SteVo+ 3,702 Posted April 7, 2017 | | | | Knights of Andreas Part VI Chapter Seventy-Four – Game of the Century Oregon 31, Penn State 28, 10:30 to go in the fourth quarter. The California sun is setting on the 2010 Rose Bowl, and an exciting football game is set to go down to the wire under the lights. The Nittany Lions start a possession in their own territory. Quarterback and Heisman finalist Jonathan Maverick drops back as pressure flushes him from the pocket. He runs right, eyes downfield, and throws across his body, hitting his tight end over the middle for seventeen yards. The mostly nonpartisan crowd cheers for the big gain. Two plays later, it’s third and five. Maverick drops back, eyes following his primary receiver. With a blitz coming, Maverick stands in and fires a dart, hitting the receiver just as he breaks on a comeback route, but the ball bounces off his helmet and onto the sideline. A visibly frustrated Maverick struts to the bench with punt units coming out. “That was our drive, O!” he says. “That was our drive!” After the coaches have their say, and while Oregon mounts a drive of their own, Maverick takes charge of the sideline with every offensive player within earshot. “We can’t have these fucking mistakes, guys! We told ourselves coming in we wouldn’t do this shit! Pick up the blocking and stop it with the drops and we can win this fucking game!” A little over sixty yards away, standing near the corner of the north end zone, two men notice the young quarterback firing up his offense, though they can’t tell what he’s saying. Their press passes identify them as Chance Phillips and Caden Daniel, official associates of the Oakland Raiders. In eight months, these recently hired men will watch their football team play its home games about twelve miles from here. To win those games, they’ll need a quarterback. The Raiders (Knights, in nine weeks) own the third overall pick in the upcoming draft, a pick that will almost certainly be used on a signal caller. The first two picks belong to the Rams and Lions, but the Lions drafted a quarterback last year. So, a team could conceivably trade ahead of the Knights, a concern in a draft class that only boasts two elite QB prospects: last year’s Heisman winner Sam Bradford, and Maverick. Phillips will soon learn he has no competition for the second or third pick; the Knights will be in position to take whomever the Rams don’t. Because Bradford sat out most of this season with a shoulder injury, the Knights’ evaluation of him is nearly complete, and they’d be fine taking him if the draft were today. Penn State gets the ball with 7:37 to go. Maverick drops back, hitting his receivers quickly to negate Oregon’s pass rush. The Nittany Lions reach midfield with the clock ticking and anticipation mounting around the stadium. Maverick screams audibles and adjustments over the crowd noise. “Making adjustments at the line,” Daniel says. “Definitely a good sign.” Phillips agrees. He and his scouts will have plenty of time to dissect Maverick’s mechanics. Tonight is about seeing his real-time feel for a football game. Maverick takes the snap from midfield and drops back. Pressure comes up the middle. He runs left, looking deep with a defender closing. Backtracking, he throws as hard as he can toward the end zone before getting hit. The Nittany Lion receiver runs across the end zone, towards where Phillips and Daniel stand, and catches the pass in stride. Rose Bowl Stadium rocks. Maverick goes crazy celebrating with his teammates as Penn State takes a 35-31 lead. Once things calm down, Phillips leans toward Daniel and says, “He was moving backwards. Threw against his body, too.” “That’s one of the best throws I’ve ever seen,” Daniel says. During the next commercial break, Phillips walks away towards the nearby tunnel, taking out his phone and dialing a familiar number. “Wayne, it’s Chance. I know you won’t get back in town until tomorrow afternoon, but when you do, let’s get together. I’m standing here with Caden, and…I may have good news. Whatever the Rams do, we’re getting a franchise quarterback in this draft.” Doctors initially wanted Harden to take another week of rest, a suggestion he refused. Then they specified, advising against traveling to Denver due to the city’s elevation, and Harden refused just as quickly. Thankfully, despite every between-play camera angle and sideways glance pointed at the man who collapsed on the field two weeks ago, his players keep his heart rate down. After jumping out to a quick lead with an opening-drive touchdown, Grantzinger takes a Trevor Siemian interception to the house. Next drive, Randall forces a Devontae Booker fumble, and the Knights capitalize on the short field with a