Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 586: 585 A Good Play Chapter 586: 585 A Good Play The first half, over—

Michaels was stunned for a moment, shock and impact surging continuously in his mind, various words spinning on the tip of his tongue yet unable to be vocalized.

So, how should it be evaluated?

In the first quarter, “0:21,” the Kansas City Chiefs dominated the game.

In the second quarter, “21:0,” the Pittsburgh Steelers fully revived.

The two quarters were like mirror images, perfectly copied and pasted, but with one position reversed.

First, the Kansas City Chiefs scored three touchdowns, shutting out the visiting team, and then the Pittsburgh Steelers scored three touchdowns, shutting out the home team, each commanding half of the game.

As the head referee blew the whistle to end the first half, the game entered halftime tied, with both teams having played a spectacular quarter, culminating in an exciting first half before heading back to the locker rooms.

The score, “21:21.”

This is hard to evaluate.

Although the Professional League has no shortage of bizarre and unique games, a game where a team dominates one quarter by shutting out the opponent only to end up tied at halftime was unprecedented.

The first half, what exactly happened?

After going around in circles for half a circle, are we back where we started?

Did this game actually happen, or did it not?

“Indeed—”

“As expected from the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers, as expected from the season opener, both sides lived up to the expectations, once again delivering a sensational match in an unconventional way, as if mocking all the spectators:

Hey, you thought you had guessed the outcome?

But you were all wrong.”

“I’m not sure what you think, but I certainly didn’t expect this.”

“The Kansas City Chiefs are young, and they relied on their youth to dominate the first quarter, displaying the fresh face of the defending champions; yet, their youth also cost them the second quarter, exposing their lack of experience in all areas.”

“The Pittsburgh Steelers are seasoned.

They misjudged the first quarter because of their experience, paying a painful price; yet, it was also their experience that allowed them to counterattack in place in the second quarter, bringing back the balance and suspense to the game.”

“The two teams, evenly matched.”

“The future of the 2018 season looks bright.”

Unable to help himself, Michaels made a little joke.

In front of the television, some appreciated, some applauded, and some cheered, the season opener truly lived up to the expectations, but not everyone could smile.

Like Bell.

His expression, conflicted and distressed.

Not happy when the Pittsburgh Steelers were falling behind, and just as unhappy when the Pittsburgh Steelers caught up.

Honestly, he didn’t know why he was still watching it live.

Shouldn’t he just turn it off?

Yet, he still couldn’t let it go.

Quietly watching the TV screen, Bell thought he still hoped the Kansas City Chiefs would defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Only then would the Pittsburgh Steelers realize his worth.

Although Tomlin tried his best, lacking ground attack support was still powerless to change the course of the game—

At that time, the Pittsburgh Steelers would come crawling back to him to restart negotiations.

Taking a deep breath, Bell pulled himself together:

Li Wei, give it your all.

This guy can’t just have this little bit of energy, only this much and thinking of becoming the league’s top running back?

Far from it.

Second half, show some spirit.

“Now, the test has come, and it’s the same for both teams.”

“What about the second half?”

“Looking at the score, both teams were even, with chances for either in the second half; however, that wasn’t the case,”

“Each team had played a great quarter, completely dominating their opponents on both offensive and defensive fronts, with overwhelming advantages.

The pace and condition were simply not on the same level,”

“This meant that after the halftime break, controlling the pace was key,”

“Whether Reed or Tomlin, both coaches understood the importance of how the second half started, which meant both teams would immediately get into form after the break.

So, whoever could control the tempo first in this fierce clash would gain the upper hand,”

“Here, the Pittsburgh Steelers held a slight advantage,”

“Because the second half started with the Pittsburgh Steelers on the offense,”

“But the advantage was just minimal,”

“In the second quarter, the Pittsburgh Steelers completely abandoned Antonio Brown, using Brown entirely as a decoy, and we saw the league’s top wide receiver expressing his dissatisfaction on the sideline,”

“However, Brown was only expressing his discontent to the offensive coordinator, passing the message indirectly to Tomlin; how Tomlin would handle this and utilise Brown in the second half was a critical issue,”

“After Bell announced his refusal to play for the team, the Pittsburgh Steelers sidelined Brown on their own; yet, Tomlin did not revert to a ground attack mode but instead continued with a high-volume passing strategy, burdening Roethlisberger with an unprecedented offensive responsibility.

This was a new Steelers,”

“We weren’t familiar with it, Reed wasn’t either,”

“This was a variable and a problem we needed to solve,”

Undoubtedly exciting—

In an unexpectedly thrilling way,

Although no one anticipated that the season opener would unfold in such a manner; still, it was exciting, and the one-quarter showdown was as exhilarating as a rollercoaster, testing the endurance of our hearts,@@novelbin@@

Not just the fans of both teams, but neutral spectators too were thrilled,

Then, the second half began,

The Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Team took the field first, and Tomlin was well-prepared,

The visiting team continued the offensive rhythm from the second quarter—

“Trap” was the keyword,

On one hand, Tomlin set the formation, finally ready to break through on the ground, what the fans commonly expected from the Steelers, but it was all a feint; the true strategy was still quick, short passes, just like in the second quarter,

On the other hand, Brown’s feigned routes forced the defense to guard him, yet Brown remained a decoy, Roethlisberger’s pass targets were spread wide, the targets clear, slowly wearing down the young Kansas City Chiefs Defense’s will with a positional battle approach,

Only after this wave of offense ended did Brown, unable to contain his anger, confront Tomlin on the sidelines, questioning why Tomlin did not choose him as the pass target.

It was then he realized:

Tomlin was not just deceiving the opposition but also deceiving Brown,

No wonder Brown’s routes were so “convincingly deceptive”; because Brown truly believed he was the pass target, yet did not anticipate that Tomlin had given Roethlisberger two sets of tactical instructions, misleading Brown,

It’s no surprise then that the Kansas City Chiefs Defense failed to decipher the opponent’s tactics; and it must be said that Tomlin played a harsh game,

Brown’s personal feelings were ignored, because the Pittsburgh Steelers scored again, proving Tomlin’s strategy was successful—

This time, it was Roethlisberger who scored,

A three-yard rush to the end zone,

The Pittsburgh Steelers had almost abandoned Brown, nearly forsaking the ground attack, launching a completely new offensive strategy that baffled everyone and played a trick at the last moment, like magic,

With Roethlisberger advancing on the ground, his heavy, slow steps were like those of a whale, even minimal movement capable of shaking the entire world, overturning the defense’s judgments amidst a series of small tremors, unexpectedly forcing his way into the end zone and securing the touchdown,

“28:21,”

The Pittsburgh Steelers took the lead,