Chapter 956: Life and Death

The tactical meeting in the locker room hadn’t ended yet, but the second half of the game was about to begin. The defense could still have a tactical discussion on the sidelines, but the offense had no time. They had to get on the field immediately to kick off the second half of the game. Now, they just had to take it one step at a time.

However, after calming down, Lu Ke’s mind gradually became clear, like a high-speed computer, quickly completing analysis and summarization.

The New England Patriots have never been a strong defensive team, but if anyone ignores their defense, they will often get burned. Although Bill Belichick is a coach who leans more toward the offense, he often has surprising performances on defense—for better or for worse.

Overall, the Patriots’ run defense is stronger than their pass defense.

The Patriots’ pass defense is currently ranked only 15th. Their numbers for first downs, touchdowns, and passing yards are not good. The only thing worth mentioning is their number of interceptions, which is currently ranked fifth in the league.

Their entire secondary defense can be said to be uninspiring.

The two cornerbacks, Aqib Talib and Kyle Arrington, both entered the league in 2008. The former was a first-round pick, and the latter was an undrafted free agent. Both joined the Patriots through a trade.

Talib had high expectations when he entered the league, and his performance was often eye-catching, but he lacked stability and had a hot temper. He has never been to the Pro Bowl, let alone the All-Pro team. He just came over in a trade in November and is currently the starter, but his performance still needs to improve.

Arrington is an unknown and hardworking rotational player. He had a big breakout year in his contract year, tying for the league lead in interceptions with seven, which earned him a big contract and a starting spot. But his performance has dropped sharply this year and is not even half as good as it was last year.

The two safety positions are even more complicated.

The original starting safeties were Patrick Chung and Steve Gregory. But last month, Patrick Chung was sidelined for several games due to a shoulder injury, so Devin McCourty, who was originally a cornerback, came over to fill in as the starting safety.

Gregory is a veteran, an undrafted rookie in 2006. After joining the San Diego Chargers, his performance was always lukewarm, but he was stable. He had a small peak in 2009, but his performance quickly declined in the next two years, and he never had any notable achievements.

He joined the Patriots in the offseason this year. He was not a starter at first, but the Patriots were so short on players at this position, and Gregory was relatively experienced, so he became a starter. But... he was still just okay.

McCourty is a golden boy, a first-round pick (27th overall) of the New England Patriots in 2010. He won over Gillette Stadium with his excellent performance in his first season, making it to the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro Second Team.

In 2011, the team named him one of the six captains. He could play multiple positions, such as cornerback, safety, and punt returner. He was a versatile player, but McCourty hit a rookie wall. His performance declined significantly in his second year, and he even lost his starting position.

This season was no different. Although he became a starting cornerback again in the offseason and was still one of the six captains, his performance has not improved much. During the season, Belichick brought in Talib, which took away McCourty’s starting spot. Then, because of an injury at the safety position, McCourty was moved over to fill in.

Whether it was Talib and Arrington, or Gregory and McCourty, the Patriots’ secondary defense was far from excellent.

In contrast, the Patriots’ run defense can be ranked in the top five in the league. Their strength is to stop the bleeding. Although the opponent can often complete a run, the defensive line and linebackers are very fast, limiting each run to under four yards, which is a top-level in the league.

Defensive tackle Vince Wilfork is a four-time Pro Bowl player and a three-time All-Pro Second Team player. Middle linebacker Jerod Mayo is also an outstanding player. In his peak season in 2010, they both made it to the Pro Bowl and the All-Pro First Team. After a slump last year, they have rebounded strongly this year.

But it can be seen that Wilfork and Mayo are both run-stopping players. In comparison, the New England Patriots don’t have many highlights when it comes to rushing the quarterback.

The reason why Belichick is so difficult to deal with can be seen from his tactics in the first half.

The Patriots’ defense intentionally gave up on run defense. This is what it means. They gave up on their biggest strength and redeployed their defensive players, making subtle adjustments based on the 49ers’ offensive style.

Their basic defensive formation is a "4-3," which means four defensive linemen and three linebackers. Generally, the defensive front will be adjusted according to different strategies, but overall, rushing the quarterback and stopping the run are their main tasks. The pass defense is naturally left to the secondary, and sometimes the linebackers might help with the short passing area.