quick score. The first quarter ends with the Knights up 20-0 (one for three on two-pointers), and they never look back. With this game under control, players occasionally glance up at the section of scoreboard that shows scores from around the league, focusing on the ongoing matchup between the 12-0 Steelers and 12-0 Patriots. For now, it reads NE 13, PIT 10. Just before halftime, Denver gets on the board with a touchdown of their own, but the Knights respond with a fifty-yard McCabe field goal. They go into the locker room ahead 23-7 and look up again. NE 13, PIT 17. Another Knights touchdown and two-point conversion makes it 31-7, and players listen to coaches insisting they maintain focus and finish. NE 20, PIT 24. An embarrassing December defeat for the Super Bowl champions sends fans out of the stadium during the fourth quarter. The game’s final act includes a garbage time touchdown for each team, and the Knights win, 37-14. Players take one last look before they reach the locker room: NE 27, PIT 31, with an illuminated “F” next to the score. The Knights have gotten what they want. For players and coaches, chatter in the locker room and during the flight home focuses on next week’s monumental game. They aren’t alone. The media’s wrap up of week 14 spends plenty of time recapping Pittsburgh’s epic victory over the Patriots, mostly talking about what the win has set up. NBC wastes no time; during the Giants/Cowboys Sunday Night Football game, they pour on plenty of advertisements for next week’s Knights/Steelers matchup, hailing it as “the most anticipated regular season game in recent memory.” Both teams are now 13-0. The winner in Heinz Field will enter the final two weeks with a strong likelihood of securing home-field advantage and, most significantly, a shot at 16-0. The busy sports day keeps Javad working past midnight, dedicating plenty of time to hyping up next Sunday’s showdown while finally putting the finishing touches on the most important article of all. He prints out a hard copy as Phillips instructed (“Nothing electronic,” he said.), folds it, and inserts it into a newly bought pack of envelopes. He writes down the address given to him and sends Phillips a text before he forgets: “In a few days, check your mail.” As he puts a stamp on the envelope, he wonders about its fate. This is potentially a career-defining story, and Phillips never guaranteed it would see the light of day. Javad hopes this won’t all be for nothing. A playoff atmosphere populates the MedComm Center Tuesday morning. Coaches have barely slept after constructing the game plan for Pittsburgh and won’t sleep much after finalizing it tonight, but they don’t show it. Everyone in the building is excited for what is probably the biggest regular-season game in Knights history. The Steelers have gotten to 13-0 on the heels of one of the league’s most effective offenses, second only to the Knights in most statistical categories. They might boast the best QB-RB-WR trio in the league, especially now that Marcus Jameson is done for the year. On defense, the Justin Houston/James Harrison duo gives them a ferocious pass rush, complemented with an improving secondary. Like the Knights, defensive issues sunk them last year, but this year, they’re Super Bowl contenders. McKenzie originally intended to attack Pittsburgh’s defensive weakness, in the trenches and up the middle, and open up the pass game. Jameson’s injury changes things. He thinks he can still lead a competent running attack with NesSmith and Banks because of his offensive line, but he’s not going to risk a slow start. Instead, the Knights will play strength on strength and pass to set up the run. Defensively, Harden faces a unique challenge in trying to defend Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, two players he would normally construct an entire game plan around. Can the Knights contain both? Will focusing on one allow the other to dominate? Harden leans on his subordinates, perhaps more than he ever has, assembling an atypically complex game plan with hundreds of plays to memorize. Despite such an intimidating opponent, the Knights are confident; they’re 13-0 for a reason. Maverick has thrown 37 touchdown passes to only 2 interceptions; 19 of those passes have gone to Wilkes, on pace to tie Randy Moss’ single-season record of 23. And the Knights have a defensive juggernaut in Grantzinger whom the Steelers must account for at all times. The most nervous man on the practice field Tuesday is Maverick, but not for anything football related. Not directly, anyway. When practice ends, he changes quickly and passes by the coaches’ offices, but they all seem busy, so he leaves, putting it off at least another day. The