Chapter 807: Blood recovery in one second
Mahomes stayed calm.
For a quarterback like him who has no obstacles in reading the playbook, reading the option offense is not difficult at all. It is basically the same as addition and subtraction——
Keep an eye on the linebackers and improvise, that's what it's all about.
But this is a good thing. It will help him slowly regain his passing touch and his keen intuition for reading defenses. His head and fingers that were frozen by the cold and rain can be slightly moved.
What's more, with Levi by his side, there is always another option.
"attack!"
Mahomes calls the kickoff.
The first reaction was to turn around and reach out directly to hand the football to Levi——
The read-option offense is not a pure read-option offense. It also hides traps and tricks. The cover of fake runs and real passes and Levi's containment always play a role in confusing the audience. They will not easily let the New England Patriots see through the tactics.
Sure enough, the New England Patriots' defensive team was still fully vigilant about Levi, and their attention was immediately attracted to Levi. Levi is indeed the strongest bait.
Mahomes quickly scanned the entire field, taking in all the opponent's defensive positioning and layout. He could spot at a glance the New England Patriots' defensive team's strategy of continuously applying pressure and shrinking the defense in the short pass area.
Belichick was not intimidated, and they continued to stick to their strategy.
Well, Mahomes is welcome.
This time, Mahomes did not wait for the New England Patriots' pass rushers to invade the pocket. After quick observation and judgment, he took action decisively.
Near the right sideline, he passed a short seven-yard pass and successfully found Kelsey to complete the connection.
Kelsey singled out cornerback Jason McCoutry, easily picked off the football and then continued to advance five yards before being pushed out of the sideline by two defensive players.
Then!
Another fake run and a real pass, repeating the same trick!
This time, Mahomes found Watkins. After the five-yard short pass was successfully connected, Watkins advanced another five yards before the defensive circle closed in, easily winning the first attack.
Unstoppable!
The New England Patriots defense is a bit baffling -
The Kansas Chiefs' offensive rhythm was not fast. To be precise, it was even a bit clumsy. Mahomes faked a real pass three times in a row, using Levi as an excuse each time. This fake handoff completely delayed the offensive rhythm.
But unfortunately, Mahomes successfully found the target in all three passes.
It was not only a target, but also a gap, because after three short passes, the players responsible for receiving the ball continued to advance and won the first attack strongly.
Same thing three times in a row.
Therefore, it is clear that the Kansas Chiefs' offensive rhythm is not fast and a little stiff and sluggish, but the advancement efficiency is amazing. In the blink of an eye, they have pushed past the midfield and reached the 43-yard line of the New England Patriots' half.
What's going on?
By the way, Mahomes’ passing success rate in the first half was less than 50%; suddenly he hit all the shots. Although the rain stopped, it helped a little, but it’s not as magical as the return of blood in one second, right?
The New England Patriots' defense is a little confused, and the crisis is approaching.
Belichick has also been observing, but has not found the source of the tactic for the time being.
He was immediately aware of Reid's efforts to open up the passing attack. This is not surprising; what is really strange is, how did Reid do it?
The Kansas Chiefs' offense seems ordinary, but the pace of advancement is unstoppable and the pressure is overwhelming. The New England Patriots also realize the importance of this wave of offense and defense, and they must stop it.
The more so, the more anxious I become. Amid the rapid changes, Belichick does not dare to act rashly for the time being. The only thing he can do now is to stick to his tactics and continue to put pressure on Mahomes. As long as Mahomes fluctuates, the power of the passing attack will also fluctuate.
But that doesn't mean Belichick did nothing and just sat back and waited for death.
Full court press.
Every player has a chip on their shoulder.
While the front line maintains pressure, the second line defense performs man-to-man coverage.
The physical exertion of man-to-man coverage is greater, and the test for players is more severe, especially against Kelce’s cornerback Jason McCoutry. The defense may not be able to stop the Kansas Chiefs’ pass, but The strategy of pressing step by step can at least cooperate with the front-line pressure tactics to increase pressure on Mahomes from both the passing and receiving ends.
Of course, there is also the front line. The three linebackers rotate. When two linebackers are responsible for rushing the pass, the other linebacker is responsible for marking Levi.
Just like facing Kelsey, it is difficult for the New England Patriots' three linebackers to face Levi one-on-one, but at least there will be no leaks.
A carrot and a pit, this is a full-court press, putting pressure on every offensive point one-on-one, truly testing the player's personal ability. If a slight mistake is made in one step, the result may be fatal.
Belichick certainly knows that the New England Patriots' defensive team does not have such personal ability. At this moment, the full-court press is just a stopgap measure. In a short period of time, it will push the pressure threshold to a new height, forcing the Kansas Chiefs to Make mistakes, or disrupt Mahomes' rhythm——
To be precise, it should be to prevent Mahomes from completely regaining his passing touch.
Then Belichick thought about solutions.
Immediately afterwards, Mahomes immediately felt the pressure of the entire court, permeating every corner and everywhere. The New England Patriots immediately reached the extreme intensity, with a kind of madness that burned life regardless of it.
The whole place was shaking.
Mahomes suddenly felt the pressure. This is Belichick's purpose——
The pressure from the front line, the pressure from the second line, and the entire defensive tactics are unfolding in an orderly manner. The well-trained defense and quick-response matchups reveal a kind of composure and confidence, and bring more pressure from the psychological level, which seems to highlight the New England Patriots. Confidence, they didn't rush.
Belichick did not reveal his hustle and quickly gained a foothold. At least on the surface, he put the pressure on Mahomes. As long as Mahomes is a little bit uncertain, after all, today's pass success rate has been low. Stable, at this time Belichick can disrupt the rhythm.
Tension spread quickly.
However, Mahomes is still calm. The reason is that Belichick still failed to see through the smoke bomb, so the defense failed to grasp the key——
Mahomes noticed the defenders were scattered one carrot after another, and he only had to deal with two linebackers who stepped up again.
Things became simpler instead.
Read option offense.
Mahomes does not need to risk passing the ball and make a difficult challenge. He only needs to choose one of the two linebackers Hightower on the left and Van Noy on the right to break through.
After a pause, Mahomes quickly scanned the two linebackers on the left and right with his peripheral vision, and his judgment was completed in a flash.
Hightower stepped forward very resolutely, cutting into the pocket without hesitation, preparing to hit Mahomes hard. Regardless of the sack, he first destroyed the pass and shocked Mahomes. Such a reckless rush forward was like Like a bull—
Because it's the blind side, Mahomes can't see Hightower's impact at all, so Hightower can make a full charge without cover or skill.
Hey, Rookie No. 2, he’s here.
(End of chapter)