"Boo, rookie!"
"Boo!"
The crude and brutal swear words at Gillette Stadium mixed with the jeers, torrentially flooded down, nacingly engulfing Li Wei who stood by the field.
Although playing away gas was always like this, today the vitriol focused on Li Wei was particularly vicious as his touchdown once again pushed him to the pinnacle.
Li Wei, with a composed expression, took these attacks as proof of his excellence.
But Justin Houston couldn't stand it.
This linebacker, drafted in the third round, 70th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2011, had grown into the leader of the defense—
making it to the Pro Bowl for four consecutive years since the 2012 season.
Last season, a knee ligant tear had lantably kept Houston out for most of the season, only returning in Week 11 of the regular season, but he never found his form.
A new season, a new beginning.
Houston was ready to make his coback, starting with the defending champions.
Yes, Li Wei was a rookie—that was a fact, there was no denying it, even now. Inside the Chiefs, they still half-jokingly called Li Wei a rookie, including Mahos and the other newcors.
But there was a difference between them saying it and the opponents hurling it as an insult.
Houston didn't like it—it was nobody else's business to criticize Kansas City Chiefs' rookies, especially since Li Wei had just thrown it back in their faces.
"Brothers."
Seeing Brady huddle up, Houston also rallied his teammates.
"Hey, listen up. The ga is tough, very tough, but we're still fighting."
"That rookie just taught us vets a lesson. Three runs, seventy-five yards; the Pats couldn't stop him at all. Their defense was like it didn't exist, the rookie got us the lead."
"Now it's our turn."
His words were brief but resounded with conviction.
Pats, this is the nickna New England Patriots fans have for their team, derived from a shorthand of Patriots pronunciation. Over ti, it's also beco a shorthand for the team itself.
Cornerback Marcus Peters nodded repeatedly, "Listen up, Gillette Stadium is enraged, but they directed all their anger at the rookie who can't fight back. Next, we should shut them up, let them know a rookie isn't soone just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can bully. I haven't even got my chance to ss with him."
Like Houston, Peters has been a true Chiefs mber since joining the professional league in the 2015 season, tightly united with the team.
His words brought laughter from everyone.
The undisputed boss of the defensive group, Safety Eric Berry, also nodded slightly, "We should also show what we're capable of, or else we'll have to hang our heads in front of the rookie at practice."
The Kansas City Chiefs, kings of the passing offense, even with a top running back like Jamaal Charles in the past few seasons, their ground ga was nothing special; but just now, Li Wei achieved three first downs with consecutive runs and finally sprinted into the end zone—
The montum, shot to its peak in an instant.
The eyes of the away team's defensive group bristled with a combative spirit.
Belichick noticed the subtle shift in montum right away.
Just now, the New England Patriots had taken the initiative to strike defensively, hoping to snuff out the montum of the Kansas City Chiefs; however, it hadn't worked, and with the ebb and flow, the Chiefs Defense was sure to be high in spirit, about to face imnse pressure.
Belichick was more than familiar with such situations.
So, right from the start, the New England Patriots slightly adjusted their offensive strategy, attempting to gain so ground with hard running plays on first or second down, not only to relieve Brady of so pressure but also to limit the rising morale of the opposing defense, slowing down the pace, and then relying on Brady's passing to secure first down conversions.
It must be said that Belichick truly is a crafty fox with an exceptional grasp of the flow of the ga, always able to calmly deploy strategies and control the tempo.
However, what Belichick couldn't control was the players' performance on the spot.
First down runs, second down runs, the running backs of the New England Patriots faced a sudden and violent resistance from the Kansas City Chiefs' Defensive line, forcing Brady to face the tough situation of third and six.
The first ti, Brady showed his big heart by completing a pass to tight end Gronkowski before being sacked, relying on Gronkowski's individual ability to force his way forward and nail-bitingly secure the first down conversion.
"Ah!"
Brady also showed so fighting spirit.
Whether it was Li Wei's tough performance leading to a complete deadlock in the score, or the defensive group stepping up the pressure, Brady could feel the change in the atmosphere of the ga, which clearly wasn't anticipated in the pre-ga preparations—
The Kansas City Chiefs were more troubleso than imagined.
Of course, Brady's competitive edge was also sparked, his eyes flashing with a killer instinct.
But the second ti, Brady quickly realized the situation was becoming increasingly difficult, as the Kansas City Chiefs seed to be generating an unsurpassed energy.
First down, the run was halted at the line of scrimmage.
Second down, the Chiefs used just four n to rush the passer: three Defensive linen plus... one cornerback, an unorthodox strategy not commonly seen.
Usually, blitzes involve a linebacker joining the Defensive line; but in recent years, especially after the Seattle Seahawks' Bombing Corps completely changed the league's definition of defense, big-sized cornerbacks have increasingly beco common, and defensive tactics involving cornerbacks blitzing quarterbacks have also beco popular.
This ti, the Chiefs unexpectedly adopted this tactic, catching Brady completely off guard. Peters stord in like a tiger descending the mountain, sacking Brady without giving him any chance.
The situation suddenly beca critical.
In the predicant of third and fourteen, Brady tried a long pass to get out of trouble but found the Chiefs' zone defense highly focused, unable to find a target for the pass; what's worse, as the pass was slightly delayed, the pocket collapsed, Houston cutting into the pocket—
The Chiefs employ a "3-4" defense, with only three Defensive linen, just three! Yet, facing the five n on the New England Patriots' offensive line, Houston managed to tear open the pocket, which particularly infuriated Brady.
But now was not the ti for anger, Brady still found a chance to try a long pass connection before Houston could complete the sack or hit him.
He found his number one wide receiver—
After Julian Edelman, who created nurous miracles last season, was written off due to injury, Andola beca Brady's current top passing target.
But truth be told, Andola, once undrafted, still had so deficiencies in ability, especially on long third down passes; his route running could often be predicted by opponents in advance.
Just like this ti.
Eric Berry, rely covering Andola, read his running path one step ahead, positioned himself perfectly as the ball ca down to create interference, and was even a hair's breadth away from intercepting—
If it weren't for Andola pulling on Berry at the last mont to commit a foul and disrupt Berry's balance, Berry might have just snatched the ga's first interception at that mont.
It was that close.
Though Berry missed the interception, he still accurately defended against Andola. Your next chapter awaits on empire
Brady's thirty-five-yard sneak attempt ended incomplete.
Struck out!
In a sudden change of fortunes, the initiative switched to the Kansas City Chiefs.
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