Chapter 1370: Chapter 1369: Psychological Game
“Clap! Fly!”
“Clap! Fly!”
The orderly cheer echoed like a roaring wave above Arrowhead Stadium, with players and spectators standing side by side like towering giants.
The constant buzzing reverberated, pounding the eardrums incessantly.
Watt flexed his fingertips, feeling a tingle.
Only by truly standing at Arrowhead Stadium can one feel the momentum of this Devil’s home field, a force that penetrates the soul. They played a game here three months ago, but stepping onto the grass at Arrowhead Stadium again feels completely different now.
The game hasn’t even started, yet the imposing aura has already weighed heavily upon them, like ants crawling under the feet of giants, even afraid to look up and meet their eyes, let alone engage in a direct contest.
They have already lost before the game even begins.
This determination, fighting spirit, and belief crystallize into a destructive force that his body immediately feels on a physical level.
Taking a deep breath, Watt’s spirit ignited; he wouldn’t surrender, he refused to surrender, even if it meant being broken to pieces, even if it meant burning to ashes, he would fight on this field to the very last moment—
No one else knew, but Watt knew his body best; he believed his professional career might not have much time left.
This season, in Week 8 of the regular season, Watt was plagued again by injuries, with a torn pectoral muscle. After examinations, the doctor declared his season over; fortunately, after treatment and rehabilitation, his injury was better than expected, and in early December, he returned to health just in time for the season’s end.
Watt kept pushing, kept fighting, but he knew his body was falling apart and might not last many more seasons.
It was precisely because of this that Watt decided to get married, preparing to enter the next phase of his life, and striving to accept the unfamiliar fact that football was no longer the only important thing in his life.
Watt couldn’t be 100% sure how many more seasons he could hold on for, but he knew that the time ahead was dwindling.
In the wild card game, Watt delivered two crucial sacks, earning the team a chance to eliminate the Buffalo Bills in overtime.
In the divisional game, Watt once again played a key role in defense, helping the team suppress Jackson, sweeping the Baltimore Ravens, breaking the shackles, and advancing to the team’s first-ever conference finals.
Who knows, maybe the 2019 season was the best opportunity, surviving the wild card game’s brush with death, consecutively upending the American League’s number one and two seeds, continuously setting new best records in the history of the Houston Texans, challenging for Watt’s first Super Bowl Championship in his career.
This is the opportunity.
As long as he stands on the field, he will leave everything he has, burning until the end, on the battlefield.
He is ready.
The Kansas City Chiefs lined up—
Shotgun Formation, their signature passing attack stance.
A detail: Li Wei stood on the right side of the Kansas City Chiefs, forming an inverted triangle with Kelsey and Hardman, not standing in the pocket.
Such a formation is quite common in the Kansas City Chiefs Offense this season; it might evolve into a “Cheating Motion,” it might turn into a modern outside zone offensive system, or it might revert to a traditional throwback ground attack. This is the strategy Reed designed according to Li Wei’s individual capabilities:
Ever-changing, unpredictable.
Even though they repeatedly studied Kansas City Chiefs game footage, they still couldn’t smoothly find a pattern. The cooperation between Mahomes and Li Wei is consummate, a challenge for every team in the league.
Don’t be fooled by the Baltimore Ravens Offense’s blazing unstoppable performance this season, which ranks at the top of the league, even slightly edging past Kansas City Chiefs; but in reality, the true key is all on Jackson alone. As long as the key is targeted, the Baltimore Ravens’ offense can be contained.
However, the Kansas City Chiefs are different. Mahomes and Li Wei are dual cores, each having their strengths alongside Kelsey, Hill, and Hardman, plus Damien as a reliable backup. Even if one link encounters a problem, the Kansas City Chiefs can always find a solution through on-the-spot adjustments.
Among league defenses, there’s a consensus: Given a choice, they would rather face the Baltimore Ravens than the Kansas City Chiefs.
Thus, the seemingly ordinary first-down offensive formation is filled with countless possibilities, with no discernible starting point.
Watt’s body and nerves became taut, he hadn’t forgotten how the Kansas City Chiefs completed their first touchdown in the second quarter of the divisional game:
“Cheating Motion,” but Li Wei acted as bait, disrupting the defensive group’s deployment with his own skills, creating opportunities for teammates.
And now?
Not just Watt, the entire defense of the Houston Texans stood on guard, with only one thought in mind: Hold their positions and strictly execute tactics.
In that instant, all sound disappeared; the world was silent. Not only did the Kansas City Chiefs fans, but even the Houston Texans fans couldn’t help but hold their breath.
Li Wei moved.
Watt noticed Li Wei’s movement immediately, cutting inside toward the slot on the left side, a “Cheating Motion”?
Indeed, the Kansas City Chiefs were united in determination, aiming to fundamentally change the start of the last game by delivering a fierce blow to the Houston Texans right at the beginning, hence deploying the “Cheating Motion,” an offensive tactic the entire league still had no effective countermeasure for.
Moreover, the key concern of whether Li Wei was the target or the bait needed caution.
In just that brief moment, Li Wei’s movement stirred up everyone’s focus, and some fans couldn’t restrain their excitement, shouting out.
“Attack!”
Mahomes’s voice pierced the sky, splitting open a clear blue sky, as brilliant sunlight burst through.
Bang! Bang, bang, bang!
The offensive and defensive lines clashed and tangled together, and Watt unhesitatingly stepped forward while intentionally misaligning, allowing the lineman to fill his gap, creating conditions for Watt’s step-in assault.
Yes, an assault.
The Kansas City Chiefs had their plans, and so did the Houston Texans.
Head Coach O’Brien and Defensive Coordinator Crennel knew they were in a very passive position against the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense; if they were swept into the Chiefs’ rhythm, it would be difficult to restrain them afterward.
They learned from the Tennessee Titans game, recognizing that they must seize the initiative.
Since they couldn’t guess Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive tactics, they would focus on their own strengths, targeting Mahomes right from the start.
Throughout the season, Li Wei shone, becoming a target; meanwhile, Mahomes’s performance slightly dipped, overshadowed by Jackson, forcing the defense to focus on Li Wei.
Of course, this was the correct approach, as any defense closing discipline towards Li Wei would have to pay a price, and the Houston Texans were no exception.
But Crennel understood Reed, knowing that passing remained key, and how to defend Li Wei was one thing, ensuring Mahomes felt constant pressure was another.
In the previous game, the Tennessee Titans applied pressure starting from the secondary defense; in this game, the Houston Texans applied pressure from the frontline defense.
Thus, Watt stepped forward.