next day, Phillips makes an appearance on the practice field, finding a quiet moment to approach Harden. When the players get a five-minute water break, he goes for it. “How are you?” Phillips asks cordially. “Fine,” Harden says, studying his players as if he’s ready to yell at them for improper resting technique. “How are you feeling, Merle?” Phillips asks, firmly this time. “You’re as bad as my wife, Chance.” He looks sideways; Phillips isn’t amused. “I’m fine. I feel good, to be honest with you. Sunday’s gonna be a hell of a game.” Phillips smiles, satisfied. “What about you?” Harden asks. “Huh?” “How’s the mid-life crisis going?” Phillips thinks about that conversation with Harden, about several conversations he’s had with Schneider and Stein since then, and about the letter that arrived in his mailbox yesterday. “Ask me next week.” Not sure what that means, Harden looks back to the field and sees a red jersey heading towards both of them. “Got a second, coach?” Maverick asks. “See you later,” Phillips says, walking away. Harden lets out a sigh. He almost forgot he had to deal with this at some point. “What do you want, Mav?” “About last week. About you and I. We—” “Forget it. It’s fine.” “What? It’s fine?” Harden steps a little closer, just to make sure Maverick knows he’s serious. “Life’s too fuckin’ short, Mav. No beef here. Now get back out there.” In most other circumstances, Maverick would deem this as good a reconciliation as he could get and let it go. Not this time. Harden extends his leg to jog back on the field, but Maverick’s arm holds him back. Harden resists the impulse to smack his quarterback in the face. “Promise me,” Maverick says, “that when the season’s over, you and I sit down.” “I’m getting’ old, Mav. I got too many promises to keep.” Maverick holds firm, saying nothing. “You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?” Harden says. “I’ll get the entire team’s attention if I have to.” Harden looks toward the players, several of whom have noticed the gathering, ready to sprint across the field to break up round two. “Fine,” Harden says. Maverick nods and takes his arm off Harden, who blows his whistle, commanding everyone back onto the field. The energy around Heinz Field is palpable and substantial throughout warm-ups. Steelers fans are known for traveling well, but their home fans have packed this stadium tonight and are ready to scream. In a blink, the Knights find themselves in the visitors’ locker room in full pads and jerseys, kneeling and standing around Coach Harden, kickoff minutes away. They expect a quick one-liner here; Harden generally saves his best speeches for the playoffs, if at all. They wonder, though, when they see him holding a slip of paper, studying it curiously. “You all know I’m not one for stats,” Harden says. “But I got a few I think you should hear.” The players squint and raise their heads, as if a slightly better look will reveal the small notes on the paper. “Let’s see…145 incomplete passes, 11 dropped passes, we’ve given up 21 sacks, allowed 47 pressures…” Players watch incredulously as their coach rounds off statistic after statistic. Harden has always been the sort of coach to focus on his team’s weaknesses as a method of firing them up, but this is certainly an interesting way to do it. “…45 missed tackles, 7 dropped interceptions. Here’s a good one: we are terrible in the red zone, on defense. When we let a team in our red zone, they get a touchdown 58 percent of the time. That’s goddamn awful.” Defensive players exchange uncomfortable looks with each other as Harden wraps up. “And despite all of this bullshit…13 wins, zero losses. I only point this out because this week, all I keep hearing is perfect, perfect, perfect. No such thing, men. No such thing. If we take care of business, we may be undefeated when it’s over. But perfect?” Harden shakes his head. “You’ll never be perfect, and neither will I. All we can do is score more points than the other team, and that’s all we’ll ever have. And in that regard…” Everyone looks up. Harden pauses, hesitant to pull this card now though he’s already committed. “…You are the best football team I’ve ever coached. Hell, forget the ones I’ve coached. You’re the best football team I’ve ever seen. And I think most of you know me well enough to know I would never bullshit you on that. We can’t be perfect, but we can win every game. And you bet that’s what we’re gonna do. So let’s go kick some fuckin’ ass.” The Knights take the field first, facing immense crowd noise with yellow towels waving. They have their first set of plays memorized, hopeful things will quiet down after that. Maverick drops back in shotgun and hits Bishop on a short route. Everyone lines