Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 579: Falling into a trap
Unlike the Pittsburgh Steelers' continuous pressure, the Kansas City Chiefs' defense created precise pressure, targeting the two core players, Roethlisberger and Brown. The entire layout and tactics were completely different.

Zhu Zhu: Me, me, me, me! My defense is loose, pass the ball to me.

however.

The premise of all this is that Roethlisberger can see Zhu Zhu.

Roethlisberger was in a very awkward and helpless state, and the Kansas City Chiefs' defensive line used only three pass rushers to create the effect of a huge wave crashing into a dam.

Spearhead Williams was like a stabilizing force, creating fierce pressure from the middle and holding down two offensive forwards by himself. If you weren't careful, you could hear the sound of the dam breaking.

Defensive end Bailey played by the rules, silently creating a confrontation that was more of a distraction than pressure, and there was no apparent movement.

Defensive end Jones showed a strong desire to break through, and almost every time the ball was kicked off, one could feel the layers of pressure from him breaking through the air.

Stalemate, containment, oppression.

Unfortunately, there were only three people on the defensive front line, unable to break through the blockade, so the raid was never launched.

So, the pressure is always there, and it feels like my pocket is full of cracks and may collapse at any time, but it can't collapse for a while.

This precarious situation is like being on a tightrope high in the air.

At the same time, we need to worry about Jones, who may suddenly exert his strength at any time; we also need to worry about Houston, who may suddenly launch a surprise attack at any time.

Roethlisberger, who was in the middle of it, was in a state of fear, and his passing vision was severely oppressed.

In the hustle and bustle, Roethlisberger almost instinctively looked for Brown, his most reliable and trusted target. Even if the accuracy of the pass trajectory and the pass landing point was slightly inferior, Brown was always able to rely on his personal ability to catch the ball and continue to advance.

Zhu Zhu?

Out of sight. Literally, into the blind spot.

however.

Brown was in trouble, too.

Cornerback Fowler, who just joined the team this season, seems to be holding his breath, ready to prove himself.

Kendall Fowler, a player waiting to prove himself.

In fact, he was a rookie in 2016, entering the league just one year earlier than Levi. Back then, he was also a super rookie with high spirits in college. He went from a five-star high school student to the second best cornerback among the freshmen of the same year. He was considered one of the most promising super stars of the year, but he missed the rookie training camp due to injury, which caused his draft pick to decline all the way.

From a predicted first-round pick, he slipped all the way to the third round before being picked up by the Washington Redskins.

In his first year, he was injured again and again, playing on and off during the season. His former aura of genius disappeared completely, and the league soon stopped paying attention to him.

In his sophomore year, he performed well. He was the team's third cornerback and also served as the number one nickelback.

What is a nickelback?
To put it simply, it can be understood as the fifth defensive second line, whose duties are between the cornerback and the safety. It is often listed in the center, responsible for defending the actions of the wide receiver and running back in the short pass area.

This can give full play to Fowler's advantages in burst and speed, and complete coverage in the short pass area in the first time.

However, strength and size are his disadvantages. At 196 pounds (89 kg) and less than six feet (180 cm), the traditional agile cornerbacks have little room to maneuver in the league's increasingly larger cornerbacks.

Therefore, Fowler never had a highlight moment, no Pro Bowl, no All-American first team/second team, no honors at all; when the Kansas City Chiefs traded Smith to the Washington Redskins and chose Fowler as a bargaining chip, the controversy was imaginable.

Fowler tried to prove to himself that Veitch and Reed were not wrong.

In the season opener, when he learned that he was facing Brown, Fowler was even more motivated and had a will to die, not wanting to disappoint his coach. After all, a small cornerback facing a large receiver is not a wise choice no matter how you look at it.

However, the strength of Reid and Sutton lies in that they do not ask Fowler to stop Brown, but ask Fowler to stick to Brown and continue to harass him; once Brown becomes the target of the pass, Fowler only needs to entangle Brown for a short time, and the safeties and linebackers will immediately come to assist in defense.

This is Fowler's strength.

Like a fly.

As a result, the Pittsburgh Steelers offense fell into a lot of trouble.

Was Tomlin unprepared?

Of course there are.

The groundwork has been laid since the preseason. This is the first offensive play of the season opener, and the Pittsburgh Steelers naturally have their own pre-game arrangements.

Moreover, they shoulder a heavy responsibility. They need to show a tough attitude and prove to the league and Bell——

The team was tough on Bale not out of anger, but because they truly believed in their own judgment and choices.

For one thing, Tomlin knows his team.

Second, Tomlin has carefully studied the Kansas City Chiefs' defense, including the tactical adjustments made in the preseason.

So, Tomlin tried to surprise the defense with a passing offense.

In the eyes of others, the fundamental reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers refused to compromise with Bell is that Tomlin believes that the team's strength in ground offense comes from tactics, not Bell's personal ability; therefore, even if a running back is replaced, their ground advancement can still open up the situation.

This is also the reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers immediately announced James Conner as the starting running back for the season after Bell announced his absence from the regular season.

A battle of momentum.

Naturally, the Pittsburgh Steelers should try some tricks on the ground offense.

But Tomlin didn't.

Tomlin has been in the league for more than ten years. How could he fall into the trap of a dispute over personal feelings?
Even if he needs to prove himself, what he needs to prove is "the offense can still turn around without Bell", not "the ground offense can still turn around without Bell". The pattern needs to be expanded.

Tomlin has studied the Kansas City Chiefs' defense and continues to throw smoke bombs, with the real offensive tactics centered around passing the ball.

Not only does it rely on the connection between Roethlisberger and Brown, but the running routes of other wide receivers have also become richer. Because of Roethlisberger's bulky physique and the fact that his passing choices have been controversial for many years, people often tend to forget that Roethlisberger's passing ability is also at the top of the league.

Maybe the short pass is a little inaccurate, but the ability of medium and long passes has always been Roethlisberger's strengths.

However…but…

Tomlin was ready to catch Reed off guard, but he ended up running into a gun barrel, and his offensive tactics happened to be completely restricted by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Originally, the Pittsburgh Steelers were under shock and pressure because of the Kansas City Chiefs' smooth offense at the beginning. Now their own offensive tactics fell into the opponent's trap. Even a seasoned player like Tomlin was stunned.

After struggling to get two first downs in a fragmented and stumbling manner, the Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their first strikeout of the game.

No chance at all.

Zhu Zhu: ??? That's it? I didn't even touch the ball, and this attack is over? ...Fuck.

(End of this chapter)