Chapter 236: 235 Going its own way
The atmosphere in the "Inside the League" studio was indeed a bit delicate—
Anyone with eyes could see that Bart and Li Wei were at odds.
Although the reason was unclear, everyone present was a professional, and they all knew that the game wasn't over; they had to wait and see what would happen in the second half.
Right now, Bart was just being mouthy for the moment; if the Kansas City Chiefs ended up losing, then everything would be fine, and right and wrong would be dictated by what Bart said; but what if the Kansas City Chiefs won?
Lawson had just offered Bart a way out, which Bart had not accepted, so they simply decided to stand by and watch the excitement, since there's no harm in watching the fun.
It wasn't until Bart had spilled everything he should and shouldn't have said that the other guests began to speak up, diligently fulfilling their roles.
On one point, they reached a consensus: whether it be the Kansas City Chiefs or the Philadelphia Eagles, the performance in the first half of the game was not normal. Even though both teams' defensive groups performed well, they needed offense to win, and the performance of both teams' offensive groups was far from expectations.
How to adjust the offense had become a focus during the halftime break.
Coming right into the second half, the Philadelphia Eagles, who had the first offense, showed their determination.
Second-year quarterback Wentz found his rhythm during a nine-play offense, throwing a 26-yard pass to wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, who had just transferred this season. This first completion between the two converted into a touchdown.
Arrowhead Stadium was somewhat dull, as they obviously did not want to see their opponents score first in their own backyard; this was not a positive sign.
Bart said, "Look, I told you so."
The Philadelphia Eagles seized the throat of fate and kicked off the second half with the first touchdown of the game; the Kansas City Chiefs were now facing a serious test.
"10:6"—
The home-playing Kansas City Chiefs were behind.
Bart sat in his chair, satisfied, leaning back comfortably and imagining himself holding a beer, enjoying the scene before him; everything was going as expected, and he moved a bit closer to his goal of redeeming his shame and regaining his glory.
Then, under the spotlight, the Kansas Chiefs offense took the field once more.
Just like in the first half, Smith partnered with Li Wei to start, and Reed had not made any noticeable adjustments to the lineup during the halftime break; what about the tactics?
Bart shook his head slightly; had Reed lost his mind? He had hit a wall repeatedly in the first half, and yet he wasn't making any adjustments for the second half, stubbornly persisting to the end? Was Reed up to the task or not?
"Offense!"
"Offense!"
Arrowhead Stadium tried to gather some energy to continue cheering for the home team, but the problem was, the first half had been really dull. Even though they hadn't lost faith, their passion and fervor had been drained in the repeated collisions and punts; it was hard to get excited again after such a blow—
Their enthusiasm was cool.
The whole venue was somewhat chaotic and depressed.
Soon, the noise settled down, as Smith was getting ready to start the play.
"Attack!"
Without any hesitation, Smith turned and handed the football to Li Wei, taking several steps back to clear the way for him.
All eyes in the stadium were, once again, on the rookie.
Wait, were they planning a breakthrough down the middle?
Today, Li Wei and Hunter met with dense defensive interceptions on both the left and right sides; breaking through the middle seemed like a reasonable choice.
But that's only a good idea in theory.
Let's not forget, the middle area is where the linemen heavily fortify; charging blindly forward would just trap oneself in the 'Muscle Forest,' ending with the same result of hitting a wall.
So, what was the reason behind Smith's move to clear the pathway?
Could it be a fake run that turns into a real pass?
In just a flash, various speculations continuously collided in the brain.
Not only the fans and the audience, but even on the field, things changed rapidly, with both the offensive and the defensive sides continuously observing, reacting, and initiating in their confrontation.
A gust of wind, suddenly arose.
Li Wei charged towards the right side, following a straight line at a 45-degree angle, releasing his full speed within just two or three steps. From his posture and trajectory, it seemed like he was ready to shake off the defensive line along the slot with his speed ——
The lane between the defensive line and the tight end is known as the slot.
Running backs and wide receivers often find space to break through in the slot, but today, the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive line, linebackers, and cornerbacks formed a triangular area that completely cut off the breakthrough space in the slot, making it impossible for Li Wei and Hunter to advance on the ground and break through.
It must be said that the Eagles' defensive group played impressively, leaving very few opportunities throughout the first half.
But this is the joy of competitive sports: creating opportunities, opening the game, reversing disadvantages within the clash of titans, where oftentimes, it's the fleeting moment that decides the outcome.
Although the Eagles took the lead with an early score in the second half, Li Wei was not disturbed and remained focused on himself.
A quick glance from the corner of his eye.
Sure enough, defensive end Barnett closely followed step by step.
As a rookie, Barnett was chosen 14th overall in this year's draft, in a year touted as "The Year of the Defensive Ends," and he was the second defensive end selected.
Normally, Barnett's job is to match up with the running back, making him a natural enemy of Li Wei. With top pick Garrett absent due to injury, causing other defensive ends to play fervently to prove themselves, and Li Wei, as a running back stealing all the attention in the first week, a natural rivalry was formed.
Moreover, Barnett came from the University of Tennessee, the sworn enemy of the University of Alabama. Last year, when they faced off, Barnett was ruthlessly crushed by Li Wei. Over the past half year, Barnett had been sharpening his blade, eagerly waiting for the moment of vengeance, and shining in the League by stepping on the corpse of his archenemy was undoubtedly a dream.
Barnett believed this was his chance.
In fact, Barnett did grasp the opportunity; he was like a tiger descending the mountain throughout the first half, particularly standout in his performance.
But Li Wei was not a wooden stake, standing still waiting to hit a wall; as soon as the second half began, he was also ready to confront.
Angling outward, light on his feet.
Clearly, Barnett was somewhat outpaced; his 6-foot-26 (191 cm), 259-pound (117 kg) frame seemed cumbersome and slow.
Wait, just like that? Surely, it can't be that easy to break through, right?
If the Eagles' defense could clamp down on Li Wei, of course, it would not be so simple.
Although Barnett was a bit slow on his feet, almost immediately, one could see three other figures enclosing ——
On the right, cornerback Mills.
To the left front, which is behind Barnett, linebacker Mychal Kendricks.
In the slot near the middle, the Pro Bowl veteran safety Malcolm Jenkins.
This is the real challenge.
Although Kendricks initially thought it was a fake run turning into a pass, which caused him to start a bit late, once he realized it was a run, he quickly followed suit, joining his Eagles' defensive teammates in a zone defense ——
They did not mark Li Wei individually, because this rookie wasn't worth it yet, but their defense against the ground game was tight-knit.
As expected from the top-ranked ground defense in last week's League standings, even in the second half, they maintained their intensity.
Thus, another challenge lay before Li Wei, no different from the first half.