Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 418: 417 Predicting the Future Chapter 418: 417 Predicting the Future Stumbling, Fournette ultimately failed to keep his balance and fell to the ground in a sorry state, every muscle in his body protesting as if he would fall apart in the next second, unable to even stand.

This time, Fournette didn’t immediately rise but instead lay there gasping for air, gazing at the stars and the full moon overhead:

He wanted some peace.

Then.

A face appeared above Fournette, flashing a brilliant smile and extending a right hand, “Buddy, why are you lying down?

Get up and keep going, keep going!”

That was a clear provocation.

Fournette wanted to tear apart Houston’s smiling face, but he was completely drained and couldn’t even make a sound.

With a lazy roll, Fournette dodged Houston, scrambling to his feet using his hands and legs, just to see Houston clutching his helmet, wailing as if his soul had been wounded.

This left Fournette feeling stifled:

Damn it, he was the one who was actually injured, okay?

First and ten yards was swiftly transformed into second and ten, still marking time.

“…Judging by the formation, Jacksonville Jaguars are preparing for a pass, but take note of the offensive line’s positioning—there could still be a run play.”

“The Kansas City Chiefs Defense needs to watch the offensive line’s initial movements; the Jaguars might use a screen pass tactic as a decoy for a ground attack.”

He had predicted correctly, yet again.

Bortles used a screen pass as a feint, but in fact, he didn’t even fake a pass before running; he handed off the football to Fournette from the start and followed the offensive line’s screen movement with authentic deception.

It was clear that even though Jacksonville Jaguars’ Offensive group had average strength, Coach Marrone wasn’t giving up.

The tactical design hid some clever tricks, trying to bring about a few surprises.

Nantz looked surprised and couldn’t help glancing at Romo:

Was Romo some kind of prophet?

Could he see the future without tarot cards or a crystal ball?

But Romo didn’t respond to Nantz and kept his attention fixed on the field.

It wasn’t just him.

The Kansas City Chiefs Defense had also seen through the Jaguars’ strategy.

Bang!

Fournette hit the wall again, this time enduring a triple-hit onslaught from a lineman, a cornerback, and a safety, bouncing around the congested area like a bumper car, trying to power through the confusion, only to ultimately fall to the ground, his head surrounded by stars.

Frustrated.

This time, Fournette couldn’t even muster the energy to be angry.

He just lay there looking up at the stars, refusing to stand, exuding a despondent aura.

He was done competing.

Was there still a way out in this game?

Losing both face and fleece, he was supposed to lie under a vehicle, with no one bothering him.

This scene left Nantz even more astonished—

The performance of the Kansas City Chiefs Defense was…

not only was their focus sharp, they hadn’t been fooled by the opponents’ deceptive maneuvers; but they also showed intensity and dominated with their spirit, completely controlling the game.

Now, the Jaguars were disoriented.

From the Defensive group to the Offensive group, then to the coaching staff, each one was rattled and couldn’t recover, and within a swift succession of blows, the Chiefs had taken full control of the game.

But, what was going on?

“Tony?” Nantz turned to Romo, “You accurately interpreted the Jaguars’ offensive strategy, and the Chiefs accurately read the opponent’s offense.

May I ask how you did it?”

“`

Although Bortles was not an Oscar-winning actor, the tactical layout of the offense just now was truly exquisite—an aspect Nantz had failed to discern.

Romo couldn’t help but chuckle, exposing a somewhat helpless smile.

“It’s not that I’m so remarkable, but that the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive tactics are ensnared by their own patterns; they’ve trapped themselves.”

“From the regular season to the playoffs, the Jaguars’ offense may not be top-notch, but they have consistently been able to advance steadily—relying ultimately on the League’s second-ranked ground attack.”

“However, unlike the Kansas City Chiefs, who work hard to find a balance between passing and running and rely more on the individual abilities of rookie running backs Li Wei and Hunter, the Jaguars’ playcalling is completely skewed towards the ground game.”

“According to statistics, in both the wildcard and divisional playoff games, the Jaguars chose running plays 58.4% of the time, the highest ratio of the twelve teams in the playoffs.”

“And in this game, up until now, the Jacksonville Jaguars have chosen to advance on the ground with an even higher ratio of 66.7%.”

“What does this mean?”

“It means that on first and second down, the Jacksonville Jaguars are highly likely to run the ball, only switching to passing plays on third down.”

The quarterback, truly deserving of the title quarterback.

As soon as Romo explained, Nantz’s thinking became clear.

Nantz, “First down run, second down run, third down pass, everything has a pattern.”

Romo nodded to Nantz, “It’s not that we are prescient, but that the Jaguars’ offensive tactics are patterned.”

“The Kansas City Chiefs Defense only needs to adjust slightly, maintain focus, and they can grasp their opponent’s jugular, now that the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Offensive group has thrown themselves into disarray.”

“Setting aside the tactics themselves, the most puzzling point for me lies here.”

“Why?”

“Why are the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive tactics so rigid?

Why are the Jaguars’ in-game tactical calls so blindly made?”

“I understand that the Jaguars’ offensive tactics have seen much success, and Marrone himself is not a coach known for offense, so continuing with a successful playbook is a logical choice; but this is the AFC Championship game, they face the crafty Reed—why are they so timid and restraining themselves?”

“First down run, second down run—it’s as if they feel some pressure, as if they are leading the score, as if they lack the courage to take the lead.

Their entire selection of tactics is unusually conservative.”

“Note that up until the second quarter, both teams are still in a draw, but Marrone’s tactical choices seem as if they already have a three-touchdown lead.”

“I personally cannot understand it, unsure of how the Jaguars prepared in their pre-game tactical meeting.”

“Of course, in the first quarter, this kind of tactic was viable, with both sides maintaining an equilibrium; but as the deadlock was broken by Kansas City Chiefs’ in-game adjustments, Reed caught up very timely in subsequent offensive and defensive tactics.

One can tell they prepared very comprehensively, and were ready with different contingency plans.”

“But it seems the Jaguars did not.”

“When one set of tactics hit a wall, Marrone remained stuck in that set, their in-game adjustments utterly failing to keep up.”

“You can’t blame Fournette for the poor performance, the Jacksonville Jaguars need to pull themselves out of the current state—what they need most urgently right now is halftime, to return to the locker room and see if they can find their bearings.”

“Otherwise…”

“The game might get increasingly difficult.”

Romo still maintained control, staying neutral, hoping the second half of the game would be more exciting; but the problem was—

Why isn’t the first half over yet?

When can it end?

This nightmare seems to have no end in sight.

“`