Chapter 600 Destroying the Steel Curtain
Cornerback Fowler bursts out with amazing energy like a Super Saiyan, but this also means serious energy consumption, plus Fowler’s personal ability ceiling is limited. In the long run, Fowler will Definitely can't keep up with Brown.
Naturally, the Kansas Chiefs defense cannot put all the pressure on Fowler. They need to relieve the pressure for Fowler from other places——
Raid.
Unlike the first half, the Kansas Chiefs put significantly more pressure on their defensive front and refused to allow Roethlisberger to complete the pass easily.
Roethlisberger is not afraid of surprise attacks. Instead, he often seizes the opportunity for opponents to sneak into the backcourt. However, this is also relative. Roethlisberger's size and footwork may be advantages or disadvantages. Such a bulky body is not ideal. Fear of collision also means lack of flexibility.
In addition to sacks, effective rushing and disrupting passing vision can also make Roethlisberger's passing inconsistent.
Once the stability of Roethlisberger's passing is destroyed, Brown's threat will also decrease, gaining more space for Fowler's counter-marking.
So, this scene happened——
"Crash!"
"Defensive end Jones effectively charged Roethlisberger, but was unable to complete the sack. Roethlisberger's size supported his body and did not fall to the ground immediately. There was no sack. This was not a sack."
"Roethlisberger completed the pass!"
"The pass was targeted to...Washington?"
"but."
"Interception!"
"Houston! Justin Houston appeared in a gap and intercepted, unbelievable!"
"Roethlisberger's passing vision was disrupted, and the parabolic control of the pass was also obviously deviated. It was impossible to determine whether this pass was passed to Washington or Brown, but obviously, Fowler once again completed an excellent job of marking. Instead of letting Brown get away, in the end, Houston relied on its rich game experience to get into the gap and intercept the ball easily."
"Houston is coming back!"
"Wow, fortunately, the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line's secondary reaction was timely, tripping Houston and preventing Houston from continuing to attack."
"Nevertheless, this was the second possession transition of the game, and it still came from the Kansas City Chiefs, who completed another interception after causing a fumble."
"The defending champion seized the opportunity to reverse the situation and completely gained the upper hand..."
"Yellow flag."
"Wait a minute, there's a yellow flag on the court!"
"The foul was committed against...Antonio Brown."
"Brown committed a pulling foul, but Brown was obviously dissatisfied with the penalty. He and Fowler had a verbal conflict. Oops, the situation got a little out of control."
"It's not good. This situation is very bad for the Pittsburgh Steelers."
The scene was chaotic.
Tomlin looked at this scene and was slightly startled. The focus of his eyes became blurred. He suddenly understood what the uneasiness was about——
The tide is over.
My heart sank hard.
Bell's training and game strikes, from a tactical perspective, Tomlin believes that the impact will be limited. Rookie running back Connor should be able to grow up quickly after some training and baptism in games. He does not think there is anything to worry about.
But from a strategic level, the influence permeates every aspect. First, it's Tomlin himself. Whether he is trying to prove that Connor can do it, or trying to open up the situation with a passing attack in the opposite direction, in essence, this means that Tomlin is trying to shout to Bell——
Strike? I don't care.
This also means that Bell still has an impact on Tomlin after all, and he cannot remain objective when formulating tactics and directing games.
Secondly, there are the players. They can feel Tomlin holding his breath, and the invisible pressure is there. When the Kansas Chiefs withstood the Pittsburgh Steelers' counterattack with an even better performance, their mood was different.
The layers of pressure made them anxious, restless, shaken, and even self-doubt:
Could it be that without Bell, the competitiveness of the Pittsburgh Steelers is really compromised?
It's hard to calm down.
Last season, in the sixth week of the regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs fought until the last minute, and the Pittsburgh Steelers took the initiative. They always believed that it was just a fluke that the Kansas City Chiefs stole that victory. At that time, they had the belief and fighting spirit until Last second.
In the game in front of us, the score difference was only five points. The decisive battle in the fourth quarter had just begun, but we could clearly feel that the Pittsburgh Steelers were shaken, and it was not just Tomlin. The feeling of uneasiness gradually spread.
Tomlin’s intuition was right—
He refused to surrender, not to mention that the game in front of them was not over yet, and the outcome was still in suspense; even if it was not for the victory or defeat in front of them, for the sake of the subsequent games of the season, they still needed to grit their teeth and cheer up, otherwise they would be in trouble when the time comes. It's not as simple as winning or losing.
Tomlin quickly pulled himself together.
However.
The decline is irreversible.
Over there, the Kansas City Chiefs regained their confidence in a series of strong collisions.
After the ground attack reopened the situation, Mahomes also regained his composure and confidence. His pass selection and defensive reading regained his power, opening the situation again. This young player has visibly thrived in the training of the game. .
Here, the Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to turn the situation around in a desperate situation.
However, the more impatient and uneasy, more urgent and anxious, the order and organization were disrupted; coupled with the decline in physical fitness, more and more loopholes were exposed, and mistakes began to occur one after another, and the situation gradually lost control.
Not just the defensive team, but the offensive team as well.
The positive and optimistic pre-season bubble was burst, and shortcomings were fully exposed. It seemed that we were ready for the new season, but in fact it was difficult to hide our guilt and uneasiness——
At this time, anyone with a discerning eye can see that Bell's absence has caused ripples within the Pittsburgh Steelers team after all.
If the opponent in the opening game was not the Kansas Chiefs, the Pittsburgh Steelers would not be in such a mess; but they encountered the young, energetic and confident Kansas Chiefs, and the Pittsburgh Steelers were pushed into a desperate situation.
It is 100% certain that the feud between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers will continue to unfold.
The suspense of the outcome of the game in the fourth quarter quickly disappeared, like a bubble, and the intensity and tension of the first three quarters disappeared in an anticlimactic manner.
For the Kansas Chiefs, Mahomes connected with Hill and scored a touchdown pass. Hunter also ran the ball and scored a touchdown. The scoring momentum continued. Among them, Mahomes personally scored three passes. He scored a touchdown and a receiving touchdown, and performed well as a starting quarterback for the first time in his career.
The Pittsburgh Steelers originally had a chance to close the score, but they fouled by violently pulling on their helmets in the red zone, and finally missed the touchdown opportunity. After failing to force a three-yard drive on fourth down, they wasted the last chance to score, and finally scored in the red zone. The game was incredibly scoreless in the fourth quarter.
"30:49".
In the opening game of the 2018 season, after three suspenseful quarters, the fourth quarter was completely ruined. People did not expect the beginning, the process, and the end. The game was so exciting. It ended with disappointment.
The defending champion Kansas Chiefs withstood a severe test and got off to a good start by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers.
(End of chapter)