Chapter 367 God is at work
Cold and biting.
Before the game even started, Levi once again unlocked a new experience in his career.
Last season in the NCAA, the regular season ended before December, and all subsequent games were arranged in the sunny and warm spring-like south, so there was no need to worry about the effects of cold temperatures, rain and snow.
and!
For Levi, almost all mixed martial arts events are arranged indoors; cross-country running does need to face weather changes and environmental impacts, but event organizations need to avoid the impact of sudden bad conditions as much as possible. Events throughout the year are often concentrated in March to March between November.
In other words, winter outdoor events are completely new to Levi.
In the first NFL season of his career, everything is a new challenge.
Last month, the Kansas City Chiefs played four games, three in Kansas City and one in Miami, and briefly tried winter outdoor events; but setting foot in the sub-zero Fox Castle in the playoffs is another matter.
On the surface, the temperature is not scary, and there are no cumulus clouds in the sky; but when you actually step onto the court, goosebumps instantly sweep over your body, and you scream, feeling the magical attack of the cold wave with every piece of skin on your body——
During the warm-up period, you can deeply feel the completely different situation of Fox Castle tonight.
Levi had a feeling that this would be a tough game.
Facts also proved that Levi was right.
…
"Danger, the pocket is torn again!"
"Van Noy! New England linebacker Kyle Van Noy (Kyle-van-Noy) was at 120% in this game. He was completely crazy and unstoppably crossed the offensive line. Blocking cuts into the pocket.”
"Levi, Levi is trying to pick up the ball, but Belichick has already expected this. Cornerback Malcolm Butler's step up to pass the ball is undoubtedly an accident. Levi has no ability to spread the ball. He must Choose one."
"Levi and Butler!"
"Van Noy charged at Smith."
"Smith is dodging, Smith is running away, Smith refuses to surrender!"
"ah!"
"Van Noy! Sack!"
"Wait, drop the ball!"
"God, Smith was sacked by Van Noy when he was preparing to pass the ball. He was hit hard and dropped the ball before his arm could be raised in time."
"Oops!"
"Oh, Levi!"
"pretty!"
"Levi got rid of Butler's entanglement, covered the ball, and prevented the Kansas Chiefs from facing a nightmare of ball transition. Levi once again saved the Kansas Chiefs."
"The situation is not good, and now the Kansas City Chiefs are facing serious challenges."
Levi fell to the ground, like a shrimp, curled up tightly, protecting the football in his arms, until the royal blue crowd dispersed, and Smith, wearing a white jersey, pulled Levi up.
His chest rose and fell rapidly like a bellows, his throat felt itchy, and the urge to retching surged out, but Levi swallowed hard and stared intently at the celebrating New England defensive team on the opposite side, gritting his teeth with a look in his eyes. A murderous aura burst out.
Then, take a deep breath.
Looking back at Smith, he threw the football to the referee, "Are you okay?"
Smith was panting like an ox, and his white away jersey was like a five-year-old's canvas, with patches of black and white, and had long since become disfigured. The face behind the helmet was sweating profusely, flushed, and his hair was wet and stuck to his forehead. It looks like it has just been fished out of the water.
Smith had no energy left to speak and just waved his hand towards Levi.
Embarrassing!
This is a portrayal of the Kansas Chiefs' state so far in the divisional round.
This season, the New England Patriots still lead the league in overall strength, ranking second in the league in terms of overall offense and fifth in the league in terms of overall defense. They have a balanced offense and defense and are fully blossoming, once again demonstrating their dominance in the league. But overall, this is still a team whose offense is stronger than its defense. Brady is undoubtedly the core of the core, leading the team forward.
However!
As predicted by "Within the League" Lawson, as in the first wild card game, the defense plays an important role.
If you just analyze the data, the New England Patriots' defense is not strong. It ranks 30th in the league in pass defense--third from the bottom--and 20th in the league in ground defense. It is obviously also in the middle and lower reaches of the league. So the team's defensive team How did the overall ranking rank among the top five?
The answer, defensive efficiency.
Like the Kansas Chiefs last season, the New England Patriots' defense can show strength at critical moments. Their red zone defense ranks fifth in the league and their average defensive quality per gear ranks fourth. They are absolutely tough.
Before the game, the Kansas City Chiefs were mentally prepared for a tough battle.
But the actual situation is slightly different from what was imagined.
Belichick should have watched the Kansas City Chiefs over and over against the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans this season.
These games are very typical. Although except for the Oakland Raiders, all of them were won by the Kansas Chiefs; but they are of great analytical value because these teams suppressed the Kansas Chiefs' offense. Unfortunately, until The effort fell short at the last moment.
Analyzing these games is more meaningful than other games where the Kansas City Chiefs lost inexplicably.
In the end, Belichick formulated targeted tactics to seize the opportunity in the pre-match game with Reid——
Raid.
To be precise, it should be pass rushing. Raiding is just one part of the pass rush.
After analysis, Belichick accurately grabbed the throat of the Kansas Chiefs offense.
Although the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive line has performed really well this season, Smith's series of new highs in passing statistics stem from the solidity of the pocket.
But this is only a superficial phenomenon.
An in-depth analysis shows that Smith’s long pass attempts are the lowest among the league’s starting quarterbacks. In other words, Smith’s beautiful passing data comes from his quick shots, short passes account for an absolute proportion, and the role played by the offensive line Not as great as expected.
At the same time, almost all of the Kansas Chiefs' long-yard advances of more than 20 yards came from Hill and Levi, relying more on personal ability to break through——
Especially Levi.
As a running back, Levi has run the ball for more than 50 yards nine times this season, leading the league by a wide margin, and his performance is particularly strong.
So, what’s the crux?
Short passing area.
Going one step further, that's three seconds after kickoff.
Once the Kansas Chiefs' offense cannot be suppressed during these three seconds, they may be in trouble.
then!
Belichick increases the defensive team's pass rush ratio.
It's not just a raid.
The purpose of the raid is to sack the quarterback, which can only be done occasionally.
The purpose of rushing the ball is to pile up pressure on the front line, increase the density of the entire defense, and cause damage to passing and running the ball. This is an overall strategy.
Of course, the best result of rushing the passer is to sack the quarterback or intercept the running back.
In fact, this season, the New England Patriots' pass rushing ratio is only in the middle of the league, and their defensive team is not one of the league's best pass rushing teams.
But precisely because of this, Belichick's defensive strategy completely caught the Kansas Chiefs off guard, and the offensive line's data was squeezed out instantly——
The second quarter is not over yet, and the New England Patriots have sacked Smith six times.
A full six times!
(End of chapter)