Chapter 755 Ten yards on third gear
This season, the Indianapolis Colts defense is full of injuries, and the Kansas Chiefs are actually not much better.
Veterans have suffered injuries and rookies have been unable to keep up with the intensity of the game, causing the Kansas Chiefs' defense to decline in rankings this season. They rely on their explosive power at critical moments to keep the team alive.
So many people in the league ridiculed that the Kansas Chiefs' defense team usually lies flat and relies entirely on the offensive team; then it keeps accumulating strength and waiting for a fatal blow at the critical moment.
People are often like this. A heroic moment can completely forget their previous mistakes and stupidities, and victory can also cover up all problems.
But obviously, the Watt brothers don't think so:
It is a fact that the Kansas Chiefs' defensive team is aging and tired; but it is also a fact that they have encountered more harsh evaluations because of the sharp contrast between the strong performance of the offensive team.
In this defensive group dominated by veterans, young people are growing up, but they lack spiritual leaders and have not been able to grow as quickly as the offensive group last season; if any team ignores the Kansas Chiefs defensive group, then this young team will Let them taste the bitter consequences.
In front of his eyes, JJ keenly caught an undercurrent of change——
Levi is still Levi.
The player who grew up to be the leader of the Kansas City Chiefs at a young age has completely lost his rookie appearance this season and has completely matured.
In this divisional match, JJ could sense that, although he didn't know the reason, Levi had an unyielding determination to win. He released all this energy in the first wave of offense and ignited the entire Arrowhead Stadium.
Others believed that this was the Kansas Chiefs' response to the Indianapolis Colts' opening touchdown, but JJ had a feeling that Levi didn't care about that touchdown at all. He had his own mission, his own battle, and that kind of belief. and energy, successfully infected the defensive team, and they also began to awaken.
Of course, it is also possible that everything is JJ's random imagination, and the change in the momentum of the Kansas Chiefs' defensive team is just because of the playoffs.
After all, if you don't rise now, you may not have a chance, because the playoffs are single-elimination games and there is only one chance.
No matter what, JJ is full of expectations. He is very, very aware of the capabilities of the Indianapolis Colts and Luck.
Just one week was not enough to heal the pain of being full of confidence but suffering a heavy blow last week. When he opened his eyes, he could feel a wave of upset. Even if he exercised wholeheartedly in the gym, he could not get rid of those distracting thoughts; but JJ still decided Come to Kansas City for a game.
Perhaps fighting fire with fire is the only good medicine now.
Game, continue.
It's incredible to say that the Indianapolis Colts have a total of three running backs in the rotation this season.
On the one hand, all three running backs are weak, and their personal level and tactical ability are worrying. This also leads to Leitch having to use a lot of passing attacks. This is a team whose passing attack is obviously much higher than the ground attack. , Leitch has been looking for the right running back.
On the other hand, Leitch's use of different running backs has really turned the running back tactics into a flower. In addition to running the ball and catching the ball that everyone knows, the running backs of the Indianapolis Colts are the most important. His role is as the sixth offensive lineman, fully protecting the quarterback baby Pimple Luck.
Against a team like the Houston Texans, who are particularly good at rushing the ball and applying pressure on the front line, Leitch's strategies and tactics are very representative——
The three running backs take turns facing JJ Watt. The focus is not on guarding Watt. They only need to block it slightly to buy half a second for Luck to pass the ball.
Moreover, in "Three VS One", the three people took turns to consume Watt's physical strength and dragged Watt into the quagmire.
Although Watt still performed well and sacked Luck twice, the pass rush and pressure strategy did not work because the passing attack was still not suppressed.
This strategy is nicknamed the "reversed version of the read option attack."
Facing a read option offense, a linebacker should have been assigned to guard the quarterback alone; now the Indianapolis Colts are assigned a running back to guard the opponent's sack player alone.
Moreover, what is unique about Leitch's strategy is that surprise and ground attacks can often achieve unexpected results. It is precisely because of this that the Indianapolis Colts' offense can rank fifth in the league this season. Although the number of yards advanced on the ground is not even among the top ten in the league, the overall offensive ranking can be among the top.
Of course, this is not without solutions.
The Jacksonville Jaguars successfully defeated the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12 of the regular season, and Luck was completely lost throughout the game.
The focus is still on improvising and adapting to changes. The game of offense and defense is happening all the time.
The most direct point is that the Kansas Chiefs defensive team in front of them has no particular strengths, but the defensive strategies are more varied, richer and unpredictable -
To put it simply, Reich cannot accurately predict when the Kansas Chiefs will choose to rush the pass and apply pressure. At the same time, the Kansas Chiefs do not have leaders like Watt or Donald, so Reich's strategy may not work.
Sure enough, facing the Indianapolis Colts' second wave of offense, Reid obviously adjusted his strategy.
Defend the front line, maintain pressure, but do not make surprise attacks; retreat with more strength, strengthen pass defense, and use regional defense to create a dragnet.
The Kansas Chiefs did not use man-to-man defense because they knew Luck's passing ability and secondary defensive reading ability, and the slightest gap could lead to huge blood loss; therefore, the team relied on zone defense to maintain pressure and try to pass Luck's passes as much as possible. The ball rhythm drags down.
The game was obviously broken, and there was no sense of smoothness at all.
Luck was still outstanding. He turned the tide with four third-speed transitions and completed the pass. He found a gap to continue to advance amidst the intensive pressure of the Kansas Chiefs. This wave of offense lasted for six minutes. The Indianapolis Colts successfully pushed through the half court and stepped forward. Arriving near the twenty-yard line——
The end zone, right in front of you.
However, as they get closer to the end zone, the Kansas Chiefs defensive intensity increases significantly.
Once, he saw through the Indianapolis Colts' intention to sneak the ball and intercepted the running back at the line of scrimmage.
A successful short pass zone defense resulted in an incomplete Luck pass.
Third gear and ten yards, in the blink of an eye, the Indianapolis Colts faced the most severe situation in this wave of offense; although they had taken the initiative and could still try a free kick even if they struck out, they looked close at hand. In the end zone, Reach and Luck still wanted to score a touchdown.
The atmosphere instantly became tense, and the entire Arrowhead Stadium fell into a frenzy.
"Defense! Bang bang!"
"Defense! Bang bang!"
The whole stadium roared, and the overwhelming waves of air almost swallowed up the Indianapolis Colts offense. Arrowhead Stadium was showing the power of the Devils' home court.
Lark, unmoved.
"attack!"
A firm and heroic voice cut through the sky, and the suffocating smoke exploded instantly, and the roar exploded above the eardrums.
(End of chapter)