Chapter 798: 797 Sleeping on Brushwood and Tasting Gall
For a mont, engrossed elsewhere, the New England Patriots were sucked into the rhythm of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Belichick also failed to co up with a better response.
The situation was slipping towards the Kansas City Chiefs.
What was worse, the Kansas City Chiefs executed a bulldozer style ground offense that was not slow, thodically advancing—
One link following another.
The New England Patriots had no ti to breathe, their front-line defense, which had perford well all season, was dizzy in the strange offensive rhythm of the Kansas City Chiefs, losing themselves in their breathing, footsteps, and heartbeat. They were just coming out of halfti but felt unable to keep up.
After pressing forward for over four minutes, the Kansas City Chiefs had already approached the twenty-yard line of the opposite half of the field. This was perhaps the most steady yet unstoppable offense of the entire ga, reminiscent of musketeers advancing a formation of cold-weapon infantry, leaving the New England Patriots no room to retreat.
Then!
The New England Patriots, as if waking from a dream, finally managed to turn the situation around slightly. Amid a full retreat and compression in the defensive area, they showed their defensive strength twice in a row—
Capturing Li Wei and heroically grabbing Kelsey just in ti, pushing the Kansas City Chiefs into a third and six situation.
Barely steadying themselves.
As the Kansas City Chiefs moved ever closer to the Red Zone, the confrontation between the two teams beca increasingly fierce and hard; simultaneously, the New England Patriots exploded with energy, the Defensive group clawing back so disadvantage, with the confrontation’s smoke filling the air.
But Belichick still dared not relax:
In this wave of offense, the Kansas Chiefs Offense was highly focused. Even facing a third and long, everything was under Reed’s calm and asured plan. What seed like a third-down crisis was actually all under Reed’s control, leaving the New England Patriots still in a difficult situation.
A slight lapse in attention, and the New England Patriots might face a counterattack at the start of the second half.
Belichick had not forgotten and would not forget the humiliation of last year’s divisional ga, once was enough, there was no need to experience it a second ti.
The rain kept falling.
Belichick covered his mouth with the tactic board, continually issuing orders, determined to ramp up the defensive intensity and pace before the Red Zone.
Opposite, the Kansas City Chiefs continued in their pistol formation unswervingly.
Moreover, Mahos, without any hesitation, signaled the start of the play, seemingly unaffected by the third and long situation.
“Attack!”
After the snap, with a turn, Mahos extended his right hand towards Li Wei—
A handoff? Or a fake play as a smoke bomb?
In that split second, the New England Patriots’ Defensive group montarily hesitated. Their bodies, tensed to the extre, leaned forward initially, ready to intercept Li Wei; but their strength and speed were not fully unleashed, fearing a full forward pressure might lead them all astray if Mahos managed a well-tid fake run.
Sure enough, in the next instant, Mahos pulled the Football back.
Adjusted on the spot, looking up to observe.
Belichick: Dangerous.
Here on the edge of the Red Zone, on one hand, the area the New England Patriots needed to cover was condensed, allowing their defensive intensity to be increased; on the other hand, the Kansas City Chiefs’ passing offense also had less area to cover, enhancing their offensive pace. Mahos only needed quick short passes to deliver lethal blows.
At this mont, watching Mahos’ observant actions, Belichick’s heart tightened, feeling both tension and a surge of excitent.
“Accurately predicted!”
A fake run but a real pass.
Reed was still Reed; the long ground-offensive setup ultimately pivoted back to a passing ga.
If the quarterback were Smith, Reed might still rely on Li Wei, especially since crucial monts required explosive power from the rookie; but now, with Mahos as quarterback, the passing play also had its own explosive power in critical monts. Given Reed’s personality, the probability of opting for a pass play soared.
Especially since this entire wave of attack centered on ground offense.
The only difference was, when would the stealth passing attack co?
That was all.
It was all about timing, Reed was waiting, Belichick was calculating; it was a gamble.
After losing to the Kansas Chiefs twice, and barely winning in the sixth week of the regular season, Belichick remained vigilant, repeatedly studying ga footage to try and fathom Reed’s psyche and accurately predict Reed’s critical choices.
Like now.
Belichick was pleased: his prediction was accurate.
The New England Patriots’ defensive group made a noticeable stepping-forward movent, ostensibly preparing for ground defense, but they were poised, seemingly wary of Hill, Kelsey, or Watkins acting as running back beyond Li Wei’s role, and hesitant to make a move; but in reality, they were truly guarded against the pass defense.
So.
When Mahos began to locate his passing targets, Van Noy made his move—
There it was.
They had been biding their ti, honing their strategy, waiting for such a mont to deliver a shock lesson to the passionate yet inexperienced rookies of the Kansas Chiefs; a Super Bowl victory might be luck, but climbing the summit a second ti or defending the title wouldn’t be that easy.
Tap tap, tap tap tap.
Van Noy quickly retreated, and it wasn’t just him—Hightower and Roberts also fully pulled back.
This wasn’t man-to-man coverage, but zone defense.
In just a second, the entire deanor of the New England Patriots’ defense shifted, revealing sharp fangs, ready to fiercely harm the Kansas Chiefs Offense.
Retreating while observing, Van Noy quickly confird his judgnt—
Kelsey, Hill, Watkins—all their receiving points scattered, each within just over twenty yards of the end zone, filled with red figures.
Among them, Hill led the charge, swiftly and agilely heading straight for the end zone.
Van Noy swiftly adjusted his center of gravity, his gaze shifting back to Mahos like a rhinoceros looking at the moon, searching for Mahos’ passing direction.
Belichick’s tactics were precise and sharp; the defensive line applied full pressure, and though it was just the basic four-man rush, this ti with tactical cooperation, it pressured the opposing offensive line, indirectly impacting Mahos to keep him from passing comfortably.
Thus, Van Noy saw Mahos taking small steps back, trying to find space to adjust, while also widening his perspective for secondary defense reading.
Hill?
Van Noy noticed Mahos’ gaze and reacted imdiately.
The next second, Mahos passed the ball.
Van Noy’s heart tightened: indeed, it was towards Hill.
Digging in, powering up, speed unleashed.
As Van Noy sprinted furiously trying to gain so space in the race against the football, he continued to watch Mahos’ passing trajectory to find an appropriate defensive position.
Then.
Van Noy was astounded: …
Li Wei?
Why would Li Wei be here?
Wasn’t Li Wei supposed to act as a decoy, then beco the sixth man on the offensive line to protect Mahos, ultimately rendered useless because the New England Patriots deciphered their strategy?
Why did Mahos turn around and lightly toss the football back to Li Wei?
What the heck!
Running the ball?
The Kansas Chiefs chose to run the ball again? Had Reed lost his mind?
…Darn.
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