Chapter 797: 796 Breakthrough from the Front
Focused. Calm. Collected.
Mahomes knew that he should have just gone down, the first down was already secured, and as a quarterback, there was no need to show off by pushing forward.
But after a calm analysis and judgment in his mind, there was only one thought at that moment:
What would Li Wei do?
Elandon-Roberts, a junior who alternated as a starting linebacker with Bentley this season, showed inconsistent performance, fluctuating between good and bad; and after Bentley was out for the season due to an injury, he firmly stood his ground in the starting position, though still a bit shaky.
In front of him, Roberts was completely baffled by the scene—
Wasn’t it because Li Wei running the ball? Why did Mahomes suddenly dash out? Is Mahomes planning to pass, and if so, to whom?
Wait, is this a Read Option Offense? The Kansas City Chiefs are actually choosing the Read Option Offense; what kind of absurd notion is this? But it seems not correct either because Mahomes didn’t make any Read Option moves.
So, what exactly is it?
Roberts’s mind was full of question marks.
In the blink of an eye, while his mind was still processing, his body reflexively reacted, Roberts drove forward, instinctively lunging toward that flash of red.
Just then, Mahomes braked.
A sudden stop, controlling his body, halting his forward momentum.
Now, it was Roberts who couldn’t brake in time nor control his body, staggering forward and brushing past Mahomes.
Roberts looked back at Mahomes with eyes full of longing and reluctance, but Mahomes had already turned and left without a backward glance, maneuvering around Roberts from behind, cutting into the central territory of the New England Patriots, regaining yards without any physical contact.
It was only until the Patriots’ secondary defense caught up and encircled him that Mahomes didn’t get greedy; before the circle closed in, he neatly slid to the ground on his own, ending the advance.
Twelve yards, easily secured.
Nantz looked at Romo, Romo looked at Nantz, both couldn’t help but exclaim, as if that was the most appropriate thing to say.
“At the start of the second half, the Kansas City Chiefs demonstrated their tenacity with a series of ground attacks, forcefully and decisively tearing through the New England Patriots’ ground defense.”
“Direct breakthrough!”
“Clearly, the Kansas City Chiefs didn’t opt to cut through the Patriots’ mediocre pass defense but chose a direct approach via the ground, knowing well that under such dire weather conditions, a ground attack was the only way to break open the field, needing a frontal breakthrough.”
“However, surprisingly, the Kansas City Chiefs used Li Wei as a decoy, handing the ball off to Mahomes, allowing the team’s quarterback to complete the run, catching the New England Patriots’ defensive group completely off guard.”
“Mahomes secured twelve yards with ease.”
“This is a promising start, and now we’ll see just how much the Kansas City Chiefs have adjusted during the halftime break; truly something to look forward to.”
“This season, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Offense ranks first in the League, even outperforming the Denver Broncos’ offense from the 2012 season. This young offensive group demonstrates their skills in both passing and running aspects.”
“However, the Denver Broncos in the 2012 season ultimately couldn’t make it further, which reminds people of the saying ‘Offense wins games, defense wins championships.’ Now, the Kansas City Chiefs face a severe test as well, with the pressure from both the weather and the opponents causing offensive difficulties, making the situation far from easy.”
“Next, we’ll see if they still have the potential to dig deeper. It’s not easy to play beautiful offense, but it’s even harder to persistently challenge for the championship through adversity.”
The answer was definite.
First Gear, ten yards, Li Wei ran the ball, advancing four yards.
Second Gear, six yards, Li Wei ran the ball, advancing three yards.
Third Gear, three yards, Hill ran the ball, advancing thirteen yards.
Wait, what happened in this wave of Third Gear offense?
Purely ground attacks, the Kansas City Chiefs were very forceful, with the strategic core still being Li Wei. Everything started with Li Wei.
Offensive line, Wide Receivers, Tight Ends, all were set up to create opportunities and pave the way for Li Wei, relying on his personal ability to forcefully break through the defense.
From the advancement data, Li Wei’s advancement efficiency was far less than his regular-season performance; however, the tough posture that Li Wei showed in the positional battle forced the New England Patriots Defensive group to strengthen their defense.
Moreover, there was a key point; Reed did not use Damien, who is good at positional battles, to open the proceedings, continuing to use Li Wei as the team’s starting running back. This confused the judgment of the New England Patriots Defensive group, who had to be wary of Li Wei’s deep-area breakthrough ability and Mahomes’s possibility of a sneaky pass—
Judgment became complicated.
Reed’s purpose was to force the New England Patriots Defensive group to think, hesitate for a second longer, half a second of doubt, and that might be the Kansas City Chiefs’ opportunity.
Then, unexpectedly, the Kansas City Chiefs suddenly changed the rhythm.
Mahomes. Hill. Kelsey.
Players in different positions, all took turns playing as running back, charging forward with the ball.
Originally, during the first wave of offense, when Mahomes charged with the ball, Belichick thought the Kansas City Chiefs were preparing to use the Read Option Offense—
While Reed could deceive other coaches, Belichick always had an inkling; he knew Mahomes’s physical condition and running ability. Despite the few instances Mahomes had charged with the ball during the season, Belichick remained vigilant.
Fooled the first time, absolutely not the second or third time.
Belichick instantly became alert, specifically using the veteran linebacker Hightower to guard Mahomes, preventing the Kansas City Chiefs from capitalizing on the Read Option Offense.
But, Belichick guessed wrong.
Reed wasn’t planning to deploy the Read Option Offense, but instead varied the ground attacks, relying on Li Wei’s personal threat to attract attention, strangely making the Double running back tactic diverse and variable.
The New England Patriots Defensive group couldn’t keep up, further compounded by the full alert on Li Wei and Hightower wrongly guarding Mahomes which wasted a defensive matchup, momentarily completely overturning the confrontation situation.
Kelsey’s ground run was still unskillful, merely forcibly breaking through with brute strength, with mediocre efficiency; but unexpectedly, Hill fully utilized his agile and nimble advantage, seizing the gap when Li Wei attracted the defense, continuously running notably effective advances.
The New England Patriots were helpless—
This was the overt scheme.
The Kansas City Chiefs clearly displayed a ground attack stance, even clearly utilizing Li Wei’s personal capabilities, but they constantly concealed their sharpness, forcing the New England Patriots to be defensive.
Because Belichick knew Reed’s ability, passing was the most formidable, and once they lowered their guard, Mahomes’s pass could overturn the situation.
They had to be defensive.