up again, without a huddle, Maverick calling out adjustments as needed. He takes the snap and fires for Wilkes, getting a first down. McKenzie calls a draw to NesSmith that gains six yards. After a screen to Watson is bottled up, Maverick drops back and gets swarmed by pass rushers, barely escaping in time to throw the ball away. Pittsburgh takes over. The Knights line up in a 3-4, ready to put the hybrid defense they debuted on this field a year ago on full display. The Steelers operate a balanced offense, alternating quick passes with runs to Bell up the middle. The Knights’ front seven prevents Bell from breaking loose, but he does churn out four- and five-yard runs. After two first downs, Roethlisberger drops back, looking deep, and Brock breaks through for a sack. The Steelers punt a few plays later. Maverick drops back and hits Harper for six yards, Johnson for eight, Harper for five. He likes hitting a rhythm early but wants to stretch the field. He drops back with a fresh set of downs, feels pressure on the outside, and steps up. With black jerseys closing, he sees Wilkes break over the middle and fires. Wilkes makes a leaping grab in traffic for a thirty-yard gain. After a short NesSmith run, Maverick lines up under center. The play call is a receiver screen to Wilkes, but the Steelers crash the line at the last second, blitzing. Maverick takes the snap and lobs it to the end zone without calling an audible, where Wilkes has abandoned the screen and gone deep. He beats Artie Burns in coverage and catches the perfect pass as he crosses the goal line. Heinz Field goes quiet but ramps back up for the two-point attempt. The Knights spread out their receivers and Maverick hands off to NesSmith, who barrels into a pile at the goal line. Knights linemen raise their arms for a score, but officials spot it a foot short. 6-0, Knights. “Good drive, O!” Maverick says on the sideline. “Good drive, O. We’ll get that two next time.” Roethlisberger spreads the ball around, hitting Markus Wheaton, Eli Rogers, Jesse James, and Antonio Brown despite double coverage. Harden dials up more aggressive blitzes that nearly get a few sacks, then Bell takes a screen pass thirty yards into the end zone. The home crowd celebrates but quiets down quickly as Pittsburgh goes for two. The Knights line up, well prepared for Pittsburgh’s arsenal of two-point plays. Roethlisberger looks toward a doubled Brown before firing it to Rogers on a slant, splitting Schwinn and Flash with the throw for the score. 8-6, Steelers. The Knights’ next drive takes the game into the second quarter, and fans begin to understand this game will be the offensive shootout it was hyped up to be. Just outside the red zone, Maverick drops back on play-action, no one open. He rolls right, seeing Bishop break in the end zone. He throws for the corner with three defenders closing, and the pass hits Bishop in the hands as he plants his feet for the touchdown. The Knights line up for two in the same formation as before. Maverick fakes a handoff to NesSmith this time, spinning and firing for Wilkes, who catches the jump ball in the end zone. 14-8, Knights. The Steelers take over, and Bell steals the show, zigzagging through multiple defenders with one electrifying carry after the next. Harden admonishes his front seven for terrible defense, knowing (as Ripka constantly reminds him) his secondary has its hands full. Roethlisberger drops back on play-action looking deep, but Brown is bottled up. He looks the other way and fires for Wheaton, who beats Lucas in coverage and comes down with a fifty-yard pass. Two plays later, Bell punches it into the end zone. The Knights face a five-receiver set on the two-point try. Randall spreads everyone out to cover a pass, but Roethlisberger sneaks it, colliding with Randall and Martin at the goal line. They push him back, but the ball breaks the plane, officials rule. 16-14, Steelers. On the sideline, Harden crosses his arms and speaks to no one, waiting for feedback from upstairs. He doesn’t care how good Pittsburgh’s offense is; surrendering two eight-point drives is unacceptable. “Stone’s doing much better against Brown than Lucas.” Oh well. Nothing Harden’s going to do about that now; Stone and Lucas each have their side of the field, and that’s that. “Mann is getting beat off the ball, giving Bell space up the middle.” Once again, nothing Harden can do. He doesn’t have a backup nose tackle. “Grantzinger’s getting stuffed on every pass rush.” That’s one Harden didn’t want to hear. He noticed Grantzinger’s subpar performance in Denver (which is to say he wasn’t outstanding), and he saw it on the Kansas City film when Ripka was running things. Harden keeps his eye on the