Dominate the Super Bowl

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It was unbelievable, even with one's own eyes witnessing it, still reluctant to trust what they saw—a 100% third gear conversion rate was simply outrageous, an unacceptable reality, because it proved they had not managed to hold onto the game—
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Intensity was there.

Quality was there.

But to fail at crucial moments, such a situation was severely demoralizing.

The New England Patriots' defensive group, one and all, were gasping for breath with blood in their eyes, like a pack of ravenous wolves, desperately needing to prove themselves and to stop the opponent; then, they saw that figure.

Number twenty-three.

Just right, their long-awaited moment to wash away the shame had finally arrived.

If playing the role of running back and wide receiver, confusing the offense with decoys and causing the New England defense into disarray could barely be considered an excuse; then Li Wei destroying the ground defense was another matter—they needed to regain face and control.

One by one, they sharpened their knives.

Li Wei and Hunter switched places, and one could clearly sense Hunter's dissatisfaction.

Hunter was in good form even though his ground running had not yet hit its stride, but he had proven his versatility at the wide receiver position, an important bargaining chip in his competition with Li Wei. He longed to stay on the field, to continue to search for his rhythm, and to continue to contribute to the team.

But Reed's decision to alternate running backs was both for rest and tactical adjustments, and Hunter had no choice.

Hunter glared fiercely at Li Wei, "You'd better not screw up a good situation."

Li Wei noticed Hunter's look and couldn't help but lift the corners of his mouth into a smile:

It was fine, after all, the entire Gillette Stadium was watching him, one more Hunter made no difference, one less Hunter wouldn't matter.

In fact, Hunter's outstanding performance also made Li Wei realize the existence of healthy competition; he would not let his guard down, he would continue his outstanding performances to keep Hunter as the second running back.

Drive, plenty.

Just as he entered the game, Li Wei could feel the scrutiny from the opposing defensive group, air thick with tension, an aura fully unleashed, the entire pressure solidified the atmosphere. Past grudges now ignited.

Ready to target Li Wei, release everything.

Li Wei remained calm—

He was the decoy.

Belichick might be a sly fox, but Reed was not far behind.

Reed grasped the game dynamics perfectly, he noted the emotional turbulence of the defensive group, the pressure that exposed more uncertainty due to decreasing stamina, and it was this fluctuation he intended to exploit to divert attention and create opportunities for passing.

In his bones, Reed still believed in the passing game.

First gear, ten yards.

Smith faked a run and then passed, the feigned handoff movements successfully drew all the fire to Li Wei, while in the chaos he continued to backpedal, spreading his arms, ready to let loose a long pass.

This time, Reed was one step ahead of Belichick.

Li Wei played an excellent role as the decoy, completely disrupting the short pass arrangements, winning Smith enough time and space for the pass.

Smith threw a long pass, unbelievably sending a forty-yard parabola aimed at the end zone, a fatal strike.

The entire Gillette Stadium was shocked, a collective gasp echoing throughout the stands, even the commentators in the broadcast booth were stunned.

It must be said, Reed's offensive tactics were indeed spectacular.

The only regret was—

The connection was missed.

The Patriots' safety, the Chung Family, became the lifesaver of the team at the crucial moment, securing his spot in the end zone, beating Kansas City Chiefs' wide receiver Hill to the ball and swatting it away, a clean and strong defense that took Gillette Stadium for a spin around the brink of death and back to the ground.

The mind buzzed.

If they had let the Chiefs score again, the fourth quarter would have been in real danger; almost by his own strength, Chung had given the home team a lifeline.

Fueled by this momentum, the Patriots' defensive group finally showed their strength; this time, the six-man rush didn't give Smith any opportunity.

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Sack.

Linebacker Harrison finally got his wish, sacking Smith in the pocket and halting the Kansas City Chiefs' relentless passing offense, snagging a glimmer of hope for the New England Patriots in an exceedingly difficult situation.

The entire stadium, erupted.

No one expected the game in the fourth quarter to be so closely contested, and the Chiefs' offense was surprisingly dominant. It's hard to imagine what the situation would have looked like without Chung Family's crucial pass defense.

Harrison had already started dancing—

Third Gear, sixteen yards.

The New England Patriots were one step away from striking out the Kansas City Chiefs.

Moreover, with such a long distance on third down, it's especially easy to defend, whether it's against a pass or a run; the Defensive group held an exceptionally strong position.

Generally, the Offensive group would opt for a pass in such a situation since converting a third down with sixteen yards to go often means betting on a medium or long pass, so the Defensive group would drop back a bit, just cut off the long pass.

But if the Offensive group chooses to run the ball, trying to gain some yards and vie for a field goal position, the Defensive group would also be at no disadvantage because the running back needs to advance sixteen yards to achieve a first down, meaning the Defensive group has ample space to step up and cut off the run.

That is to say, the Defensive group has a whole sixteen yards of space to adjust, make mistakes, catch up, and defend.

The situation was utterly in the favor of the Defensive group.

The Chiefs, who had converted on all three previous third downs, likely couldn't push forward any longer.

"Defense!"

"Defense!"

"Defense!"

The uniform chanting from Gillette Stadium fell like torrential rain, causing the whole stadium to tremble slightly as if it were shaking the world.

The momentum was indeed so overwhelming that Smith's tactical setup became very difficult, he had to yell at the top of his lungs while using hand signals just to barely complete communication.

"What tactic will Reed choose this time?"

"In the previous three third down conversions, two were to Kelsey, and one was to Hunter. Reed's passing tactics have indeed varied in limited space, but with a long third down this time, an even stiffer challenge awaits."

"Is there a possibility that Reed will unexpectedly hand off the football to the running back?"

No sooner had Michaels voiced his opinion than Collinsworth couldn't help laughing out loud, clearly not in agreement.

Michaels looked over, "Chris?"

Collinsworth shook his head, "If it were Harbaugh or Rivera, of course, they might take the risk, but Reed? Highly unlikely."

"Look at last season's Super Bowl showdown, everyone thought Carroll would hand off the football to Lynch, but what did he do?"

"That was 'Beast Mode' Lynch."

"And now Reed has a rookie in Beast Mode, I don't think he should entrust such a crucial down to a rookie. If it were Adrian Peterson, okay, I admit there's a 10% chance, but unfortunately, Peterson is not at Gillette Stadium at this moment."

"My guess is a long pass to Hill. They tried once on first and ten; hey, third and sixteen, why not try it again?"

In the broadcast room, analysis and discussion were underway.

And on the field—

"Attack!"

Smith signaled for the snap, took a series of drop-back steps, raised his chin, and began to survey.

As expected, a pass.

So, was the passing target Hill? Kelsey? Or… Li Wei?

Wait, Li Wei?

Why did Smith pass the football to Li Wei?

Oh God, Reed had lost his mind.