Chapter 750: Let the horse come over
"Fly! Fly! Fly!"
The whole place roared.
Even if the Indianapolis Colts score the first touchdown, so what?
The Kansas Chiefs have gone through many ups and downs this season and faced many tests. Arrowhead Stadium is still able to maintain its undefeated status. They will not be afraid of any opponent——
The most important thing is that their offensive team has not been afraid of any team. Whether it is passing attack or ground attack, they are undoubtedly the first in the league; they can attack any team. In the big battle, the Kansas Chiefs are confident.
If the Indianapolis Colts want a head-to-head matchup, come on over, they're always welcome at Arrowhead Stadium.
The moment Levi came on the stage, the stadium was plunged into a sea of cheers.
Screaming, roaring, roaring, going to the next level, the mighty red wave was like boiling magma, igniting the entire Arrowhead Stadium.
"Standing here again, everything is brand new, starting from scratch, without the benefits of the defending champion, without the winning streak of the regular season. To overthrow everything and start over, they may win, we may fail."
"The thing is that simple. If we still have a condescending mentality and think that we can easily defeat our opponents because we are the No. 1 seed, then we will be the ones who fail in the end."
"but."
"We didn't rely on luck to get here all the way. Now is the time to show our strength."
"I'm still not confident, but we're going to win."
Short and powerful.
All the eyes of the Kansas City Chiefs players fell on Levi, and that clear face shone with unprecedented perseverance and determination.
Keep going!
Levi's eyes scanned over one by one and landed on the ten teammates, making sure that everyone saw his eyes and that everyone completed the communication.
Then, the smile rose.
"Hey, we're not fighting this alone."
As soon as he finished speaking, Levi looked at Mahomes.
Mahomes understood, "Count to three!"
"one."
"two."
"three!"
They all shouted, "Fly!"
Turning around, they could see the turbulent sea of people all over Arrowhead Stadium; and Levi's eyes were looking at the camera flying through the air not far away——
He knew that Annie, Felix, and those in the Old Oak Tavern were all watching the live broadcast and fighting alongside them.
Line of sight, communicating through the camera, thousands of people stood at Arrowhead Stadium at the same time, fighting with them.
Felix's smile fully blossomed, "Mom, the rookie is looking at me, the rookie is looking at me. Fly, fly! Ahhh!"
Karen was not idle either, raising her hands and cheering together, "Fly, ahhhh, ahhhh!"
Then, Levi withdrew his gaze, put on his helmet, and concentrated his thoughts completely.
Must win. Must win!
Finally, Arrowhead Stadium quieted down, avoiding disturbing the conversations and connections of the offensive team, and holding their breath and immersing themselves in the boiling and turbulent atmosphere. "attack!"
Mahomes' kickoff call pierced the sky and opened a hole in the foggy sky. Cheers, screams, and roars were released like a waterfall.
Shotgun formation.
In the first wave of offense, the Kansas Chiefs put on a full-scale attack posture, which was completely different from usual. So, is this a smoke bomb?
One step, two steps, three steps.
Mahomes stood in the pocket, stepped back continuously to open up space, and slightly raised his chin to scan the entire field. It can be seen from his posture and movements:
He is looking for a passing target.
This is a passing offense, no smoke bombs, no Chiefs specials, the shotgun formation is exerting its original power.
From any perspective, this is a normal offensive tactic, and there is no need to make a fuss. After all, the Kansas Chiefs have demonstrated their strong offensive firepower many times this season; but never forget one important point:
The reason why the shotgun formation is It is extremely powerful because it fully opens up the diversity and possibilities of the passing attack.
Amid thousands of eyes, Mahomes is still moving and adjusting. His sight goes beyond the short passing area where the forwards of both sides are entangled, and extends all the way to the far-reaching area infinitely, which means——
Long pass!
In the first wave of offense, are the Kansas Chiefs ready to launch a fatal blow in the end zone?
This is not reckless or risky, there is a reason behind it.
This season, the Indianapolis Colts defensive team performed pretty well, sitting in the middle of the field, and their regular time data was even better than the Kansas Chiefs defensive team.
However, the Indianapolis Colts have the third-lowest pass rush pressure rate in the league, with only 20.0% of their snaps choosing to pressure, that is, blitzing the quarterback.
In terms of pure numbers, the bottom ten teams in the league are all the same, which is a slight difference after the decimal point such as 20.1% and 20.2%. Although the number of quarterback raids is not many, the Indianapolis Colts rush The pressure numbers aren't as bad as they appear.
The real key here is the intensity and ability of the Indianapolis Colts' defensive front...nope.
This offseason, after the farce involving New England Patriots offensive coordinator McDaniels, the Indianapolis Colts finally found their feet. His old acquaintance Leitch took over the head coaching duties and reorganized the entire coaching staff. Team, re-establish team tactics.
Before last season, the Indianapolis Colts defensive team was in a "3-4" formation, but after research and discussion by the new coaching staff, who had changed everything inside and out, and at the suggestion of the new defensive coordinator, it was adjusted to a "3-4" formation this season. The essential purpose of the "4-3" formation is to increase the intensity of pass rushing and pressure.
However, the reality is very skinny.
The Indianapolis Colts' defensive frontline ability is not outstanding. What's worse is that they suffered from continuous injuries, and even reached the embarrassing situation of no one available, so that the team had to promote players from the training group to starters. The shrimp soldiers and crabs will form their own defensive front.
The coaching staff also knows the importance of rushing the ball and applying pressure, but without power, intensity, or frequency, head coach Leitch is also a skilled woman who cannot make a meal without straw.
In desperation, Leitch had to adjust. Instead of insisting on rushing the pass and applying pressure aimlessly, it is better to devote the strength of the linebacker to pass defense and ground defense.
It is precisely because of this that the overall statistics of the Indianapolis Colts defense are still very good, and they successfully entered the playoffs.
In the divisional round, Reich also knew that the Kansas Chiefs' powerful offensive firepower would put the Indianapolis Colts' defense under incredible pressure; nevertheless, Reich did not choose to apply pressure at the beginning and refused to be led by his opponents. Open matches at your own frequency.
The price is to give Mahomes enough space and time, give Mahomes enough freedom, let the young second-year quarterback breathe freely in the pocket, raise his chin, aim at the backfield, and prepare to start the game. The hit was fatal and destroyed the confidence of the Indianapolis Colts defense.
But is it really that simple?
Could Leitch, who was serving as a head coach for the first time in his career but led a hobbled and injured team into the playoffs, really not see this coming?
The answer is, of course, no.
Looking around, the Indianapolis Colts' white jersey with blue trim is like a wave of red waves wrapped around it, spreading across the stadium.
Leitch looked at Mahomes' move: It was exactly what he wanted.
(End of chapter)