Chapter 279 Life hangs by a thread
The air was almost stagnant, time seemed to be stuck in quicksand and slowed down ten to twenty times, and my heart was beating wildly, roaring above my eardrums.
Bart had to use all his strength to control his ecstasy——
Third gear, six yards, seventeen seconds.
Pittsburgh Steelers winning percentage, 99.99%.
The Pittsburgh Steelers knew that the Kansas City Chiefs were going to try a Hail Mary, Bart and Pash and the rest of the pros, Arrowhead Stadium knew it, almost everyone knew it, and at this point, there were no secrets to the playbook.
Naturally, Tomlin's defensive tactics become simple:
Open up the space and defend in the backcourt.
The Pittsburgh Steelers left three defensive ends and one linebacker in the frontcourt to maintain pressure. All other players retreated, scattered in the middle pass, long pass and different positions in the backfield, all focusing on the Hail Mary. superior.
Regardless of whether the Kansas City Chiefs choose to pass the ball or run the ball, the Pittsburgh Steelers allow them to advance a certain distance, close the net in time, and intercept subsequent advances. The only thing that needs to be defended is the cannonball pass aimed at the end zone.
Of course, Smith does not have such long passing ability, which also makes the Pittsburgh Steelers defense more comfortable.
It is precisely because of this that Reid caught Tomlin's mentality of focusing all his attention on Hail Mary and asked Smith to connect Hunter with a short pass.
Yes, No. 2 running back Hunter.
Reid used Hunter as a surprise player and asked Hunter to quickly go out of bounds after receiving the ball near the sideline. He paused the game time and used Smith's strengths as much as possible to increase the speed and rhythm. He established smoothness through continuous short passes and quick out-of-bounds stops. sex.
The goal is not a touchdown, but a free kick.
After all, the Kansas City Chiefs were only two points behind, and a free kick was enough.
The strategy is very good; but Hilton, the cornerback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, did a great job today. He saw through the Kansas Chiefs' strategy immediately, waited patiently for Hunter to catch the ball, and then completed the tackle on the sideline——
Not only did he intercept Hunter, but he also refused to go out of bounds, allowing the game time to continue to pass.
A tackle, a confrontation, Hilton's clean and tough tackle eliminated Reed's strategy of quickly stopping the clock, which also laid the foundation for the Pittsburgh Steelers to continue to win.
Forced to do so, Smith could only quickly line up and then drop the ball to stop the clock.
The so-called stoppage of the ball is when the quarterback smashes the football to the ground in front of him to create a dead ball, pausing the game time at the cost of wasting an offensive opportunity, and then gaining time for the offensive team to rearrange tactics.
If it were Manning, he might directly enter the no-gathering offensive mode at this time, but Manning only has one.
As a result, the Kansas Chiefs slid further toward the edge of the cliff.
Next, things are simpler for the Pittsburgh Steelers, just stick to the strategy just now and prevent Smith from challenging the Hail Mary, that's all.
Bart could hardly control his joy——
finally!
He was finally able to stand up and start singing again. He really didn't expect it to be so difficult. It was really not easy to toss and turn for six weeks. There were so many bitter tears in the past month and a half, but he was the only one who suffered the bitterness and suffering. I know, but now the haze is finally over.
Sure enough, the truth is in the hands of a few people.
With six yards and seventeen seconds on third down, the Kansas Chiefs had only one way to challenge a Hail Mary, but this time, the Pittsburgh Steelers would not make the mistakes of the previous teams and once again allowed Reed to escape defeat.
Everything is as expected——
The Kansas Chiefs had a very short meeting and did not waste much time. They immediately formed their formations and Smith had already begun to observe the formations and prepare for the kickoff.
Wait, who is that?
Bart doubted his eyes. Levi and Hunter were actually on the field at the same time. A two-running back tactic?
Why did Reid choose a two-running back tactic at this time? Is it possible that he is still playing tricks at this time? Whether it is running the ball or short passing is not enough to solve the dilemma of the Kansas Chiefs, what is going on in Reid's mind?
Bart: I don’t understand, I don’t understand.
Not only Bart, but Tomlin was also stunned for a moment. He couldn't understand Reid's strategy at all. Several possibilities flashed through his mind but they were all rejected immediately——
"Concentrate! Concentrate!"
Tomlin had no time to change his tactics, so he decided to keep the same in response to the changes. He just shouted repeatedly to make the defensive players tense up. "attack!"
Smith kicked the ball off.
In an instant, the soldiers and horses on both sides of the Chu River and Han Dynasty were fully activated as planned.
Bart's heart tightened and he stared at the game on the TV screen.
Fake fax run?
Levi stepped forward and made a handover motion with Smith.
A fake run and a real pass?
Smith did not hand the football to Levi. Levi passed in front of Smith, pulled horizontally and rushed out at a 45-degree angle diagonally on the right side.
However, there is no need. Whether it is a fake fax run or a fake fax run or a real pass, all these small actions are now redundant and cannot fool the opponent at all.
What the hell is Reed doing?
Fifteen seconds.
At this time, all the other players of the Kansas City Chiefs rushed forward regardless. The two receivers, a tight end and a running back all rushed forward without pausing or hesitating. It was obvious at a glance that they were preparing to challenge the Hail Mary.
Therefore, Smith's actions are even more unnecessary. Isn't this taking off his pants and farting?
At this moment, silently, a figure belatedly crossed the Chu River and Han boundary and headed straight ahead——
Levi, that's Levi!
Bart: Huh.
With a sudden movement, his breath was cut off. Why did Levi cross the line of scrimmage?
On the court, Levi is observing.
Sure enough, Hayward was confused.
Originally, Hayward was prepared to sack Smith. Although all his teammates were postponed and the Pittsburgh Steelers did not have a numerical advantage in the forward confrontation, Hayward was not prepared to let Smith challenge Hail Mary comfortably.
There are two key points in defending Hail Mary, one is to put pressure on the quarterback, and the other is to focus on the receiving point.
Hayward is responsible for the former. Even if his own team is inferior in numbers, he doesn't care about it. He has to apply pressure anyway and tear the pocket regardless.
However, the dazzling operations of Smith and Levi disrupted the plan. Hayward's footsteps obviously paused and he hesitated briefly.
The arena is changing rapidly.
A moment's hesitation may lead to passivity.
By the time Hayward realized Levi's breakthrough, he couldn't keep up with his steps. At the same time, he was ready to start a second time and continue to sack Smith, but his step forward lost its explosive power and he hit the wall in front of him.
The sesame seeds were not picked up and the watermelon was lost.
Hayward held a breath in his chest. He couldn't believe that his strong performance throughout the game had flawed at this moment, but it was too late. He could only catch a red afterimage in his peripheral vision.
Damn it!
Levi encountered no obstacles at all. For the first time in the whole race, he was able to let go and accelerate fully, and rushed out without hesitation.
Moreover, he remained calm, quickly took in the distribution of players in front of his eyes, and his brain was running at high speed to analyze.
At this time, Watt noticed for the first time——
Levi, rushing forward without the ball.
But why?
If there is no ball in hand and no pick-and-roll screen, then the only possibility for Levi to continue to advance is:
Passing target.
(End of chapter)