Chapter 382 Source of Power
They are afraid.
Levi said.
Hearing Levi's words, Smith looked up at Gillette Stadium again. The louder the shouts, the more ferocious the faces, showing that they were more guilty and more frightened, so they had no choice but to launch an attack in this way——
Inexplicably, Smith calmed down: the enemy's fear is the source of strength.
He is not prepared to leave any regrets, even if this is his last game on behalf of the Kansas Chiefs. He is prepared to fight as if this is the last appearance of his career.
Keep your head up and chest out.
Smith is still the same Smith, but his eyes are completely different.
There was no time to continue communicating.
Arrange, line up, and prepare to attack.
In front of me, the field of vision is wide.
Everything was as expected. Just like the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6 of the regular season, the New England Patriots spread out their defensive formation. The cornerbacks moved to the side, and the linebackers and safeties were positioned slightly back, leaving only the front. The four defensive linemen are inextricably linked to the Kansas Chiefs' offensive line.
The focus of defense is on the sidelines.
But considering that the Kansas Chiefs once unexpectedly subverted the situation with a central attack, the New England Patriots still have one thing in mind this time.
Smith took a deep breath, with a hint of determination in his voice.
"attack!"
Tick, tick... One minute and fifty-five seconds, one minute and fifty-four seconds, time starts moving again.
Everything, as expected, the Kansas Chiefs did not make any risky attempts, and still focused on short passes from both sides of the line.
In the last game against the Tennessee Titans, the Kansas Chiefs once launched a shock wave, using Levi and Hunter as wide receivers, partnering with three wide receivers and a tight end, in different arrangements and combinations, covering each other and picking off each other. Shows his power in short passing offense aimed at the sideline.
Obviously, Belichick watched the game tape and made plans accordingly, relying on the movement of linebackers to enhance the power of zone defense.
However, the Kansas Chiefs are also prepared——
On the right side, two wide receivers, a tight end, and Levi are also standing here.
On the left, Hill is alone.
The strong side and the weak side are really obvious. Faced with such a two-level formation, the New England Patriots have to pay attention to it, even though they know that the so-called strong side looks like a trap, and they must guard against it.
This is conspiracy.
Moreover, after the kickoff, the running route on the strong side was absolutely dazzling. The three players crossed to cover each other and sprinted in different directions in different directions. It was completely impossible to determine the identity of the passing target. The defending champion defensive team had to be more vigilant. .
Linebacker Van Noy kept his eyes on Levi.
However.
In the blink of an eye, no one could be found among the different figures.
Where is Levi?
Wait, why did Levi disappear?
In the ever-changing arena, even a blink of an eye may lead to different results; Levi could not be seen at all in Van Noy's field of vision, and that feeling of uneasiness instantly grabbed his heart and quickly scanned the entire field.
Found it!
Weak side.
Well, weak side?
Levi's figure unexpectedly appeared on the weak side, and he rushed out with light steps along Hill's running route——
No one is watching at all.
The dazzling smoke bombs of the Kansas City Chiefs finally firmly caught the attention of the New England Patriots and quietly showed their edge.
In front, Hill ran a flowery and drooping outward arc towards the sideline.
Later, Levi also followed Hill's footsteps and ran a similar human parabola, but the drooping arc was larger. Hill's target was ten yards out.
Levi's target was five yards away.
Van Noy immediately started to try to stop Levi; but someone took the lead -
Cornerback Butler.
Van Noy relaxed a little, but then his heart contracted. Here's a question:
If Butler is guarding Levi, who is guarding Hill three steps away?
Obviously, the Kansas Chiefs used such tactics to put Butler into a predicament of losing sight of one thing and losing the other. Van Noy failed to keep an eye on Levi's footsteps and made missed mistakes. This was the source of all mistakes.
Smith, passed the ball—
Hill.
short pass of ten yards
Hill accurately caught the ball and turned around to see the Zhong family coming to defend. He was not greedy. He stepped out of bounds and stopped time.
The entire Gillette Stadium was wailing again.
Van Noy stared at Levi breathlessly, watching Levi lightly high-fiving Hill in celebration. No matter how much he endured, he still couldn't control it:
Grass.
Here, the Kansas City Chiefs showed their determination to win. They played a trick ten yards from the first gear. It was clear that Levi did not catch the ball, but he played a key role.
On that side, the New England Patriots responded immediately, and Belichick mobilized his troops.
Ten yards from the first gear, a clean pass rush and pressure forced Levi to stay in the pocket to block. The airtight zone defense and man-to-man defense made Smith unable to find the passing target at all. In the end, in order to avoid a sack Rushing the pass and pushing straight out of the sideline.
Ten yards from the second gear, Smith quickly connected with Kelsey with a short pass, and Levi helped with the screen. However, the defensive team reacted in time, relied on the crowd tactics to cut off the running route, and blocked Kelsey on the sideline. went out of bounds, forcing Reed to use a timeout.
Third gear and four yards.
At critical moments, the New England Patriots defense showed strength.
Although the Kansas Chiefs cleverly used the two-running back tactic, Smith passed the ball to Hunter, and exquisitely completed the third gear and four yards; but then the New England Patriots once again used attrition tactics to control the game.
The so-called attrition tactic means that the New England Patriots give up personal marking and close pressing. They allow Smith to make short passes and allow the passing target to successfully catch the ball. The point is that after receiving the ball, they immediately intercept the receiving player - —
First, prevent them from continuing to advance big yards.
Second, stop them from going out of bounds and stopping the clock.
This kind of defensive tactic does not work in other game times; but near the end of the game, it can effectively control the situation, and the defensive players can win more operating space and reduce mistakes.
Belichick is indeed experienced.
In the blink of an eye, Reid used up another timeout and stopped in front of the midfield line.
The Kansas Chiefs were facing a third-and-4 situation at the 46-yard line at halftime, and what was even worse was——
Game time, forty-three seconds.
Belichick is chipping away at the Kansas City Chiefs' chances bit by bit.
The situation is getting more and more difficult.
Moreover, you can imagine with your knees that although it is still near half-court, in order to increase the difficulty of Smith's Hail Mary, the New England Patriots will 100% use the intensity of red zone defense to stop the Kansas Chiefs. The intensity of the confrontation between the two sides continues. heat up.
So, take the plunge and try a Hail Mary now?
If it were Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers could already try a Hail Mary; but obviously, Smith can't.
Moreover, even Rogers will not rush to try a Hail Mary when he is not really at the end of his rope. If he can push forward, he will push forward as much as possible. The closer to the end zone, the higher the success rate of Hail Mary.
Forty-three seconds later, the Kansas City Chiefs had to find a way to keep pushing.
(End of chapter)