Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 580 Passing Target
"Wow, this start is slightly beyond expectations."

"It's not that I don't believe in the strength of the Kansas City Chiefs, but judging from the offseason preparations, the Kansas City Chiefs still need some time to get used to each other, while the Pittsburgh Steelers have already solved the problem of Bell's absence and are ready for the new season."

"The opening stage of the opening game will test the results of both teams' preparations during the off-season."

"We expected the Pittsburgh Steelers to have a slight advantage and there would be a fight between the two sides; but now it seems that Reed has completely suppressed Tomlin."

"From the two waves of offensive and defensive confrontations so far, the Kansas City Chiefs are younger and more mature."

"Younger means the players. The lineup, which is mainly composed of second-year and third-year players, performed well, showed high morale, played key roles on both offense and defense, and preemptively suppressed the Pittsburgh Steelers."

"More mature refers to tactics. After the coaching staff's adjustments during the offseason, the tactics are clearer and more specific. The layout completed against the Pittsburgh Steelers allowed the team to easily take the initiative in the opening stage."

"It's incredible that less than five minutes into the game, everything is under control of the Kansas City Chiefs and the defending champions are making their voices heard."

Admiration, surprise, recognition.

Even Michaels had to give a thumbs up to the Kansas City Chiefs. As the defending champions, they were the target of public criticism. Coupled with a series of turmoil in the offseason, the first game of the new season is often the most difficult, requiring running-in and adjustment.

Just look at last year's New England Patriots. The beginning of the season is often slow to warm up. It has been more than a decade since any team in the league was able to defend the Super Bowl. Even in the long history of the league, there have been only a handful of such teams that have successfully defended the title. This is not without reason.

However, the Kansas City Chiefs were able to grow and transform amidst the turmoil and chaos, turning pressure into motivation. The miracle of reaching the Super Bowl did not become a shackle, but instead became an opportunity for the team to further break out of its cocoon and become a butterfly.

One opening game shows the efforts of the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason.

I couldn't help but start looking forward to it.

"Wow."

"It all depends on the Pittsburgh Steelers' on-the-spot deployment. Will Tomlin continue to stick to his pre-game deployment or change his strategy based on the opponent's situation? It was definitely unexpected that this traditional defensive powerhouse faced its first test of the season so soon."

"But regardless of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Kansas City Chiefs are ready to play at their own pace."

"We can now see that on the sidelines, the new running backs coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, Burton Burns, is having a one-on-one conversation with Levi."

“Here, I’d like to share a little knowledge with the audience.”

"Coach Burns was the one who discovered Levi in ​​college. The legendary running back coach at the University of Alabama had already retired, but he couldn't let go of Levi and came back to Kansas City. It's hard not to wonder what transformation Levi has completed during this offseason."

popping.

Burns patted Levi on the shoulder heavily, and then Levi entered the court and joined the offensive team.

Mahomes looked over, and Levi whispered something in the quarterback's ear. The two exchanged glances and both looked at the opposing defense.

Burns just said: Keep an eye on Hayward.

This year, the Kansas City Chiefs themselves are also facing the invasion of age and injuries. Houston's fluctuating state is a signal that they are facing severe tests.

The same is true for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The defensive mainstay Hayward seems to be in a slightly fluctuating state. Levi didn't notice it during the first wave of offense; but Burns noticed it, and he reminded Levi to pay more attention to the changes in the Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive front line.

Not only him, but also Mahomes.

On the surface, Hayward is nothing special. He is still focused and tough. This legendary veteran who has been on the court for many years does not easily reveal his flaws.

What's more, the season has just begun. The Kansas City Chiefs are still lining up step by step, preparing to attack again.

The Pittsburgh Steelers' punt just now was in a bad position and they couldn't control the direction, which ultimately gave the Kansas City Chiefs a 37-yard starting point for their offense. For the visiting team, this was indeed not a very good start.

So, how is Tomlin going to adjust?
The Kansas City Chiefs ignored it and continued to play at their own pace.

The smoothness of the first wave of offense gave Mahomes some confidence. It was obvious that he was calmer, more stable and more focused.

Pass the ball.

The Kansas City Chiefs returned to the pass, just like when Smith was at the helm in last year's playoffs, using different short pass tactics to disrupt the opponent's defense.

They don't care whether the opponent chooses to rush the ball to put pressure or chooses to defend closely.

The first is speed, compressing the quarterback's shooting time and completing the pass with short passes.

The second is that the passing target is concealed. In addition to Hill and Kelce, Hunter or Levi serves as the uncertain third passing point.

And this season, the Kansas City Chiefs have actually upgraded.

Last season, the wide receiver team was not strong enough and relied entirely on Hill to support the team, so Levi became the target of passes many times in the playoffs; but this year, there are finally more supporters in the wide receiver team.

Sammy Watkins, who was transferred from the Los Angeles Rams this season, was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the fourth pick in the first round of 2014.

This college genius was highly expected, but he never made it in the professional arena and his performance was mediocre. He was traded to Los Angeles before his rookie contract ended, but he only stayed for one season before changing teams again and wandering around.

When he joined the Kansas City Chiefs, he made almost no splash around the league, and no one believed that this former first-round pick could redeem himself.

However, with the Kansas City Chiefs, Watkins has found a place.

For two consecutive times, Mahomes did not choose Hill, Kelce or Levi as the passing target. He unexpectedly made a short pass to Watkins, easily got the first attack and successfully pushed through the halftime show.

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense is a bit busy——

There was not enough time to create pressure from the front line.

While defending against each other, the opponent unexpectedly found a new receiving point.

For a moment, I was distracted and in a panic.

The core reason lies in the intelligence failure. The Pittsburgh Steelers did not anticipate the changes of the Kansas City Chiefs at all, so they could not keep up with the pace.

Tomlin realized at the first time that they were caught up in the opponent's rhythm, but the problem now is that the Kansas City Chiefs are at their best in terms of attentiveness and condition, and their tactical changes and rhythm control are all one step ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers, which Tomlin cannot overturn. He can only hope that the Pittsburgh Steelers defense will use their experience to barely support and drag the situation, wait for the opponent's opening wave of excitement to cool down, and then seek subsequent confrontations.

There is no sign of slowing down for the time being.

The Pittsburgh Steelers also gritted their teeth and made full efforts to try to reverse the passive situation.

They got angry.

All of a sudden, Mahomes could feel the layers of pressure coming at him.

(End of this chapter)