came back on the field, seemed to have figured things out. Their offense became a roaring force, and they had successfully crossed midfield by the end of the first quarter. Then the second quarter began, and the Steelers' offense continued their momentum. After Heath Miller completed a crucial third-down conversion, Roethlisberger, facing a first-down play, unexpectedly chose Antonio Brown, who had been performing well today. A nine-yard short pass, and Brown successfully caught the ball and continued to advance. He first shook off the misplaced cornerback Reggie Smith who was covering him, then with the help of his teammates' blocking, he avoided two tackles. Finally, he used an emergency stop to avoid safety C.J. Spillman's tackle, and he broke free and rushed into the end zone, scoring the Steelers' second touchdown of the game. This was also Brown's first career touchdown.

He completed an incredible catch near the sideline, shook off two defenders, avoided two tackles, advanced 28 yards, and scored a touchdown. This excellent performance was enough to prove Brown's amazing catching ability and state. Antonio Brown became famous overnight! And the San Francisco 49ers were the backdrop of this game. Does this script sound familiar? A few weeks ago, at home against the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers became the background, witnessing the emergence of rookie Patrick Peterson. Now it was Brown's turn?

Not good. The situation was really not good. When the San Francisco 49ers' offense came back on the field and had another three-and-out, the home fans truly became serious. This kind of retreating stance made people anxious.

🗒️NOTE:

New chapters drop Three times a day, every Monday through Sunday! Plus, you have the power to unlock more: we'll release Three bonus chapters for every 300 votes! Let's get this story moving together.

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz

Explore up to 30 chapters in advance!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.