Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 377 376 stalemate state

Strike while the iron is hot, for after the second effort comes decline, and the third leads to exhaustion.

Since the halftime break, the Kansas City Chiefs have shown a new side on both offense and defense, launching a comeback with overwhelming momentum, fully chasing the reigning champions.

However, in the face of the Chiefs' formidable charge, Belichick and Brady still displayed their cunning. Despite difficulties, they were able to keep scoring, steadily stabilizing the situation in adversity, tightly clinging to the competition, waiting for an opportunity to counter and regain control.

Indeed—

The New England Patriots' Defense regained their confidence, resolutely achieving a three-and-out to halt the offensive momentum of the Kansas City Chiefs since the second half and securing another opportunity for Brady to take the field.

"The fourth quarter is more than halfway through, and we're entering 'Brady time' once again."

"This scenario is all too familiar for Belichick and Brady, who still have the advantage of two possessions. Now Brady needs to start controlling the game clock, but the ultimate goal remains to keep scoring,"

"As long as the New England Patriots keep control of the game, victory will be theirs."

"Now, what the Kansas City Chiefs need is not just boiling blood and high spirits; they need the tenacity and continued belief that they can win, which is no easy feat against Belichick and Brady."

"Clearly, the continuously plummeting cold weather has not chosen to side with the visitors; Foxborough remains Belichick's most reliable stronghold."

Could it be... that we are about to witness the standard ending?

The 'standard ending' where the champions are always the Patriots?

The air at the Old Oak Tavern became completely taut—

The fiery momentum that had risen strongly to catch up was met with a blow to the head, forcing an abrupt stop, and the boiling blood wreaked havoc inside the guts, setting the whole stomach ablaze with tension to the point of nausea.

Every step is a thrill. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

Dancing on the edge of a knife.

One can't blame the fans for their fragility, for the nightmare of two years ago is still vivid.

After sweeping the Houston Texans with a shutout in the wildcard game, the Kansas City Chiefs traveled north to Foxborough to challenge the New England Patriots and suffered a painful defeat.

Two years later, at the same round, on the same field, against the same opponent, hauntingly familiar memories surge in the mind, almost unbearable to keep watching.

Charles Vester tried to shout a couple of times, attempting to rekindle the passion in the tavern.

But evidently, that was not easy.

On the television screen, one could clearly see the steam rising off the players' bodies, shivering amidst profuse sweating, as the boiling blood met the bone-piercing cold, a direct confrontation that could be felt even through the screen, conveying the extreme cold of Foxborough—

The camera focused on Reed, and it was clear at a glance that the mascot coach's beard had already frozen to ice, his pale cheeks devoid of any color.

The weather was of no help.

Vester found himself caught in a mire of self-doubt, his mind cluttered with various thoughts, and a couple of motivational slogans did nothing to help.

Without realizing it, Vester raised his chin, gazed intently at the television screen without uttering a word, just watching, and then waiting—

Waiting for a miracle to occur.

Yet.

Brady was ready to take over the game, having experienced this scenario so many times, it was as routine as a family meal, he had no need to be nervous.

The Kansas City Chiefs Defense carried on their excellent performance from the second half, showing both intensity and toughness, consistently forcing the opponent into third-down struggles.

But Brady always managed to find a way to convert on third down, consuming time while prolonging the attack, firmly maintaining control of the game.

The situation was at a complete stalemate.

The New England Patriots, stumbling and bumbling, had once again neared the midfield line. This was the story of the entire second half, the offensive group seemed to teeter on the brink of collapse but always managed to somehow steal away points.

Although it wasn't spectacular or pretty, they were indeed closing in on victory.

"Beautiful!"

"The Kansas City Chiefs Defense hasn't given up; they're still fighting."

"This time, linebacker Houston had accurately deciphered the Patriots' ground attack tactics before the kick-off, shaking off the offensive line's block without any trouble and achieving an impressive tackle behind the line, snuffing out the attack before the running back could start, resulting in a loss of three yards."

"The Patriots' ground attack is still a disaster."

"Second and thirteen."

"Now, Brady is once again facing another problem."

"We've seen this scene more than once."

"The Chiefs' defense is performing very well, it looks like they're about to crush the Patriots, but each time they are just a little short of success."

"The Patriots have repeatedly turned the situation around in hardship, whether on second and long or on third downs, relying on their advantage in the short pass area, Brady's defensive reading, the coordination of route running from his targets, and Gronkowski's individual abilities, repeatedly accomplishing their tasks."

"The Chiefs need to adopt a more dominant stance if they're to overturn such a balanced situation."

Revis agreed with this—

Revis's gaze was firmly locked onto wide receiver Amendola, but with peripheral vision he could see the Patriots players constantly moving, trying to create interference with their positioning and routes, to disrupt the Chiefs' judgments.

However.

The Chiefs remained unfazed, and while they also made some moves in response to the Patriots' smoke bomb routes, pretending to play man-to-man defense, in fact, their strategy of zone coverage to block the short pass area had not changed, with only Gronkowski receiving special attention.

Because they were quite certain this was a passing play; and most likely in the short to medium pass area. Instead of diluting their attention by trying to cover everything, they'd rather focus on cutting off Brady's passing connections.

To this end, all linebackers, safeties, and cornerbacks had their attention fully covering the short pass area.

Revis's gaze, shadow-like, was firmly locking onto Amendola's figure.

In the regular season this year, Amendola had been in a slump, with performances that were just so-so; but stepping onto the playoff stage, this wide receiver completely woke up, his route running was active, combat ability upgraded, and his condition exploded.

So far, Amendola with eleven receptions had advanced a full 121 yards, showing remarkable efficiency and was without a doubt the best wide receiver in this game.

When Amendola is in good form, his ability to draw on routes and his knack for finding gaps in the field really stand out, so even if Brady just makes a short pass, Amendola's ability to advance after the catch can also break the situation open.

At this moment, Amendola seemed especially active and proactive—

So, was he the passing target, or a decoy?

Generally speaking, Revis likes to hold fast to his own defensive zone, waiting comfortably, thoroughly controlling the initiative of that area.

Occasionally, very occasionally, Revis would take the initiative to strike and break the deadlock.

Like now.

Revis noticed it, the fleeting gap; without hesitation or second thoughts, he decisively surged forward, like a breeze going past the line of scrimmage, cutting into enemy territory, swiftly leaping up before anyone else could react.

A mid-route interception, plucking the football out of midair as if he were picking stars from the sky.

Interception!