Chapter 798: Trying to be brave
For a moment, the New England Patriots were involved in the rhythm of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Belichick was unable to come up with a better way to deal with it.
The situation is slipping towards the Kansas Chiefs.
To make matters worse, the Kansas Chiefs used a ground attack to launch a bulldozer-style siege, but the speed was not slow and they continued to advance steadily——
One link after another.
The New England Patriots have no time to breathe. The frontline defense, which has performed well overall this season, is dizzy. It loses itself in the strange offensive rhythm of the Kansas Chiefs. Its breathing, footsteps, and heartbeat are all in chaos. It has just experienced halftime, but it feels like The feeling of not being able to keep up.
After more than four minutes of advancement, the Kansas City Chiefs were already close to the 20-yard line in the opposite half. This should be the most steady and unstoppable offense in the entire game. It felt like the Musketeers advancing a cold-weapon infantry regiment. New England There is no retreat for the patriots.
Then!
The New England Patriots woke up from a dream and finally reversed the situation slightly. With the defensive area retreating and retreating and fully compressed, they showed their defensive intensity twice in a row——
An interception of Levi and a timely tackle on Kelsey pushed the Kansas Chiefs into a six-yard situation on third down.
Find your feet slightly.
As the Kansas City Chiefs got closer and closer to the red zone, the confrontation between the two sides became more and more intense and tough; at the same time, the New England Patriots also burst out with energy, and the defensive team slightly regained some of their disadvantages, and the confrontation was filled with smoke.
But Belichick still didn't dare to relax:
In this wave of offense, the Kansas Chiefs offensive team was highly focused. Even when faced with third-speed long yards, everything was in Reid's plan and there was no panic. Easily completed without being busy, it seems like a third-level crisis, but in fact it is all under Reid's control. The New England Patriots are still in a difficult situation.
If you are not careful, the New England Patriots may encounter a counterattack at the beginning of the second half.
Belichick has not and will not forget the lessons of last year's divisional round. That kind of shame is enough once, and there is no need to experience it a second time.
Rain keeps falling.
Belichick used the tactical board to cover his mouth and continuously issued instructions, which was bound to increase the defensive intensity and rhythm at the forefront of the red zone.
On the opposite side, the Kansas chief remained unmoved and continued to form a pistol formation.
Moreover, Mahomes didn’t hesitate to call the kickoff and didn’t seem to receive any impact from the long third-down yardage.
"attack!"
After the kickoff, Mahomes turned around and extended his right hand towards Levi——
Deliver? Or a fake smoke bomb?
In the flash of lightning, you can clearly feel the brief stagnation of the New England Patriots' defensive team. The extremely tight body immediately leaned forward and stepped forward, preparing to intercept Levi; but the strength and speed were not fully released, lest the front line With full step-up pressure, Mahomes can make all their efforts in vain with just one fake run and a real pass.
Sure enough, in the next step, Mahomes took the football back.
Adjust on the spot and look up.
Belichick: Danger.
This is already the frontier of the red zone. On the one hand, the area that the New England Patriots need to cover is compressed, and the defensive intensity is improved; on the other hand, the coverage area of the Kansas Chiefs passing attack is compressed, and the offensive rhythm can be improved. Mahomes only needs to be quick and short. A single pass can have a fatal blow.
At this time, watching Mahomes' observation actions, Belichick's heart tightened, and he was nervous and a little excited.
"Accurate prediction!"
A fake run and a real pass.
Reed is still Reed, and the end of the long ground attack is still a passing attack.
If the quarterback is Smith, Reid may continue to rely on Levi. After all, the explosive power at critical moments still depends on the rookie; but now the quarterback is Mahomes, and the passing attack is also explosive at critical moments. With Li Wei, Judging from the character of a German, the possibility of choosing to pass the ball has skyrocketed.
Especially when this wave of attacks is all focused on ground attacks.
The difference is, when is the sneak attack a passing offense?
That’s all.
It's all about timing, Reid is waiting, Belichick is calculating, it's the game.
After losing to the Kansas Chiefs twice in a row, including a narrow defeat in the sixth week of the regular season, Belichick has been vigilant and repeatedly studied the game video, trying to understand Reid's psychology and accurately predict Reid's key choices. Such as in front of me.
Belichick was delighted: The prediction was accurate.
I saw that the New England Patriots defensive team made an obvious step up. On the surface, it looked like they were preparing to defend on the ground, but the movement was ready to go. They seemed to be wary of Hill, Kelsey or Watkins other than Levi playing as running backs. In the defensive role, he is passive and does not dare to act rashly; but in fact, what he is really wary of is passing defense.
then.
As Mahomes began to look for the target, Van Noy moved -
Yes.
They have been working hard and sharpening their knives, just waiting for this moment to give the Kansas City Chiefs a group of passionate but inexperienced rookies a shocking education. A Super Bowl victory may be just luck, but a second victory or defending the championship is a matter of luck. It's not that simple anymore.
Tap tap, tap tap tap.
Van Noy quickly retreated, not only him, but Hightower and Roberts also fully retreated.
It's not man-to-man coverage, but zone defense.
In just one second, the New England Patriots' defensive team's momentum completely changed, showing their sharp claws, ready to severely hurt the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive team.
While retreating and observing, Van Noy immediately confirmed his judgment——
Kelsey, Hill, and Watkins all received the ball in unison, and the space just over twenty yards away from the end zone was full of red figures.
Among them, Hill took the lead, rushing directly to the end zone with lightness and agility.
Van Noy quickly adjusted his center of gravity, and a rhino looked back at Mahomes, looking for the direction of Mahomes' pass.
Belichick's tactics were accurate and sharp, putting full pressure on the defensive front. Although it was just a basic four-man pass rush, this time there was tactical cooperation, which made the opposite offensive line feel the pressure and hit Mahomes from a distance. , try not to let Mahomes pass the ball safely.
Therefore, Van Noy saw Mahomes retreating in small steps, trying to gain room for adjustment, while also opening up the vision for secondary defensive reading.
Hill?
Van Noy noticed Mahomes' gaze and reacted immediately.
The next second, Mahomes passed the ball.
Van Noy's heart tightened: Sure enough, it was in the direction of Hill.
Kick off the ground, exert force, and release with speed.
While Van Noy was sprinting and trying to gain some space in the race against the football, he continued to observe Mahomes' passing parabola to find a suitable defensive position.
Then.
Van Noy was stunned:...
Levi?
Why does Levi appear here?
Wasn't Levi supposed to be the decoy and then the sixth offensive lineman to protect Mahomes, only to be wasted because the New England Patriots saw through the play?
Why did Mahomes turn around and flip the football to Levi again?
Do it! Varied! What!
Running the ball?
The Kansas Chiefs actually chose to run the ball again? Has Reed lost his mind and gone crazy?
...Grass.
(End of chapter)