Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 368 Total Suppression
Generally speaking, if a quarterback is sacked three times in a game, it can be considered excellent, and the defense puts great pressure on the quarterback.

And tonight, the New England Patriots set a new team record by sacking Smith six times before the end of the second quarter.

Six times.

Smith was completely caught up in the storm, dizzy and at a loss as to what to do.

Although Smith excels at short passes, releasing his ball quickly and even before the defense steps up, the New England Patriots defense showed strength and power to apply enough pressure with the pass rush to disrupt Smith's passes.

The Kansas City Chiefs' pocket was completely shattered and they couldn't keep up the pace.

Here, there is a key -

Throughout the season, the New England Patriots have not been able to show such energy in pass rushing. How did they complete the transformation overnight?
The key is strategy.

Indeed, the New England Patriots' pass rushing ability is not top-notch in the league. They don't have superstar players, nor do they have novel tactics like the Bomb Army. But Belichick was able to use defense to keep the offense alive this season when the offense was in trouble due to fluctuations in form. This is his ability as a coach.

First, the New England Patriots continued to maintain pressure with five rushers.

That is to say, they risked losing a big pass or running the ball, always ensuring that at least five defensive players were involved in the pass rush, and always maintaining the pressure of the front-line pass rush at a certain intensity.

This forced the Kansas City Chiefs' five offensive linemen to be on edge.

Once or twice, it may not matter; but being tense for a long time will consume a lot of energy and physical strength. Belichick is determined to make the Kansas City Chiefs' pocket protection nervous.

Secondly, if either the cornerback, linebacker, or even the occasional safety steps too early, even if they are not truly preparing to make a sack, it is a form of intimidation.

With the constant pressure from the pass rushers, adding another foreign player is like a bomber hovering over the offensive team's pocket. The psychological pressure is unimaginable.

Then, wait for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

In other words, Belichick is determined to invest in the pass rush, even at the expense of pass defense.

Anyway, the New England Patriots' pass defense is already at the bottom of the league. Instead of wasting energy on their weaknesses, it is better to find another way to break the balance.

I have to say that Belichick is really amazing. He grasped the lifeline of the Kansas City Chiefs at the tactical level. The pre-match layout had already suppressed Reid, and he launched an attack at an unexpected stage, completely catching the Kansas City Chiefs off guard.

It's no exaggeration to say that the New England Patriots destroyed the Kansas City Chiefs' offense.

and.

Smith is not the only one in trouble.

The pressure brought by the front-line pass affected all aspects of the offensive strategy like a domino effect. Levi's judgment and start-up also hit a wall, like a hurricane invading the port, with no breathing room at all.

To make matters worse, the weather didn’t help.

In cold weather, there are two most direct and significant impacts:

First, physical condition.

Despite warming up, my condition still couldn't improve. I felt like I couldn't stretch out, and my starting, power, acceleration, etc. were all at a low point.

Second, the competition environment.

One is the feel of the football, and the other is the slippery ground, which results in the body's reaction obviously not keeping up when the pressure comes.

On the one hand, you are always worried about dropping the ball, so your attention is inevitably not focused; on the other hand, you cannot push off the ground with force, and the difficulty of controlling sudden turns and stops increases by several levels. If you are not careful, your feet will slip, which is comparable to ice skating.

For various reasons, Levi's counterattack continued to be hindered in the stormy waves.

Smith suffered six sacks and Levi had four direct stops.

Reed once tried to send Hunter to adjust the rhythm, but the performance was even worse. The weather conditions had a direct impact, so much so that Hunter also lost the ball once - this was only Hunter's second loss of the entire season.

With no other options, Levi and Hunter still had to take turns to share the pressure.

It’s difficult. Everything is really too difficult.

It is no exaggeration to say that this was Levi's worst performance so far, even worse than the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So far, as the second quarter drew to a close, the Kansas City Chiefs had only five first downs, a new season low:
The pass gained 57 yards and the ground gained 21 yards.

Depression. Dejection. Distress.

The situation is very, very bad.

Simultaneously.

If it was just the defense that kept putting pressure on the Kansas City Chiefs, they wouldn't be in such a mess. After all, the New England Patriots' defense is far from being that tough. The point is that the New England Patriots' offense is also sharpening its sword.

Brady, killing like crazy.

From all aspects, Brady should have been stimulated by the pre-game interview. Whether he admits it or not, he can't get rid of the topic of Levi.

Obviously, Brady didn't like this situation.

So Brady responded in his own way, the way of a competitive sport, the way of a superstar king.

At the start of the game, the New England Patriots won the coin toss. They were well prepared and chose to attack first. As soon as Brady came on the court, the entire passing attack got into shape in one second, flowing smoothly and with full firepower, completely suppressing the Kansas City Chiefs defense.

And, keep the intensity.

Thanks to the New England Patriots' strong offensive performance as the backing and foundation, the defense was even more confident. With the help of the weather, Levi and Kelce's several attempts to counterattack failed due to slipping, and the game became one-sided.

"0:21".

The visiting team is in front and the home team is behind.

Roar!
After Gronkowski caught the football and completed the third-down conversion to score another touchdown, Brady roared as if it was the first touchdown of the game, clenched his fists, jumped into the air, and celebrated wildly.

He completed 28 of 24 passes for an 85.7% completion rate, 257 yards and three touchdown passes.

In just the first half, Brady had already played a Super Bowl MVP-level performance. Regardless of the performance of the defense, the quarterback led the offense to completely suppress the Kansas City Chiefs' defense, which had performed well this season, and demonstrated their absolute desire for victory with overwhelming force.

Moreover, the blood is boiling.

Brady turned his head to look at the Kansas Chiefs, his eyes full of murderous intent, and accurately found Levi in ​​the crowd, and collided with him without any concealment.

"Roar!"

Roar, demonstrate, suppress!

Since you want a war, I will give you a war!
Real war!
I'll make you realize why I'm the champion and you're nothing!

I will make sure you remember my name. I am definitely not someone you can easily provoke!
I'm going to make sure tonight at Gillette Stadium is seared into your memory, okay? Rookie!

Clenching fists, roaring, veins bulging!

It was a rare sight to see Brady enter Super Saiyan mode in the first half, flexing his muscles like Levi. Not only the New England Patriots players, but also the TV audience could feel the overflowing tension.

Smoke filled the air.

(End of this chapter)