"They're afraid."
Lance said.
Hearing those words, Alex Smith lifted his gaze toward Gillette Stadium. The louder they roared, the more twisted their faces beca, the more apparent it was—they were nervous, they were scared. That's why they had to resort to such an aggressive display.
Strangely, Smith felt a wave of calm wash over him.
The fear of your enemy is your source of strength.
He refused to leave regrets behind. Even if this was his last ga as a Kansas City Chief, he would fight as if it were the last ga of his career.
Head up. Chest out.
Smith was still Smith, but his eyes told a different story.
No ti to talk further.
Lined up. Set. Ready to attack.
Before him, the field stretched wide open.
Everything unfolded as expected. Just like in Week 6 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New England Patriots' defense spread out—corners positioned wide, linebackers and safeties playing slightly deeper, while only the four defensive linen held their ground tightly against the Chiefs' offensive line.
The focus was on the sidelines.
But knowing how the Chiefs had previously exploited the middle of the field to change the ga, the Patriots left themselves a failsafe—they were watching.
Smith took a deep breath. His voice was firm.
"Attack!"
Tick, tick… 1:55, 1:54… The clock began to move again.
Everything unfolded as predicted. The Chiefs didn't take unnecessary risks, sticking to short sideline passes.
Against the Titans in the last ga, the Chiefs had unleashed a flurry of quick strikes, using Lance and Kareem Hunt as wide receivers alongside three traditional receivers and a tight end. Mixing up formations, setting picks, and using layered routes, they had exploited the sideline perfectly.
Clearly, Belichick had studied the tape.
He adjusted. New England's linebackers shifted into better position, reinforcing zone coverage to counteract the Chiefs' movent.
But the Chiefs had anticipated this too—
On the right side: two wide receivers, a tight end, and Lance.
On the left side: Tyreek Hill—alone.
The contrast between strong side and weak side was blatantly obvious. Even though the Patriots could sll the trap, they had no choice but to respect the strong side's firepower.
This was a battle of wits.
At the snap, the strong side exploded into motion. Three players crisscrossed, setting natural picks, sprinting toward different routes. The Patriots' defense tightened up, struggling to identify the target.
Kyle Van Noy had locked onto Lance.
But—
In a blink, Lance was gone.
Where was Lance?
Wait. Where did Lance go?
On a constantly shifting battlefield, even one blink could change the ga.
Van Noy's vision swept the field.
Found him!
Weak side.
…Weak side?
Sohow, Lance had slipped to the weak side, following Hill's route, floating effortlessly into open space—
Completely unguarded.
The Chiefs' deception had worked. They had manipulated the Patriots' focus just enough to create a gap.
Ahead, Hill sprinted toward the sideline, carving out a sharp, arcing route.
Behind him, Lance mimicked his path, but with a wider curve.
Hill's target? 10 yards.
Lance's target? 5 yards.
Van Noy lunged forward, scrambling to close the gap—
Too late.
Malcolm Butler had already made his move.
Van Noy exhaled in relief—Butler had stepped up to guard Lance.
But then—his heart clenched.
Wait. If Butler was on Lance—who was covering Hill?
The Chiefs had forced Butler into an impossible choice.
Van Noy had lost track of Lance for just a second. That one second had broken the defense.
Smith threw the pass—
Hill.
A 10-yard bullet pass.
Hill caught it cleanly, turned—and imdiately saw Patrick Chung closing in.
No greed. No hesitation.
Hill stepped out of bounds. Clock stopped.
A wave of groans rippled through Gillette Stadium.
Van Noy, panting, glared at Lance.
Lance, unfazed, casually high-fived Hill in celebration.
Van Noy clenched his teeth. "F*."**
The Chiefs had made their statent. First play. First strike. Lance hadn't even caught the ball—but he was the key to everything.
The Patriots responded imdiately.
Belichick adjusted.
First-and-10.
A blistering pass rush forced Lance to stay in the pocket to block, while New England's defense locked down the receivers. Smith had nowhere to throw, and with a defender closing in, he had no choice but to throw it away.
Second-and-10.
Smith fired a quick short pass to Travis Kelce, with Lance blocking to clear a path. But the Patriots reacted instantly, using their swarming defense to trap Kelce inbounds, forcing Reid to burn a tiout.
Third-and-4.
Now—the real battle began.
The Patriots' defense tightened.
The Chiefs cleverly used a two-running back formation, Smith tossing a short pass to Hunt, executing a perfectly-tid third-down conversion.
But—New England had a plan.
They played a containnt strategy.
Instead of tight coverage, they backed off, letting the Chiefs complete short passes.
The goal?
Deny big gains. Keep them inbounds.
This wouldn't work in a normal ga.
But in a late-ga situation? It was genius.
The Patriots were dictating the pace.
And just like that—Reid had to burn another tiout.
Midfield. Chiefs' 46-yard line.
Third-and-4.
And the worst part?
43 seconds left.
Belichick was suffocating the Chiefs' chances—one by one.
The situation grew more desperate.
Even though the ball was only at midfield, it was clear—the Patriots were preparing to defend the red zone like their lives depended on it.
The intensity was rising.
So—should they go for the Hail Mary now?
If this were Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, they might already be in Hail Mary range.
But Smith wasn't Rodgers.
And even Rodgers wouldn't risk it this early. The closer to the end zone, the higher the chance of success.
43 seconds.
The Chiefs needed one more push forward.
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