But now, Belichick has changed Jerod Mayo’s role.

Originally, Mayo needed to make judgments and adjustments based on different downs. The middle linebacker is the position that directly matches the quarterback on the field. Their job is to either defend the run, rush the quarterback, or drop back to assist with short pass coverage, and they are the core of the entire defense.

Now, Mayo’s job has become monotonous. He rushes the quarterback and occasionally helps with short pass coverage when he drops back. He basically gave up on stopping the run, which allowed Mayo to be free and join the defensive line at any time, creating a "seven-on-five" advantage, creating more trouble for the opposing offensive line.

Their goal was not to get a sack but to continuously apply pressure to create more obstacles for the quarterback’s pass.

At the same time, the two outside linebackers were also freed up to cover the short passing area and occasionally help with rushing the quarterback. Their dropping back also eased the pressure on the cornerbacks and safeties to a certain extent, adding more reinforcements to the pass defense. The "six-on-four" pass defense gave them more of an advantage.

Then, they would occasionally switch with Mayo. Mayo would drop back to cover the short pass, and they would rush the pocket, continuously putting pressure on the offensive line with different rhythms.

It can be simply understood that the defensive front is more aggressive and powerful, and the backfield defense is more compact and cautious.

So, what if Lu Ke chose to run?

Although Marcus Lynch and Frank Gore were not in their best form, the opposing defense was not intentionally covering them, and they were not just pieces on a chessboard. They could still make a difference.

The Patriots’ attitude toward this was: let them run.

For runs of five, six, or seven yards, they would not intentionally adjust their tactics. Instead, they would defend the running backs as if they were wide receivers, stopping every run within ten yards and never allowing any long gains. At the same time, they would further push up the line to rush the quarterback and disrupt the running back’s judgment and movement through the rotation of the three linebackers.

Even when Marcus and Gore were in their best form, the San Francisco 49ers were not a run-first team. What’s more, in today’s league, there are very few teams that can win a game by only relying on the run. Ultimately, they still need to complete the fatal blow with a pass.

In addition, the 49ers’ receivers were not in good shape. Belichick’s tactical adjustment was like a snake hitting its mark, gripping the 49ers’ offense by the throat.

As Lu Ke said, poor form was part of the reason, and the weather was also part of the reason, but ultimately, the problem was with their own tactics. Their morale also failed to hold up, and it all went downhill from there. Now that they thought about it, they should be happy that it was only "27-0" in the first half and that they didn’t completely collapse.

However, that was just talk.

A 27-point deficit against Belichick and Brady was almost an impossible thing to overcome. So, the team was on the edge of a cliff, with no way to retreat or any room to maneuver. Even one mistake could lose them the entire game.

Calm. Empty.

What Lu Ke needed to do was not to worry about the future but to go for it. He had to temporarily put the score and the opponent out of his mind, keep his mind blank, and focus on himself. Only when his form recovered and his performance improved would there be a glimmer of hope for the game.

The second half began.

Standing behind the offensive line, Lu Ke quickly planned the strategy, constantly reminding the guards and tackles on both sides to pay attention to the opponent’s defensive positions and to pay attention to number 51, Mayo. This was because Mayo had suddenly switched positions with his teammate, with the middle linebacker moving to the outside and the outside linebacker moving to the middle.

Although Lu Ke had already told them repeatedly, after the snap, Mayo and the two outside linebackers all stepped up and joined the four defensive linemen, creating an absolute numerical advantage of "seven on five." They quickly and fiercely tore open the offensive line’s pocket, showing a powerful all-or-nothing momentum for the first time in the game, catching the 49ers’ offensive line off guard.

Then, Lu Ke only had time to activate the "Iron Skin and Steel Bones" special skill when Wilfork and Mayo collided with him at the same time, not giving him any chance to react or escape. The Patriots’ first sack of the entire game came in the first drive of the second half, once again giving the San Francisco 49ers a blow.

In the second half, they were still not planning to go easy on them.

This was a matter of life and death.

Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz

On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!