linebackers, waiting for position coaches to finish debriefing. Thankfully, as the linebackers coach gets up, Randall follows him, curious about a particular play. That leaves a spot on the bench next to Grantzinger, which Harden fills. “What’s up, coach?” Grantzinger asks, drinking some water. “I should ask you,” Harden says. “You’re playing like shit.” Grantzinger looks stunned at Harden calling him out, and Harden’s glad he is. “Don’t give me any bullshit, Zack. We’ve known each other long enough.” Grantzinger breaks eye contact, looking out into the upper level of seats on the opposite side of the stadium. “It was just, with you in the hospital and all—” “Stop that shit right there. I don’t want to hear it.” Grantzinger bows his head. Harden lets out a sigh and softens his tone. “You know, I fought for you to start your rookie year. Daniel was against it.” “He was?” Grantzinger asks, looking his coach in the eyes now. “Yep. He knew it was smarter, long term, for the young guys to play, but he had to convince the team he wasn’t just rebuilding. So I fought him and wore him down. I saw you in training camp and I knew you’d be special.” The crowd cheers in celebration. Grantzinger looks up at the stadium’s big screen, seeing a replay of Maverick getting sacked, bringing up third and fifteen for the Knights. “Why are you telling me this, coach?” Grantzinger asks. “Because I’ve been yelling at your ass the last two weeks and it hasn’t done a thing. So, maybe I’ve gotta get soft. If that doesn’t work, I can try threats. Step up or Brock takes your spot permanently. How about that?” He watches Grantzinger’s face melt from tired curiosity into contempt, and he decides he’s got him. He leans in. “Make a fucking play.” Grantzinger puts his helmet back on as the Knights punt it away. The Steelers take over, still up 16-14, with 3:50 left in the half. Grantzinger hears Randall’s play call and gets in formation with a lot running through his mind. Somehow, he remembers an old adage of Penner’s. When you’re not sure how to play, play angry. Grantzinger bull-rushes the right tackle, throwing him to the ground, and dives for Roethlisberger, crushing him as he releases an errant pass that falls incomplete. After a short run by Bell brings up third and six, Harden calls an outside blitz. Grantzinger lines up as a 4-3 DE before Randall flips formation, putting him as 3-4 OLB. Roethlisberger takes the snap in shotgun as Grantzinger rushes wide. Linemen spread out, and Grantzinger spins just as Luck takes on the right tackle, opening a hole. Grantzinger shoots through, sees Roethlisberger wind up to throw, and swats the ball out of his hand. It bounces along the grass, eluding multiple outreached arms before Brock falls on top of it and hangs on through the ensuing scrum. The Knights offense retakes the field with energy after the game’s first turnover. Grantzinger nods to Harden on his way to the sideline and credits Luck for springing him loose. At midfield with 2:53 on the clock, McKenzie doesn’t rush anything. Maverick drops back and, as he has all night, hits receivers in their hands. Though disappointed McKenzie doesn’t call a deep shot, Maverick dips and dunks the Knights into the red zone. The clock ticks under a minute, but Maverick doesn’t panic, three timeouts in his pocket. He drops back, senses pressure, and fires over the middle for Watson, who catches it ten yards from the goal line. He turns upfield with two defenders closing. He slows to juke them and gets hit from behind. The ball pops loose and bounces into the end zone, secured by black jerseys for a touchback. Watson keeps his head down, thankful no one says anything to him as the Steelers run out the rest of the clock, and the Knights head to the locker room down two points. Fans around Heinz Field who make a halftime run for food or the bathroom rush back to their seats during the third quarter’s opening minutes. An electrifying thirty-yard run by Bell and a diving twenty-yard catch by Brown put the Steelers on the edge of the red zone. The Knights tighten up, preventing big plays and allowing yards in short chunks. But the Steelers convert two third downs, including third and goal, for a touchdown. On the two-point try, pass rush up the middle forces Roethlisberger to throw it away, and the Steelers lead, 22-14. McKenzie calls Wilkes’ number, having realized at halftime Pittsburgh is struggling to cover him between the twenties. Wilkes gets the Knights to the red zone almost single-handedly, where they try to get the run game going. This brings up third and three, on which Maverick connects with Bishop on a seam route. Bishop absorbs a big hit but holds onto the ball for the touchdown. On the two-point try, the