Chapter 757: 756 feinted a shot
Chaos, tense, deadlocked—
And then, amidst the turmoil, Jones scooped up the playful ruddy little imp into his arms, quickly curling up and tightly hugging the football.
“Ah!”
Li Wei, leading the charge, threw his arms high into the air and leaped in jubilation, cheering aloud.
Following that, the entire Arrowhead Stadium erupted with incredible energy.
“Soar!”
“Soar!”
An overwhelming wave of heat surged, breaking the shackles of the live caras, using the TV screen as a window, venting down into millions of spaces.
Jenna sat there, dumbfounded, as Jeff and Annie both leapt up, cheering, screaming, and roaring together. As she looked at her husband and daughter, confusion filled her eyes, yet she felt as though the whole neighborhood and the entire street were shaking like an earthquake, rivaling the eruption of a volcano.
Jenna: What, what is this?
On the field, Jones stood up with a roll, and even he, who was usually introverted and not adept at expressing himself, could not control the roar that rose from within.
Ah, ah, ah.
Passion overflowed!
Jones knew the significance of this ga; Felix’s condition was known by everyone in the team, and an air of solemnity perated the locker room before the ga—
For them, it wasn’t just a playoff ga; it was a match with no way out, they needed to fight against death itself, to battle for their destiny.
They had to give it their all.
Energy, released in an instant, Jones clenched his fists tightly, as if grasping the throat of fate itself.
Luck lay on the ground, his right hand on his helt covering his eyes, his chest heaving violently, a fla burning within.
This was a battle of offenses, the Kansas City Chiefs Offense leading the league in firepower. If they could not keep pace with the offense, the ga would be very, very difficult. The team was well aware of this and had been implenting it right from the start.
But now?
Watching the end zone just ahead, let alone scoring a touchdown, they didn’t even have a field goal.
Anger? Sha? Frustration? Despondency? Oppression?
Luck himself could not accurately describe his feelings; he needed a mont to settle.
“Andy…”
A voice ca through; Mark worried about Luck’s condition and hesitated whether he should help Luck up to ensure he wasn’t injured.
Luck sat up in a flash, glared with wide eyes and roared, “Andrew, please call Andrew. Get away!”
Then, paying no attention to Mark, Luck got up and stord off the field, filled with rage.
“… The first quarter has just passed the halfway mark, and the Kansas City Chiefs have displayed a determination to win from offense to defense, creating a turnover.”
“This season, the aging and sluggish Defense has been the subject of criticism, even performing worse than last season, relying entirely on a powerful Offense to lead the Kansas City Chiefs through the regular season; but it seems people underestimated this Defense, always able to rise to the occasion at critical monts.”
“Perhaps, they are not the league’s top presence; but we should not underestimate their energy.”
“Facing this divisional ga, the Defense showed strong belief from the opening phase. Now, the opportunity returns to the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs Offense.”
“Can the young offensive group led by Li Wei continue their strong performance and firmly seize the chance to take the lead in the score?”
The formation, once again unfolding.
Now, Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Richie faced a question:
If the defensive group’s pre-ga deploynt had not been effective, should they change their strategy?
The answer was a resounding yes.
“Attack!”
Mahos announced the kickoff, and without any hesitation, he imdiately tucked the football into Li Wei’s arms, initiating the first offensive wave with a ground attack.
Just before the kickoff, Li Wei was observing the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive group’s formation, and Richie did not hide his tactical change—
A combination of man-to-man and zone defenses.
Richie knew clearly that the Colts’ defensive front could only pose limited threats. If they chose to pressure with rushes or blitzes, they had to catch the opponent off guard and precisely strike at the vital points, creating fewer but more efficient plays. This was the key to turning the tide.
And when there was no pressure rush, it did not an the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive group was sitting ducks; they could still increase the difficulty of passing by closely guarding Kansas City Chiefs’ receiving points, indirectly pressuring Mahos and ensuring that the tension in the offensive and defensive standoff always persisted.
Does this strategy sound familiar?
Just now, the Kansas City Chiefs Defense was arranged this way on third and ten, using a linebacker to step up and fill the gap, allowing Jones to free up and enter the pocket to apply pressure, hit, or even sack with a streamlined strategy that led to a particularly delightful success.
In the blink of an eye, the Indianapolis Colts also adopted a similar strategy.
The difference was that the Chiefs waited until just before the Red Zone because of the limited space in the backfield, allowing the defensive group to tighten up their man coverage and zone defenses; whereas the Colts started already near the kickoff line, similar to a front-court press tactic in basketball or football.
Since Jones had just forced a fumble, the Chiefs started their attack right from the fumble spot, which was on their own 27-yard line, nearly the sa as a normal kickoff position. But the Colts felt the pressure and imdiately ramped up their defensive intensity.
Moreover, it was worth noting that the Colts’ pass defense was better than the Chiefs’, with blue-collar players across the secondary line all diligent and dedicated. Even without star players, they always managed to accomplish their ga tasks.
With a quick scan, Li Wei could see a defensive player closely marking each receiver one-on-one, while another safety and linebacker were staggered in the central area, their eyes firmly fixed on Mahos, feeling the increase in pressure intensity even before the kickoff.
So, was this all?
Li Wei was dubious.
“Strategically belittle the enemy, tactically take them seriously.”
If Richie could lead the injured-riddled Indianapolis Colts into the playoffs, especially after the coaching turmoil involving McDaniel during the offseason, and hand in such an answer, then Richie had his own set of skills.
Indeed, as soon as Mahos announced the kickoff, and Li Wei had just completed the handoff, he could already feel the air near the kickoff line tensing up.
——A trap.
An alarm rang in Li Wei’s mind. Richie posed as if he was copying Reed’s defensive strategy, but after the kickoff, he opted for a rush pressure.
Clearly, Richie needed the elent of surprise and to disrupt Mahos’ rhythm, not allowing Mahos to dominate and dictate the ga in his comfort zone.
In so way, this was becoming more and more similar to Reed’s just-concluded defensive strategy, almost like a mirror tactic.
So who did Richie choose to blitz?
Li Wei didn’t recklessly rush forward but paused in his stride, lifted his head for a quick scan, and imdiately noticed two flashes of white darting from the flanks like lightning—
A six-man rush!
Richie was playing hardball.
Reviews
All reviews (0)