Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 575
Chapter 575: 574 A small test of skill Chapter 575: 574 A small test of skill “`
——An arrow released from the bowstring.
TJ Watt: “What just flew by?”
TJ’s attention was always on Mahomes, for the quarterback is the source of everything; yet no one could afford to ignore Li Wei, especially when he neared the line of scrimmage, as his peripheral vision still captured Li’s silhouette.
He could run, catch, and pass.
This allowed Li Wei to play the role of an unpredictable variable in the offensive strategy.
If you didn’t want to be led by the nose, you shouldn’t guess Li Wei’s movements but remain focused on taking initiative with a defensive mindset.
Just like TJ right now—
Muscles, completely tense, were eager to pounce, poised for action.
Then.
...
“Attack!”
The kickoff command, slicing through the air.
Before TJ could even start, a flash of red was already dashing forward, his eyes unable to track the thought, only catching a bright afterimage.
What…
what happened?
Was that, Li Wei?
In the blink of an eye, TJ quickly realized that Li Wei had fooled the defensive group with a feint, mixing the real and the fake, and it was too late for them to react by the time they figured it out—
In other words, if TJ were to chase after Li Wei now, he would already have lost his advantage.
With Li Wei’s explosive power and acceleration, TJ was well aware he couldn’t catch up, having been mercilessly hammered into numbness during training camp in Miami.
That feeling was deeply seared into his bones.
At this moment, it became a form of assistance.
In that lightning-fast moment, realizing he had missed his chance, TJ did not hesitate to abandon the chase after Li Wei, making a decisive move to rush towards the quarterback.
Since Li Wei had already broken free, it meant that this was a pass play.
This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
And since it was a pass, they only needed to take down the quarterback to complete the defense.
Moreover, Tomlin had set up a Dragon Gate formation and had no intention of bluffing; this was meant to be a raid from the start—
The Kansas City Chiefs surely did not expect the Pittsburgh Steelers, undeterred by setbacks, to commit to three consecutive raids, risking everything.
And indeed, Tomlin’s decision proved correct.
Reed and Mahomes indeed did not anticipate the Steelers’ relentless triple raid assault, and thus they had opted for a pass strategy.
Now, with TJ continuing with the momentum, the Steelers were poised to seize the advantage.
“Six-man rush!”
“Tomlin has lost his mind!”
Three defensive linemen and three linebackers, the Steelers went all in.
Moreover, it wasn’t a conventional six-man rush; there was a coordinated mismatch between the linebackers and the defensive line, throwing off the offensive line’s assignments.
Hayward, leading the charge.
Barging into the pocket like a black-faced Yama, he locked onto Mahomes with a savage grin in his eyes, as dread spread.
Pressure, overwhelming and palpable.
Mahomes was backpedaling, as creating space is the first thing a quarterback does to prepare for a pass—not just to win space for the throw but also to allow for second-level defensive reads, capturing the real-time dynamics of the players.
However!
The Steelers’ six-man rush completely overpowered the five-man offensive line, creating a numerical advantage; the strategic misalignment further widened the gap.
The offensive group’s pocket was instantly shattered in the storm.
His footsteps still backpedaling, even before the intended receivers could break five yards downfield, Mahomes already saw Hayward, arms wide, coming straight at him.
Danger!
Mahomes remained unflustered in the face of crisis, paused his footwork, waiting for Hayward to make his move, and at the last split second, sidestepped a pace to the right.
Whoosh whoosh.
Mahomes’s left shoulder could feel the howling wind.
“`
Hayward was surprised, but because he had just grappled with Li Wei and encountered such a situation, this time he was cautious and didn’t flip his center of gravity completely out.
Instead, he bumped with his right shoulder toward Mahomes’s left shoulder.
Squeezing and bumping, they both fell to the ground with the momentum.
Got him!
Hayward felt the collision’s force, but before he could ponder it, there was emptiness again.
He watched helplessly as Mahomes continued to take two lateral steps to the right, creating space with his speed.
Hayward, losing his support, couldn’t control his center of gravity and just fell straight down.
Hayward: ???
Mahomes could feel the force of the squeeze and collision, but his solid body and steady legs absorbed the shockwave.
His continuous lateral crossover steps dissipated the force, and instantly, his attention was drawn to TJ, who was lunging at him head-on.
The collision, imminent.
But then, TJ took a forward step, spread his arms wide, and covered the angle tightly, fully utilizing Hayward’s interference, and the distraction of Mahomes looking for a passing target.
He seized the slight chance and lunged forward.
What to do?
Mahomes had to face TJ—
He could, like Li Wei, go for a head-on collision, use his strength against TJ’s tackle to finally shake him off; or he could make a quick turn on the spot and spin around using the Marseille Turn to throw off TJ.
But his experience at the Miami training camp told him it wouldn’t be that easy.
In the blink of an eye, Mahomes continued moving laterally.
He wasn’t rushing, as shaking off TJ immediately wasn’t realistic; he chose to shift his center of gravity in a small area, then shift it again, taking quick, short steps not to escape, but to offset his center of gravity positions.
By doing so, he swayed TJ, forcing TJ to adjust his center of gravity again to tackle.
One step, then another.
A tug-of-war as if in a tango.
The two had completely moved out of the Pocket and were quickly approaching the right sideline—a scenario not often seen in Smith’s era, with the quarterback actively leaving the Pocket.
However, judging by Mahomes’s calm and poise, he was not unfamiliar with such a situation.
Seeing Mahomes’s advantage dwindling, he glanced at TJ, stamped his right leg to brake and control his body, then continued to stamp the ground to gain force—
Change of direction.
Shifting his body to the left.
At that misalignment, Mahomes moving to the left and TJ also continuing to the left opened a gap the size of a body width between them.
TJ: Damn it.
Although TJ reacted quickly a second time, coming to a sudden stop and turning sharply, lunging forward again, Mahomes had already gained space and without hesitation—
Stomped the ground, stepped up, twisted his body, and swung his arm.
Drawing the bow and shooting the eagle.
His right hand fully extended, a forceful push, and the football was propelled, breaking the air with its momentum.
The next second, TJ managed to tackle Mahomes, and they tumbled together; but the football was already in flight, climbing upward along its parabolic path.
A rainbow arc.
Wait, this…
is this actually a long pass?
So who was the passing target?
…
“Attack!”
At the command, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Offensive group swiftly unfolded.
On the left wing, three Wide Receivers went into full action, one going for a short line inward, one for a mid-short pass route toward the sideline, and one striking deep down the straight line—the three routes blooming like flowers.
On the right wing, the Tight End and Running Back also immediately sprang into action, one drawing short towards the sideline, and one slightly veering into the center of the field from the slot position like a trumpet flower, both players also opening up space.
Five players, five routes.
Horizontally, covering left, center, and right with five different localized routes; vertically, covering short, mid, and long passes across the entire field.
Shotgun Formation, it was indeed the standard classic Shotgun!
Truly a “Scatter like a Goddess’s Flowers”—
Fully opening up the routes.