Steelers blanket Wilkes but leave Harper isolated. Maverick throws up a jump ball, and the rookie makes an acrobatic grab, planting both feet in bounds. Tie game, 22-22. Maverick catches his breath on the sideline, enjoying every moment of this game. This is the type of quarterback duel he lives for, and it helps to have all his receivers playing at their best. Well, all but one. After a few minutes, Maverick walks over towards Watson. The memory of Watson’s infamous drop last year still hurts, and Maverick can only imagine how Watson feels. But he can’t let his fumble before halftime affect the rest of this game. “Hang in there, Joe,” Maverick says. “Yeah,” Watson says. “Hey, don’t ‘yeah’ me, motherfucker. We’re gonna need you to win this one, so stay energized. Stay positive. Next drive, first ball’s coming to you.” Maverick walks away to secure that play call with McKenzie while the Knights defense goes back to work. Harden struggles to contain the Bell/Brown combination, but improved pass rush expands his options. The Steelers chew some yardage, but a thunderous tackle by Schwinn stuffs Bell on third and two, and the Steelers punt. Maverick drops back and, true to his word, fires for Watson on a quick comeback route. Watson snags it, runs upfield for a few yards, and dives with defenders approaching, ball secured. The Knights move the chains, and Maverick doesn’t miss a single pass. Sixty-five yards later, the third quarter ends, the score still even. Maverick drops back looking for Wilkes, who breaks toward the end zone into double coverage. Pressure comes up the middle but Maverick stands in, firing toward the middle of the end zone. Three black jerseys reach for the pass, but it sails inches beyond their reach and into Harper’s arms. He plants his feet for the touchdown. Teammates mob Maverick for the awesome throw, but he shoos them away for the two-point attempt. Maverick fakes a handoff and rolls right, towards Wilkes, who’s doubled. Maverick motions with his arm, and Wilkes cuts back toward the middle of the field, taking the defenders with him. Maverick runs into the end zone untouched. 30-22, Knights. Harden relaxes, feeling the game within reach for the first time. A stop here—or a touchdown without the conversion—and the Knights are one offensive drive away from victory. The Knights, though, have no answer for the Steelers offense, which marches to the red zone, Heinz Field cheering louder with each first down. Roethlisberger hurries a snap with the Knights still getting in position and floats one for Brown, who gets behind Lucas. Flash is a step late, only able to deliver a vicious hit, but Brown hangs on. Harden screams for his guys to get lined up properly for the two-point try, which sees Roethlisberger in shotgun. He drops back, looking to his right, then flips it back to Bell on a screen. Bell waits for the blocks to set, then surges through an opening, diving across the goal line for the score. Steelers 30, Knights 30, 9:31 to play. The ensuing commercial break lets everyone in the stadium brace for a finish that will surely be chaotic—and significant. This is, most likely, an AFC Championship preview, and the winner gets to play the rematch in their city. The Knights would relish another chance at this team, no matter how tonight turns out, but they would much rather do so at Farmers Field. Maverick takes over, finding Watson and Johnson for short gains. Bishop makes a tough catch in traffic for a first down, then Justin Houston breaks through for a sack, and the stadium rocks with noise. A safe, quick pass play makes it third and eight with Steelers fans roaring. Maverick drops back, rolling out to avoid pass rush, and heaves it deep for Wilkes. The receiver runs half a step ahead of double coverage, leaps for the ball, and feels it hit his hands. He hits the grass with bodies on top of him and emerges with the ball. The Knights run downfield for what looks like a fifty-yard gain, but officials rule an incompletion. Harden holds his hands up, waiting for an explanation that comes in the form of “process of the catch” nonsense. As the punt team lines up, Harden hears from upstairs: ball bobbled and hit the ground, do not challenge. “Man, that’s fucking bullshit!” Wilkes yells on the sideline, slamming his helmet on a nearby table and sending multiple cups of Gatorade flying. “Chill, D-Jam,” Maverick says. “Game’s not over yet. You’ll get your shot.” Harden looks up at the clock: 6:49. The way his defense has played, Pittsburgh is likely to take this to the goal line and score with no time left. The Knights need a turnover to win. Harden gets aggressive, calling heavy blitzes and press coverage. This shuts down the run game, but Roethlisberger