Chapter 682: 681 in a flurry
Jackson was slightly panicked—
There were no passing targets.
Jackson thought he had mentally prepared for this type of scenario, having seen it countless times in game footage. He knew what he might face; but when it actually happened, he realized he knew nothing about the potential difficulties.
Following the kickoff, the Kansas City Chiefs Defense was fully activated:
They locked up all five of Baltimore Ravens’ receiving points by closely marking them. At this moment, the vulnerabilities of the Ravens’ running back lineup, heavily plagued by injuries and lacking dynamic runners, were completely exposed. Harbaugh had no choice but to use the double tight end strategy, which lacked deception.
They then heavily manned the short pass area with a comprehensive zone defense to disrupt Jackson’s secondary defensive reads, continually retreating while staying alert to prevent Jackson’s attempts at long passes.
Jackson continued to retreat to create space, looking up for a passing target, only to see a red storm densely covering the field—
Jackson panicked, knowing time was ticking away. He needed to pass the ball quickly; there was no time to hesitate, but he really couldn’t see any gaps and didn’t dare to throw blindly.
This wasn’t supposed to happen!
Of course, the fact that Jackson had attracted so much attention from scouts at the NCAA proved he had something special. At this very moment, he operated on instinct—
Reflexively, Jackson took off.
Then he would rely on his best skill to open up the game: running with the ball himself.
Jackson took the initiative to run out of the pocket, trying to advance in the vacant short pass area; but the Chiefs were always on alert for this move from the Ravens—as it had been their deadly weapon during their three consecutive comeback victories.
At this moment, the short pass area was left empty, allowing the Ravens some space to advance; however, as soon as a gap was visible, the secondary defense quickly tightened.
Yet, someone was a step faster than the Chief’s secondary defense.
Jones was a split second slow to react, watching as Jackson had already bolted forward; but Jones didn’t give up. With a dive, he threw his body forward, clenching his teeth and burning energy.
Jones only managed to touch Jackson’s calves and ankles, unable to grasp him fully, only managing interference like a revolving propeller.
Jackson was distracted, not noticing Jones approaching from behind. He stumbled, and his whole body flew out like a bomber.
He took a nasty spill.
Jackson was knocked hard, his head spinning, and as he rolled over, he finally saw the figure behind him.
Jackson couldn’t hold back and cursed—
Third gear, eight yards.
Harbaugh’s breath caught, his head throbbing in pain; the Baltimore Ravens Offensive group was already struggling to open up the play but the Kansas City Chiefs Defense continued their excellent performance, intensifying their effort and rhythm at the critical moment.
It wasn’t just Jones; the pressure from the other defensive players was clearly visible.
Harbaugh immediately called the second timeout and summoned Jackson over.
“Stay calm, the opportunity is still in our hands.”
“Remember, we don’t need a touchdown, just a field goal is enough.”
“So, we still have the ‘Hail Mary’ option.”
At this moment, the Ravens were about seventy yards from the end zone, and logically, opting for a ‘Hail Mary’ was impossible; but as Harbaugh said, they didn’t need a touchdown—just to get into field goal range. All Jackson had to do was attempt one forty-yard pass to achieve that—
The opportunity was indeed still with the Ravens.
“Don’t overthink it, we are set to win, not lose, and the worst case scenario is overtime. Then, it’s a fresh start for both sides, we’re not afraid, it’s that simple.”
Harbaugh patted Jackson’s shoulder earnestly, looking him directly in the eyes.
In that moment, Jackson was full of bravado, fostering a heroic resolve of “a soldier dies for those who appreciate him.” He nodded vigorously, showing his determination.
Then, the Baltimore Ravens offense took the field once again.
Neither team held back, fiercely setting up their formations for the struggle.
Jackson announced the kickoff directly, attempting to catch the Kansas City Chiefs off guard—
However, the Kansas City Chiefs Defense was fully focused, not distracted in the slightest.
They reacted instantly; they launched from their stances.
Without warning, Reed made his move.
It wasn’t a desperate full-on assault but just the addition of two linebackers. More crucial than the numbers was the proactive strike that disrupted the balance, completely unexpected by the Ravens.
The pocket was shaky and unstable.
Because Jones drew the fire, Houston managed to break free and cut in smoothly.
One step forward, a sprint—Jackson had entered Houston’s sight.
Just a second ago, Jackson was backpedaling, preparing to expand the formation to look for a passing target.
The next second, Jackson saw Houston advancing fully. Although Edwards tried to block, Houston’s swift movements made Edwards seem like a wooden stake, easily evaded.
Danger, danger, danger!
Jackson still had excellent athletic instincts; he stopped abruptly and changed direction repeatedly, managing to dodge Houston’s capture in the nick of time. Seeing that Jones was also about to break through, Jackson had no time to adjust further.
He dug his feet in, swung his arm, passed the ball—
Like drawing a bow to shoot an eagle.
Uh-ah, ah, ah, Jackson exerted his full strength, roaring from deep within his Dantian.
The football was airborne, tracing a heart-stopping parabola.
The breath of the entire Arrowhead Stadium was momentarily cut off, countless eyes focused solely on the trajectory of the flying football, brains frozen.
No way, it couldn’t be the third last-minute defeat of the season, could it?
The arc of the football sliced through the sky; who was Jackson’s passing target?
It breezed past thirty yards and was rapidly falling, heading toward the left sideline, deliberately avoiding Cornerback Fowler on the right side, trying to create an opportunity on the Chiefs’ relatively weaker left side.
Not just the spectators, Fowler, Houston, and others all watched the parabolic path of the football.
And then… there was nothing else.
Because the parabola wasn’t sufficient, the falling arc couldn’t be controlled; after passing its high point, it fell vertically, clumsily and weakly crashing to the ground.
Like a falling papaya.
Cornerback or Wide Receiver, the nearest was more than five yards away—a completely untouched no-man’s land; even a desperate leap to try and save the ball was impossible.
Totally out of reach.
The entire stadium was stunned—
All that anxious, nervous anticipation, and it ends in such a void? So what was Jackson’s excessive effort just before all about?
Because it was so unexpected and sudden, the whole Arrowhead Stadium fell silent, everyone looking at each other, the air suddenly quiet.