Dominate the Super Bowl
Chapter 1064: 1063 Scratching ears and cheeks

Chapter 1064: 1063 Scratching ears and cheeks

After three weeks of regular-season games, seven teams remain undefeated, and there’s one more team that’s slightly different, remaining unbeaten—

Detroit Lions, with two wins and one draw.

In the season opener, the Detroit Lions, led by No. 1 quarterback Murray, tied with the Arizona Cardinals during regular time, and each kicked a field goal in overtime, ending in a draw.

Ending in a tie.

If facing last season’s bottom team so difficultly seemed unconvincing, then the Detroit Lions’ performance in the following two weeks was eye-catching.

Facing last season’s playoff teams Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles consecutively, the Detroit Lions showed toughness, claiming two consecutive victories to establish themselves.

Patricia proved his qualifications and abilities as a head coach through actions.

Not only did he perform well on defense, but he also brought surprises on offense, sparking the 2009 No. 1 quarterback Matthew Stafford’s rejuvenation, dazzling performance, and renewed applause from Detroit fans.

Revitalized!

No wonder Patricia is full of confidence.

Clearly, the Detroit Lions are ready, Patricia is eager to become famous, hoping to solidify his position in the team by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs, and then gain a foothold in the league as a head coach.

As the saying goes, everyone wants to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs.

Moreover, the timing is perfect.

The Kansas City Chiefs, relying on the new version of “Motion offense” and Read Option Offense, stunned the entire league, showcasing the defending champions’ strength and momentum, leaving teams in shock and busy.

At such a juncture, any team defeating the Kansas City Chiefs would undoubtedly imagine the league’s shock and impact—

Flowers. Applause. Praise.

Everything would pour in, and the team’s confidence would peak.

Patricia aspires to become the dragon slayer precisely because challenges highlight one’s abilities; isn’t that the truth?

He believes the Detroit Lions are ready.

However, ideals are rich, yet reality is stark.

Indeed, Patricia studied Li Wei’s game tapes thoroughly and sought effective defense strategies against Li Wei—

Li Wei is not a god, ultimately just flesh and blood.

The Detroit Lions tried to lock down Li Wei with a new double-team mode.

The so-called double-team mode wasn’t traditional man-to-man marking; in the last game, Baltimore Ravens’ lineman Ferguson marked Li Wei throughout, which was Ferguson’s task, but Patricia knew this wouldn’t work; the defensive group couldn’t let Li Wei understand their intentions.

In general, running backs are “single-minded,” rushing according to the coach’s offensive line layout, easy to defend, like catching turtles in a jar, with precision.

However, top running backs like Li Wei aren’t; they read defenses, adapt on the spot, adjust temporarily, relying on wisdom to rush, difficult for the defensive group to control.

Thus, for the Detroit Lions’ defense, Patricia conceived a strategy—

One player responsible for stepping forward to pressure, cutting into the pocket during every defensive play; the primary goal is man-marking Li Wei while pressuring Mahomes.

Another player responsible for the short pass area matchup, once Li Wei escapes and crosses the line of scrimmage, he immediately steps forward for collision and interception.

The strategy itself lacks novelty; despite dividing into two nested combination packages, essentially, it’s still focusing on Li Wei using numerical advantage.

The true key lies in the player selection, which Patricia constantly changes.

Defensive line, lineman, cornerback, or even safety may step forward, with the selection of both players constantly changing to ensure flexibility and mobility.

Thus, the defensive coordinator requires special layout for each defensive play, with a huge workload; yet the Detroit Lions indeed ensure Li Wei faces an overwhelming assault throughout without finding a pattern.

Because the Detroit Lions absolutely have no pattern, everything is randomly scrambled.

One wave of impact, two waves of impact, all revolving around Li Wei.

Li Wei indeed finds himself overwhelmed—

In the first quarter, Li Wei was noticeably contained, rushing efficiency decreased.

The Detroit Lions seemed universally uplifted, with the head coach proving reliable; they indeed suppressed Li Wei!

However, there are a few issues here.

Firstly, the tactical layout of the Detroit Lions’ defensive group has been constantly adjusting and changing, possibly causing their own confusion, adding to their passive state, making them more prone to self-induced chaos.

Secondly, Patricia is correct in one regard: the Kansas City Chiefs’ ground offense collaboration is excellent, from the tight end’s running position to the offensive line’s opening path, they create conditions for Li Wei’s ground advancement, which has been underestimated and overlooked, so the Detroit Lions can indeed restrict the Kansas City Chiefs’ ground offense tactically.

But Patricia also errs in one aspect: Li Wei’s personal ability far exceeds imagination; this season, Li Wei’s further progress builds upon the previous two seasons, making intercepting Li Wei not an easy task.

Thirdly, when there are two players designated to match up against Li Wei in the Detroit Lions’ defensive group, it also means there may be gaps in other areas of the Detroit Lions’ defensive group.

Especially in the short pass area.

Of course, in Patricia’s perfect vision, two players matching Li Wei, the first stepping forward can tackle Li Wei or sack Mahomes, and the second staying in the short pass area can defend Li Wei or assist the short pass area; each playing multiple roles.

However, the difficulty level exceeds imagination.

In the ever-changing arena, players face overwhelming amounts of information and must react based on brief instinct during fleeting moments.

The final effect may be entirely different.

In the opening phase of the first quarter, the defensive group of the Detroit Lions indeed unexpectedly gained the upper hand, but with the game’s progression, the Kansas Chiefs Offense showed their mature side.

Li Wei. Mahomes. Kelsey. Hill.

Any single point possesses individual capabilities, not only capable of holding their ground but also able to assist each other, collaboratively resolving issues.

The Detroit Lions’ defensive strategy on Li Wei gradually loses its effectiveness—

The short pass collapses first, with Mahomes utilizing consecutive precise short passes to deliver lethal blows to the opponent.

Next, tactical games slip out of control, with Mahomes and Li Wei’s Read Option Offense showing unpredictable variations.

Then, the ground collapses, with Li Wei regaining control through frontal breakthroughs, continuously advancing; don’t forget earlier in the year against Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams during the Super Bowl, Li Wei’s ground offense was equally impressive.

Step by step, the Kansas Chiefs Offense successfully dismantled Patricia’s confident defensive strategy, thoroughly overturning the situation.

Patricia scratches his head on the sidelines, unsure of his next move:

Things shouldn’t be like this.