finds ways to get first downs. He counters a few blitzes with vintage Ben Roethlisberger plays, somehow eluding a sack and buying just enough time to throw downfield. A twenty-yard strike to Eli Rogers puts Pittsburgh thirty yards from the end zone with the clock at 4:55 and counting. A handoff to Bell catches the Knights’ front seven off guard, and Bell dashes through linebackers for another first down. Grantzinger and Brock get pressure on consecutive plays, forcing incompletions. Third and ten, 3:56 to go. Roethlisberger drops back and hits Brown on a slant. Stone and Flash bring him down immediately and look toward the sideline for the spot: one yard short. Fourth and one from the nine-yard line. Harden watches his field goal unit run onto the field around him, then calls them back. “Back, assholes! Get the fuck back!” The Steelers offense remains on the field. In the scramble, Harden is unable to call a play, so he burns a timeout. The clock freezes at 3:20. Randall runs over to the sideline. “Not sure they’ll still line up to go for it,” Harden says, “but if they do, be ready. If anyone jumps offside, they’re walking back to L.A.” “Got it, coach,” Randall says. Harden makes the call, stacking the box with cover two over the top. To his surprise, the Steelers offense stays on the field for fourth down. “They got balls,” Harden says to himself. “I like this.” Roethlisberger lines up under center, white jerseys crowding the line. He tries a hard count. A few Knights flinch, but no one jumps. Randall shouts, “Easy! Easy!” to the linemen in front of him. Roethlisberger takes the snap and looks to the end zone. With Bell staying in the backfield to block, Randall and Martin blitz. Roethlisberger pumps, getting both linebackers to jump, and takes off down the middle, green grass in front of him. He gets the first down as Schwinn lines him up in the open field. Roethlisberger jukes, and Schwinn dives, completely faked out, eating a chunk of grass and hearing the stadium roar around him. Touchdown, Steelers. Harden’s disgust only lasts a moment before seeing Pittsburgh’s field goal unit finally come onto the field. Mike Tomlin is apparently content to take a seven-point lead with 3:12 left. “No balls whatsoever,” Harden says. “Pussies.” The extra point is good, and it’s 37-30, Steelers. Defeated and gassed Knights jog back to the sideline, and Harden, unsurprisingly, targets Schwinn. “You just got juked by a guy who weighs more than you,” Harden says. “How’s that feel?” Schwinn bows his head in shame. Harden walks over toward the offense. “Mac, I’m sorry to say it, but we’re gonna need you to win this one for us.” McKenzie smiles, as confident and relaxed as he was when he woke up this morning. “We got it, coach.” Maverick and McKenzie go through the playbook, totally in sync with what the defense is showing them, what they want to do, everything. Three minutes with two timeouts is plenty. The ensuing kickoff sails out of the end zone, so the Knights take over at their twenty-five. Maverick calmly walks toward the huddle, feeling his heart pounding. This only happens in moments like this. His focus is so sharp, he could hit a target seventy yards away if they set one up. Without any sort of pep talk or pump-up, Maverick calls the play and breaks the huddle. He lines up in shotgun with Heinz Field in an uproar. He expects this the rest of the drive, and that’s fine. Maverick drops back and finds receivers quickly. Harper for seven yards, Bishop for ten, Wilkes for eight. In no extreme hurry, the Knights reach midfield at the two-minute warning and keep marching. The Steelers blitz, flushing Maverick from the pocket. No one’s open, so he tucks the ball and runs upfield. He sees a safety coming straight for him, readying his spin move. He doesn’t see the corner approaching from his right. He gets hit just before spinning, and he feels the ball pop out of his hand. The ball bounces toward the sideline and into a pile of four men, two from each team. The pile doubles in size within seconds, and officials pry through the carnage. Harden screams for a timeout, and the clock eventually stops at 1:41. Officials dig in search of the football with players from both teams claiming they’ve got it. Finally, Wilkes emerges from the pile—without the ball, but his eyes are gleaming. “Joe’s got it! Joe’s got it!” The last man on the bottom of the pile is Watson, and the ball remains clutched against his chest. Officials signal possession for the Knights, and their timeout freezes the clock. McKenzie shakes his head and scans his laminated play sheet, no time to wonder how, in a pile totaling nearly a ton of human weight, short and skinny Joseph Watson emerged with the football. Another