Chapter 913: Victory Secured

Tillman irritably pushed Vernon Davis away. The pent-up emotions he had suppressed finally erupted, and all his negative feelings came pouring out. He just wanted to provoke people, anyone he saw.

Suddenly, Tillman shoved Vernon with force, spewing trash talk. "You’re a useless player, you can’t do anything but block. Your quarterback will never throw you the ball because you’re garbage! Garbage!"

In an instant, Vernon was enraged.

Michael Crabtree and Randy Moss’s explosive tempers had drawn so much attention that Vernon had become "calm." When Lu Ke first joined the team, Vernon was Alex Smith’s most loyal supporter, and he had his share of conflicts with Lu Ke.

However, since the 49ers had been winning, Vernon’s emotions hadn’t reached a boiling point.

But to be fair, because of his poor performance, he hadn’t been able to play much, and Vernon had been holding it in. The only difference was that his way of expressing it was different from Crabtree’s. Vernon was more focused on training, hoping to regain his touch in practice so he could get back on the field.

Now, Tillman had suddenly ripped the bandage off, and Vernon was furious. He swung his fists and stepped forward. "What the f--- are you saying? Say that again? Say it again, you f---ing b----!" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Fortunately, a referee was nearby and immediately stepped in, separating Tillman and Vernon. He turned to Tillman and gave him a verbal warning. "Number 33, watch your language. I will report everything that happens here to the league. If you don’t want an extra penalty, you’d better shut up now!"

"Or what? Huh? Or what! Are you telling me that because this is San Francisco’s home stadium, the rules are different? So, what are you going to do?" Tillman was in a terrible mood. He didn’t back down even when faced with the referee.

The referee didn’t say much more. "I will report everything that happened here truthfully."

In football, there is no red card that gets a player ejected, but the league can add extra penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct and personal fouls, including warnings, fines, and suspensions.

In a short time, players from both the 49ers and the Bears rushed over to pull Vernon and Tillman apart.

After being separated, Vernon’s face was grim. He muttered curses as he left the field, unable to control his fiery emotions. But thankfully, the team was ahead, and with Logan injured, Vernon was now the top tight end. So after venting his negative emotions, he calmed down.

Tillman, however, couldn’t.

After being pulled away by his teammates, Tillman was still agitated. He angrily shook off his teammates, a volcano of fury inside him. He couldn’t understand how the game had come to this. Why was it like this? Why were they losing so badly when they seemed to have the upper hand? Why had he been able to make all the defensive plays in the first half but was falling apart in the second? Why? What was happening?

He looked up and instinctively looked toward Lu Ke again.

But he only saw number 14’s back, jogging off the field. There was no celebration, no cheering, no shouting. It was as if everything that had happened was a given, not even worth mentioning. That cold-blooded, killer-like demeanor was like the Ghostface mask from "Scream," cold and mocking as it looked at them, the losers.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Tillman could no longer control his emotions. He strode off the field, full of rage, and returned to the sideline. He threw his helmet hard, and it hit an advertisement sign with a dull thud. Then, he started yelling at his teammates:

"Do your f---ing jobs! Goddammit! Just f---ing do your f---ing jobs! What the f--- were you doing out there? Eating s---? You’re all a bunch of idiots! You wanna win this game? F--- you! All of you are useless players walking around in a trance! If you don’t want to play, go back to the locker room and play with yourselves!"

Tillman was not the only frustrated player on the Bears’ team, nor was he the only one with a bad temper. A cauldron of grievances was ready to boil over. He had just poked a hornet’s nest. On the sideline, several players could be seen cursing and venting their anger, with two of them even getting into a shouting match.

The tense, explosive situation was about to ignite. The flames of war had moved from the field to the sideline, and the confrontation had shifted from between the two teams to within the Bears’ own team. This immediately attracted the attention of the live cameras. No one should forget that this was a Monday Night Football game, a nationally televised night game.

The broadcast booth also noticed the commotion. "This is bad. Things are getting worse for the Bears. It looks like there’s an internal locker room issue. The offense and defense are facing immense pressure, and if they have problems internally, their chances of winning this game are getting smaller and smaller."

The special teams came on, and David Akers scored another extra point for the 49ers. On the scoreboard above the field, the score changed again to 34-3.

Everyone knew that the window for the Bears was closing rapidly.

Campbell, who had returned to the field, now carried the hopes of the entire team.

No matter how the defense performed, the only way to narrow the gap was for the offense to score. Only when the offense found its footing could the defense see a glimmer of hope. Otherwise, with just the defense and special teams to rely on, hoping for turnovers and scores would be a long shot.

In this crucial moment, Brandon Marshall once again stepped up, proving his unshakeable core position on the offense.

When he wasn’t receiving, Marshall single-handedly drew the attention of two to three defenders, which finally opened up opportunities for Campbell to throw to other wide receivers or tight ends. They used their numbers advantage to advance. When he was receiving, even when facing a double team, Marshall’s physique allowed him to snatch the ball out of the air, showcasing his skills as a top-tier wide receiver.

A cornerback once commented on Marshall: "In one-on-one coverage, Marshall is the hardest wide receiver to defend in the entire league." Even if he wasn’t the absolute best, he was definitely among the top.

After the repeated blows in the first half, the Bears’ offense finally recovered. They spread out their passing attack, using a weapon like Marshall to make the opposing defense hesitant, which in turn gave them more room to breathe. The offensive progress finally started to improve.

It was like their first drive of the second half.

But the 49ers’ defense still showed its strength, matching the excellent performance of the Bears’ defense in this game.

They had a sack, forced three hurried throws, and had three solid tackles, forcefully suppressing the Bears’ offensive momentum. They pushed the atmosphere of the home game to its peak with a torrential display of power.

After a bumpy drive, the Bears barely managed two third-down conversions and one fourth-down conversion. Their progress finally stopped at the 49ers’ 23-yard line. They couldn’t move another inch, stuck in a fourth-and-five situation.

This time, Smith didn’t dare to try a fourth-down conversion.

As a head coach with a defensive background, he showed powerful aggressiveness on defense, but he lacked enough talent and courage on offense.

So, the special teams came on again, and kicker Olindo Mare successfully made a forty-yard field goal, bringing the score to 34-6.

But that was all.

Facing a deficit of more than thirty points, Smith had boldly tried and succeeded on a fourth-and-one conversion, but he didn’t have the courage to try a fourth-and-five conversion. The lack of an all-in, dominant approach cut the Bears’ offensive momentum short.

When the 49ers’ offense came back on the field, the suspense of the game was essentially gone.

There were no surprises, no twists, and no comebacks. The remaining time of the game was filled with yellow flags. Countless fouls interrupted the rhythm of the game, and the messy, chaotic confrontation had no quality to speak of. It was the same for both teams. The game staggered to a close in a disjointed way.

40-6.

That was the final score.

In the remainder of the game, the 49ers didn’t score another touchdown. Of course, a big reason for this was that victory was already in their hands. Lu Ke started controlling the clock and the pace of the game. His tactical choices became more conservative and steady, avoiding risks as much as possible and minimizing the time for the opponent to counter. He was no longer obsessed with touchdowns; a field goal was an acceptable result.

Despite this, David Akers successfully kicked two more field goals, adding to the score.

At the same time, the Bears’ offense was unable to make any progress. Although Campbell’s performance was steady, and Marshall and Forte still tried hard, they couldn’t break the 49ers’ defensive line. They had to swallow the bitter taste of their third loss of the season in a dull and frustrating manner.

In the twenty-six years of matchups between the Bears and the 49ers, the curse had not been broken: whoever was the home team would win! This time was no exception.

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

On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!