Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 382 The Source of Power

```

They're afraid,

Li Wei said.

Hearing Li Wei's words, Smith looked up at Gillette Stadium once again. The louder the shouts, the more ferocious the faces, the more it revealed that they were filled with guilt and fear. They had no choice but to launch their attack in this manner—

Somewhat unexpectedly, Smith calmed down: the enemy's fear was a source of strength.

He, was not prepared to leave any regrets, even if this was his last game representing the Kansas City Chiefs; he was prepared for battle, as if it were the last time he would ever step onto the field in his career.

Head up, chest out.

Smith was still the same Smith, but his eyes were entirely different.

There was no more time for communication.

Line up, stand in formation, ready to attack.

Before him, his vision was wide open.

Everything was as expected, just like in week six of the regular season against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the New England Patriots had spread their defensive formation, corners out wide, linebackers and safeties positioned slightly back, leaving just the four men on the defensive line closely packed against the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive line.

The defensive focus, on the sidelines.

But considering the Kansas City Chiefs had once astonishingly used a central route attack to overturn the situation, the New England Patriots still had to be wary.

Smith took a deep breath, a hint of determination in his voice.@@@@

"Attack!"

Tick-tock, tick-tock... one minute fifty-five seconds, one minute fifty-four seconds, time, once again in motion.

Just as expected, the Kansas City Chiefs did not make a risky attempt but still focused on short passes to the sidelines.

In the last match against the Tennessee Titans, the Kansas City Chiefs had launched a surge, using Li Wei and Hunter as wide receivers, pairing them with three wide receivers and one tight end—different formations and combinations, covering for each other, picking apart the defense, and exerting force within the short pass attack aimed at the sidelines.

Clearly, Belichick had watched the game tape and made his arrangements accordingly, enhancing the strength of zone defense with the movement of his linebackers.

But the Kansas City Chiefs had also come prepared—

On the right side, two wide receivers, one tight end, and there stood Li Wei as well.

On the left side, Hill completely alone.

The strong side and the weak side couldn't be more distinct; facing such a clear-cut lineup, the New England Patriots had to pay close attention, even though they knew the so-called strong side looked like a trap, they had to guard against it.

This was an overt stratagem.

Hill caught the ball accurately, turned around, saw Chung Family coming up for the defense. Not getting greedy, he took a step and went out of bounds on his own, stopping the clock.

The entire Gillette Stadium erupted in groans once more.

Gasping for air, Van Noy glared at Li Wei, watching him casually high-five Hill in celebration, and despite his patience, he couldn't hold back:

Damn.

On one hand, the Kansas City Chiefs displayed a winning conviction, using a first-and-ten to create a play, in which Li Wei, without catching the ball, played a crucial role.

On the other hand, the New England Patriots immediately responded, with Belichick moving his troops.

First-and-ten, a neat rush/pass pressure forced Li Wei to stay in the pocket for blocking, making it airtight. Combined zone coverage with man-to-man defense left Smith with no targets to pass to, causing him to pass the ball hurriedly to avoid a sack and directly throw it out of bounds.

Second-and-ten, Smith rapidly completed a short pass to Kelsey, with Li Wei assisting in blocking for protection. However, the defensive group responded in time, employing a swarm tactic to cut off the running route, forcibly keeping Kelsey inside the sideline and not out, forcing Reed to use a timeout.

Third-and-four.

In a crucial moment, the New England Patriots' defensive group showed its strength.

Although the Kansas City Chiefs ingeniously used the double running back tactic, with Smith connecting with Hunter to skillfully achieve third-and-four, the New England Patriots immediately adopted an attrition strategy to regain control of the game.

This so-called attrition strategy involved the Patriots giving up close man coverage and tight pressuring. They allowed Smith to make short passes and the targets to catch, but once they did, the Patriots were quick to tackle the receivers—

First, to prevent them from advancing further for big yardage.

Second, to prevent them from going out of bounds to stop the clock.

Such defensive tactics wouldn't work at other times in the game, but as the match neared its end, they effectively controlled the pace, allowing defensive players to have more operational space and reduce errors.

Belichick, truly experienced.

In a flash, Reed burned another timeout, stopping just short of the midfield line.

The Kansas City Chiefs were on their half at the forty-six-yard line, facing a third-and-four situation, and worse—

forty-three seconds left in the game.

Belichick was slowly eating away the Kansas City Chiefs' opportunities.

The situation was getting more difficult.

Moreover, just using one's knees, it was clear that although they were still near midfield, to make it harder for Smith to attempt the 'Hail Mary,' the Patriots would definitely adopt red zone defensive intensity to stop the Chiefs, and the intensity of the confrontation was still heating up.

So, should they risk a 'Hail Mary' now?

If it were Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, they might have attempted a 'Hail Mary,' but clearly, Smith was not cut out for it.

And even if it were Rodgers, he wouldn't rashly try a 'Hail Mary' without being in a truly desperate situation, always preferring to push forward as much as possible, the closer to the end zone, the higher the chances of a successful 'Hail Mary.' Continue your journey with My Virtual Library Empire

Forty-three seconds, the Kansas City Chiefs had to think of a way to keep advancing.