big Wilkes catch gets the Knights into the red zone, where the Steelers tighten up. Against near-perfect coverage, Maverick connects with Johnson on completions of three and four yards. Harden calls his final timeout with 0:42 left, the Knights thirteen yards from the end zone. After calling the play, McKenzie walks over to Harden and mentions a rarely used formation. “What do you think?” McKenzie asks. “It’s been a while…Yeah, why not? Next stoppage.” Maverick drops back and surveys the coverage. He steps up and finds Bishop, hit immediately and brought down at the six. Everyone hurries to the line. Heinz Field reaches peak volume again. Maverick gets everyone where he wants them as the clock winds. 0:21, 0:20… Maverick takes the snap and looks for Wilkes—covered. He looks over the middle—a free rusher comes right for him. He takes off in the opposite direction, reaching full speed just to escape the pocket before throwing it away. The clock stops again. 0:12. Harden jogs back toward his defensive players. “ZACK! Get the fuck out there!” A surprised Grantzinger hesitates before throwing his helmet on and running out into formation. Six yards from the end zone, the Knights line up in a rare iteration of the I-Form 3-WR, with Grantzinger replacing Bishop at fullback and Bishop replacing Watson in the slot. Maverick fakes a toss to the right and rolls left. Harper tries to break good coverage. Wilkes runs left but is doubled. Maverick nears the end zone, considers running, and hesitates, wanting to save time. He doesn’t notice the clock is about to hit zero. He plants his feet and looks back across the field, spotting a white jersey. He throws as hard as he can, firing a laser that hits Grantzinger’s jersey with a thud. Grantzinger presses the ball against his chest and gets hit twice. He feels dazed, not sure he’s in the end zone. Teammates excitedly bring him to his feet, ball in hand. Touchdown, Knights. 37-36, Steelers. 0:00 on the clock. Amidst a chaotic sideline celebration, McKenzie sees Maverick holding up two fingers. “Go for the win, coach?” McKenzie asks into his headset. “Absolutely,” Harden says. McKenzie puts all his receivers on the field (not including Grantzinger) in an unbalanced formation: Johnson isolated wide left with the other four to Maverick’s right. Without a counterbalanced defense, it’s an easy receiver screen for the win. Maverick lines up under center against a wide defensive line. Sneak, maybe. He’s ready to snap it when the Steelers send most of their secondary toward the bunched receivers. There goes the screen. He looks back to Johnson, still isolated. Two years ago that would be an easy touchdown, but now? The play clock ticks under ten seconds. Maverick surveys again, thinking there will be enough blocking for the screen to work. He calls his cadence and takes the snap as multiple linebackers accelerate toward him on a blitz. He looks right, but there’s too much chaos. Can’t do it. He tries to look left but linebackers surge toward him. Gotta throw it. He lobs it up in Johnson’s direction and gets crushed. Johnson breaks on his slant, sees the pass wobble the other way, plants his cleat in the grass, and cuts back. He jumps as high as he can, cradling the ball and planting both heels in bounds before hitting the ground. White jerseys storm the field as Steelers fans watch in shock. The nearest official makes his call with no hesitation, and instant replay shows no reason for a review. Knights 38, Steelers 37. The victors enjoy an emphatic and deserving celebration in the end zone, but many make a point to shake hands with as many Steelers as possible. More than one player says to another, “See you in January.” That rematch is a distinct possibility but will have to wait. For now, the Knights celebrate victory in one of the most memorable regular season games ever, then fly back to Los Angeles, two wins from history. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vin+ 3,121 Posted April 7, 2017 This is happening, isn't it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RazorStar 4,025 Posted April 7, 2017 Another thrilling game for the LA Knights and another impossible victory. Time to blow this perfect season with two games left haha. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted April 7, 2017 Awesome. Loved the college flashback for Mav. Can't wait to see Phillips' plan work itself out. And how long is Harden going to hold up? Is Mav going to ask Trish to marry him? Where are Cooper and Sampson? So many questions... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SteVo+ 3,702 Posted April 13, 2017 I missed Wednesday, so it's Hump Day Bump Day +1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites