Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 807: One Second Health Recovery
Mahomes stayed calm.

For a quarterback like him who has no difficulty reading the tactical manual, reading the option offense is not difficult at all, it is basically the same as addition and subtraction.

Keep an eye on the linebackers, adapt to the situation, that's all it takes.

But this is a good thing. It will help him slowly regain his passing touch and keen intuition in reading the defense, and his head and fingers that were frozen by the cold and rain can move a little.

What's more, with Levi by his side, there is always another option.

"attack!"

Mahomes calls the snap.

His first reaction was to turn around and reach out to hand the football to Levi——

The read-option offense is not just a simple read-option offense. It also hides traps and tricks. The fake run and real pass screen and Levi's containment always play a confusing role. They will not let the New England Patriots see through the tactics easily.

Sure enough, the New England Patriots' defense was still fully alert to Levi, and their attention was attracted to Levi at the first moment. Levi was indeed the strongest bait.

Mahomes quickly scanned the entire field, taking in the opponent's defensive positioning and layout, and was able to see at a glance the New England Patriots' defense's strategy of continuously stepping forward to apply pressure and shrink the short pass zone defense.

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 a quick observation and judgment, he made a decisive shot.

Near the right sideline, a short pass of seven yards was successfully made to Kelce to complete the connection.

Kelce challenged cornerback Jason McCarty, easily grabbed the football and continued to advance five yards before being pushed out to the sideline by two defensive players.

then!

Another fake run and real pass, the same trick again!

This time, Mahomes found Watkins. After a successful five-yard short pass, Watkins advanced another five yards before the defensive circle closed and easily won the first attack.

Unstoppable!

The New England Patriots' defense is a bit baffling.

The Kansas City Chiefs' offensive rhythm was not fast, to be more precise, it was even a bit clumsy. Mahomes faked runs and passed the ball three times in a row, using Levi as an excuse each time. The fake handover completely delayed the offensive rhythm.

But Mahomes' three pass connections all found their targets successfully.

It was not only a target, but also an open space, because after three short passes, the players responsible for receiving the ball continued to advance and took the first attack with a strong momentum.

The same thing happened three times in a row.

So, although the Kansas City Chiefs' offense had a slow rhythm and was a bit stiff and sluggish, their advancement efficiency was amazing. In a blink of an eye, they had passed the midfield and reached the 43-yard line of the New England Patriots' half.

How is this going?

By the way, Mahomes' pass success rate in the first half was less than 50%; suddenly he became % accurate. Although it helped a little when the rain stopped, it shouldn't be so magical that he recovered in one second, right?
The New England Patriots' defense was a little dizzy and a crisis was approaching.

Belichick has also been observing, but has not yet found the source of the tactics.

It's not surprising that he immediately realized Reed's attempt to open up the passing offense; what's really surprising is how Reed did it?
The Kansas City Chiefs' offense seemed ordinary, but their advancement was unstoppable, with pressure piling up. The New England Patriots also realized the importance of this wave of offense and defense, and they had to stop it.

The more this happens, the more anxious he becomes. In the ever-changing situation, Belichick dares not act rashly for the time being. The only thing he can do now is to stick to the tactics and continue to put pressure on Mahomes. As long as Mahomes fluctuates, the power of the passing offense will also fluctuate.

But that doesn't mean Belichick will do nothing and sit there stupidly waiting for death.

Full-court press.

Every player has a heavy responsibility.

While the front line maintains pressure, the second line of defense performs man-to-man marking.

Man-to-man defense consumes more physical energy and is a more severe test for players, especially cornerback Jason McCarty who is facing Kelce. The defense may still not be able to stop the Kansas City Chiefs from passing the ball, but the step-by-step pressing strategy 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, with three linebackers rotating. While two linebackers are responsible for rushing the pass, the other linebacker is responsible for guarding Levi.

Just like against Kelce, it would be difficult for the three linebackers of the New England Patriots to face Levi one-on-one, but at least they wouldn't miss anyone.

One person, one job. This is full-court press, which puts one-on-one pressure on each offensive point. It truly tests the players' personal abilities. If there is even a slight mistake in one link, the result could be fatal.

Belichick certainly knows that the New England Patriots' defense 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 pushes 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 fully regaining his passing touch.

Then, Belichick thought about the solution.

Immediately afterwards, Mahomes felt the pressure of the whole court, which permeated every corner and was everywhere. The New England Patriots pushed the intensity to the extreme, with a kind of madness that burned life without any regard.

The whole place was in a state of panic.

Mahomes suddenly felt the pressure, this is Belichick's purpose——

The pressure from the front line and the second line, the entire defensive tactics were carried out in an orderly manner. The well-trained defense and quick-response matchup revealed a calmness and confidence, and brought more pressure from the psychological level, which seemed to demonstrate the confidence of the New England Patriots and they were not in a hurry.

Belichick did not reveal his confusion, and quickly gained his footing, at least on the surface, and pushed the pressure to Mahomes. As long as Mahomes was a little uncertain (after all, his pass success rate had been unstable today), Belichick would be able to disrupt the rhythm.

The tension spread rapidly.

However, Mahomes remained calm because Belichick still did not see through the smokescreen and did not grasp the key to the defense.

Mahomes noticed the defenders were scattered one by one, and he only had to deal with the two linebackers who stepped up to attack again.

Things become simpler.

Read option offense.

Mahomes does not need to take risks in passing the ball or make difficult challenges. He only needs to choose to break through one of the two linebackers, Hightower on the left and Van Noy on the right.

Mahomes paused and quickly scanned the two linebackers on the left and right with his peripheral vision. He made a judgment in a flash.

Hightower's step forward was very resolute. He cut into the pocket without hesitation, ready to hit Mahomes hard. He didn't care about the sack, but first disrupted the pass and shocked Mahomes. He rushed forward without hesitation like a bull.

Because it's the blind side, Mahomes can't see Hightower's hit at all, so Hightower can make a full-on hit without any cover or skill.

Hey, Rookie No. 2, here he comes.

(End of this chapter)