Chapter 280 Rookie Showdown
JJ Watt said, don’t underestimate Levi. The rookie has real qualities. If he is underestimated because of the media, he will definitely suffer.
TJ-Watt kept this in mind and never relaxed his vigilance throughout the game.
And now——
Levi as a catch point?
Watt was startled by his thoughts, a shiver ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and his spine felt numb.
Throughout the season, in the six games so far, Levi has never appeared as a wide receiver. He is the starting running back and the most powerful output of the Kansas Chiefs' ground attack; although the second running back Hunter has repeatedly performed brilliantly as a wide receiver. , but not once did Levi.
So now after Watt made his judgment, his first reaction was to reject it.
How is that possible!
In such an important game, such an important offense, the first offense that determines the outcome, and it's a Hail Mary, Reid actually chose Levi as the passing point?
If Levi is a smoke bomb that disrupts the line of sight, Watt still thinks it is more reliable; but the problem is here, Levi did not start with other receiving players, so the function of this smoke bomb is very limited.
Furthermore, look around -
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't notice Levi at all, or they did, but each of them had a task, their attention was completely in the end zone, and their eyes were all on the Hail Mary, so they didn't have the energy to think about the reason why Levi was here.
Other receiving points, including Hunter, all have players who are closely guarding them. Even safety guard Mitchell is quickly approaching Kelsey to ensure that the tight end has a numerical advantage around him.
But Levi didn't.
Levi, there was no Pittsburgh Steelers player within ten yards, completely empty.
Watt had no time to hesitate. Only he and another safety guard, Davis, were free at this time. Davis was rushing towards the end zone at full speed. He was also the same at first, but now, Watt changed his mind.
Everything is just between lightning and flint.
Without hesitation, Watt changed direction and rushed towards Levi.
Even if Levi didn't hold the ball, Watt didn't relax and was all tight.
Not far away, players on the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive team immediately noticed this scene——
Mitchell: This rookie!
Hilton: Sure enough, I still lack experience.
At this moment, they should not distract their attention. The most important task at hand is to guard key players, such as Kelsey and Hill; the second is to block the end zone. As long as these two keys are captured, no matter how Smith tries, Hail Mary, the defensive team can take advantage.
Originally, Tomlin was worried that Reid might choose to pass the ball in an attempt to advance the free kick range and kill it with a free kick; but the Kansas Chiefs set up a shotgun formation. From the beginning, all the receiving players rushed forward with all their strength, trying to The breakthrough was completed with speed, clearly targeting the far-reaching area.
The Pittsburgh Steelers defensive team naturally adapts to the ever-changing situation. They must closely defend the receiving players and should not lose their position easily.
Watt is still too young after all.
Twelve seconds.
The game time is still passing, and the air in the entire stadium is almost condensed. The offensive and defensive sides are scattered in different corners of the stadium to start confrontations.
Thousands of eyes fell on Smith's shoulders.
Stepping back, moving laterally, and adjusting his position, Smith's pocket footwork is solid. When Hayward was blocked and failed to exert effective pressure, Smith moved lightly.
And, observing.
Smith gained a full five seconds. For the Kansas Chiefs, whose release time is usually controlled within two seconds and is considered slow if it exceeds three seconds, Smith's holding time in the pocket has exceeded imagination.
Then--
Smith took action.
It is precisely because Smith spent too long observing in the pocket, and because Hill rushed towards the end zone at full speed like a fast horse, the attention of the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive team was completely focused on Hill.
Kick off the ground, turn around, and wave your arms.
Like a bow, the football flew out of Smith's hand, drawing a beautiful brown-red parabola across the field.
He. The entire Arrowhead Stadium gasped, then held its breath.
Bart's heart soared rapidly following the football's upward parabola, almost bursting out of his throat and flying out. The next second he was stunned——
ha?
Hell, hell, hell, hell, hell!
This is a thirty-five-yard pass.
Of course, long passes are still classified as long passes, but looking at the situation in front of us, the 35-yard long pass only crosses the midfield, and is still very, very far away from the end zone, which completely disrupts the anticipation. Judgment.
Almost everyone thought this was a Hail Mary, which should have been at least fifty yards, aimed at the red zone or even the end zone. All the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive players were retreating quickly and were already wandering at the front of the red zone; but In the end, Smith passed a 35-yard "long pass", and you can clearly see it in front of you:
The entire central court is completely cleared.
By surprise, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense was in chaos.
It doesn't matter, don't mess up your position, there is no need to make a fuss, the defensive team can just draw in the encirclement, and complete the defensive net while catching the turtle in the urn.
However, just when the defensive players were about to start, the offensive players stopped and turned around, changed their faces in one or two moments, transformed into defensive roles, and began to pick and intercept. The Pittsburgh Steelers defensive players' immediate secondary reactions were interrupted. Break——
The situation is reversed.
Ten seconds.
In the bustling place, all eyes were directed towards the center of the stadium.
"Levi VS Watt".
Who would have thought that Watt accidentally saw through Reed's strategy and made an accurate judgment. Now all hope falls on Watt.
A matchup between two first-round picks.
Watt, stepping up quickly.
Obviously, Watt was also set up. He thought it was a deep and long pass. He knew Levi's speed, so he did not stick to it immediately, but opened a little distance, not prepared to destroy the ball, and was ready to wait for Li Wei. Wei completed the tackle after receiving the ball.
As a result, the plan was disrupted again.
A slightly shorter long pass found Levi early, which also meant that Watt needed to take a step ahead, otherwise he would miss the opportunity to tackle.
The situation changes suddenly.
Levi is still not used to catching the ball.
Being able to catch the ball is one thing, training is one thing, but actually catching the ball in the face of pressure from the opponent and catching the ball in a Hail Mary moment that changes the outcome is another thing. The entire judgment of timing and positioning Slightly swaying.
While moving forward, turning around.
Levi turned sideways, and the next second he discovered that Smith's shuttle ball was flying quickly towards his shoulder. He thought Smith would pass a ball of about thirty yards, but in fact it was about thirty-five yards.
It’s only five yards, and there are no problems with the line, position, etc., but there is a problem with the connecting point of the receiving point. The parabola of the football’s descent is still slightly higher. Levi was originally planning to catch the ball on his chest, but now he must At the shoulder level.
awkward.
In the flash of lightning, Levi had no time to hesitate.
Turning around, the steps that were running towards the end zone turned into steps of retreating with his back to the end zone. He faced the football with both hands and picked up the standard shuttle ball into his arms.
The next step is to turn around again, face the end zone again and continue moving forward.
However, the turn was only halfway completed and the body could not be completely turned around. In the corner of the eye, a figure of a fierce tiger was caught coming down the mountain.
It's Watt.
Everything happened so fast that Levi had no time to adjust, so he simply gave up turning and tensed his back muscles to prepare for the collision.
Bang!
Colliding, grappling, the two chariots collided together solidly.
Watt: Grappling, done!
(End of chapter)