Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 668 Patience
Stalemate.

It was more of a stalemate than a stalemate, with the defensive combination of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens becoming the biggest highlight of the first quarter.

On the one hand, Lamar Jackson tried to prove himself, but the Kansas City Chiefs defense was well prepared for the potential read option offense.

Houston, the linebacker, had the heavy responsibility of covering the quarterback alone and seeing through Jackson's read-option offense.

At the same time, the Kansas City Chiefs rarely launched full pressure, focusing on ground defense and forcing Jackson to pass the ball.

Jackson's rough passing skills and poor passing accuracy were fully exposed, so that the offensive rhythm was completely controlled by the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Baltimore Ravens' offense suffered repeated setbacks.

Jackson was frustrated and depressed——

Ideal is plump, reality is skinny.

Although Jackson was ambitious and tried hard to prove himself, the cruel reality was that he ran into a wall head-on and was struck out repeatedly in disgrace.

Romo, you hit the nail on the head.

"The Kansas City Chiefs were prepared, but Jackson obviously wasn't, and once his own skills hit a wall, he immediately panicked."

"But that's a lesson every rookie has to face."

On the one hand, the Baltimore Ravens have been sticking to the plan that they had been planning since the opening, and the results are slowly being seen, but Mahomes has been slow to find his rhythm.

Objectively speaking, there is no problem with Mahomes' short pass accuracy. He can still deliver the ball accurately and rely on short passes to open up the situation, but this feeling is like having one hand and one foot tied up. It may not affect daily life, but it is uncomfortable.

Naturally, the offensive rhythm cannot be completely smooth.

At the same time, the Baltimore Ravens' defense against Levi was timely and in place, so that Levi's every ground advancement was obviously exhausted and his efficiency was obviously declining. Reid had to use Hunter's rotation to give Levi room to breathe and adjust.

The Kansas City Chiefs were still able to advance, but the pressure they faced was increasing, and a slight deviation at a critical moment led to a strikeout.

Punt. Punt. Punt. Punt.

Judging from the score, the game was a bit dull, the special teams frequently appeared on the field, and strikeouts and punts became the main theme of the first quarter.

"0:7".

Since Levi's long-distance touchdown run at the beginning of the game, neither team was able to score any more points, and they couldn't even enter the free kick area.

However, the scene was spectacular——

Intercept. Sack. Stop.

A foul. A collision. A quarrel.

At the beginning of the game, the strong collision between the two teams was already fierce.

Obviously, both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens were eager to win, and they tried their best and refused to give in. The fierce battle brought the game to a complete stalemate.

until--

One-third of the way through the second quarter, someone finally broke the deadlock.

Still the Kansas City Chiefs.

In a situation where the Baltimore Ravens' defense was under full pressure and raid, Mahomes successfully escaped a sack that Suggs was determined to get, and relied on his legs to create an opportunity and pass the ball 15 yards to find Kelce.

Kelce took advantage of his position to take down the opposing cornerback Brandon Carr, snatched the football in a one-on-one duel, and made his way into the end zone.

"0:14".

The Kansas City Chiefs finally broke the deadlock and further widened the score gap at home.

Competitive sports are often like this: when the balance is broken and one side explodes, the possibility of the other side exploding also rises sharply. With a turn, the Baltimore Ravens offense also found its rhythm.

It's not a passing attack, it's a ground attack——

Frontal breakthrough.

The Kansas City Chiefs comprehensively improved their ground defense to force Jackson to pass the ball; Harbaugh understood this, so he had to break through on the ground.

This year's undrafted rookie running back Edwards once again played a key role.

6.1 ft (185 cm), 238 lb (108 kg).

Edwards' nickname is "Bus", which comes from the joke of the Baltimore Ravens players. Not only is he a whole level heavier than Levi, but his weight is not muscle, but fat that is visible to the naked eye.

Speed, almost no advantage; it all depends on strength.

This kind of classic fullback style running back is very rare in the league now. Fournette, who was the fourth pick in last year's draft, was not a typical running back. Therefore, it is not surprising that Edwards was not selected in the draft and was not selected in the end.

However, Hubble was a smart guy.

In Harbaugh's tactics, Edwards and Jackson formed a strange double running back tactic. Edwards' destructive power running like a bulldozer and Jackson's light and agile technical running were combined. Coupled with Jackson's own ability to withstand certain blows, the partnership of the two players produced an effect of one plus one being greater than two.

Or, use the read option offense to lure the enemy deep into the defense, allowing Houston to move forward to complete the ground defense, with Edwards blocking Jackson, or Jackson blocking Edwards, to complete the ground advance.

Or, choose to advance on the ground directly, use Edwards as a battering ram first, and use his strength to hit the opponent's defense head-on again and again. When the defense is slightly loosened, Jackson will follow immediately.

It was the same running ball tactic, but Harbaugh played it out beautifully.

Finally, another short, solid and strong running back, Kenneth Dixon, broke through the armor like a mole.

Touchdown!

The Baltimore Ravens finally scored a touchdown, maneuvering with extraordinary patience in positional warfare, destroying the Kansas City Chiefs' defense step by step.

Until the rewards are reaped.

With tactics and strategy, strength and power, Hubble chose to respond in a slightly clumsy but solid and powerful way.

Then, he would occasionally use tactical layout to sneak a sneak attack, such as Jackson's pass. Harbour did not forget that Jackson was a quarterback and passing the ball was his job. Even if his technique was crude, it could not be shelved.

After a few rounds, the Baltimore Ravens' patience finally paid off.

First came a touchdown.

And then there was another free kick.

Harper's Baltimore Ravens also showed perseverance in the stalemate. Although they lacked explosive power, they took solid steps to slowly narrow the gap.

"10:14".

The situation was still deadlocked. The Kansas City Chiefs had just opened up a gap when they were immediately harassed by the Baltimore Ravens.

This time, it is the turn of the Kansas City Chiefs to show their growth and transformation this season.

Mahomes insisted on short passes, a series of quick short passes, screen passes and short passes, which instantly raised the speed and rhythm to a whole level, forcing the Baltimore Ravens to retreat in a short and fast manner, allowing more receivers to score, and even Hill, who was good at deep strikes, withdrew to receive short passes.

After a dazzling attack, they pushed all the way across half the field and continued to advance. With the red zone just around the corner, the Baltimore Ravens' defense finally caught up with the intensity and rhythm, forcing the Kansas City Chiefs into a third-gear dilemma.

But Mahomes and Kelce's wonderful connection completed the third-and-4 conversion, and in a new first-and-10 situation at the front of the red zone, they handed the football to Levi without warning.

Moreover, there are no fancy moves, just ground attack, and what we are trying to do is seize the opportunity.

(End of this chapter)