Chapter 1034: 1033 An eye for an eye
With great momentum and a thunderous spirit, Jackson threw a rainbow arc, spanning thirty-five yards of field space, falling toward the end zone.
Rookie wide receiver Marquise made a sudden stop and feint, shaking off cornerback Brilland, who just joined during the offseason this year, and headed straight for the end zone.
Sprinting all the way, his speed was fully unleashed, like an arrow released from a bow.
However, as he ran, he suddenly noticed that the downward trajectory of the pass was irregular, prompting him to brake suddenly and adjust his stride.
Before he could regain his balance, a flash of red leapt into the air, intercepting in Marquise's line of sight a step ahead.
Marquise was just half a beat too slow, and by then, he had lost track of the football, seeing only the number thirty-two back.
Damn it.
Safety Matty has been rolling in the league for six whole seasons.
Despite apparent performance declines in the past two seasons due to age and injuries, with the Arizona Cardinals asking him to restructure his contract and take a pay cut the season before last, and the Houston Texans deeming him not worth his price last season, match experience remains a valuable asset.
He secured position a step ahead.
Calm and unhurried, he waited until the football started descending, then jumped to the precise spot.
Effortlessly, he caught the football mid-air——
Interception.
No trouble encountered.
"Interception!"
"Matty intercepts Jackson!"
"The Kansas City Chiefs Defense changes the game! Matty, Matty is trying to return the attack!"
"Beautiful!"
"Marquise Brown reacted swiftly, launching to tackle and colliding before Matty could set foot, providing timely relief for the team without letting the situation worsen further."
"But, possession has nonetheless changed!"
"Wow, Jackson's ambitious long-pass attempt was apparent here, forcing a pass with an unclear vision, Matty, leveraging rich game experience, preempted the rookie wide receiver Marquise Brown to intercept the pass after judging the landing spot."
"From preseason, the Kansas City Chiefs Defense has been striving for impactful and controlling games, exploding today against Jackson's unstoppable momentum with a clean interception, stifling Jackson's energy."
"Jackson showed impatience in this offensive drive."
"Now, control silently falls into the hands of the reigning champions, providing Kansas City Chiefs with a chance to overtake the score and suppress the opponent's momentum."
Panting, panting.
Jackson stood in place, barely keeping his control through sheer will——
Calm down, stay calm.
However.
Damn it!
Jackson ultimately failed to contain himself, the greater the expectation, the bigger the disappointment, this was absolutely not the scenario he wanted to see, a wave of anger ignited in his chest, spreading throughout his body like wildfire.
He was fuming at himself.
He could have completed this pass, just needs a connection for a touchdown, but by the smallest of margins, it headed towards an entirely undesired outcome.
Jackson stormed back to the sideline, a furious look like a storm cloud ready to burst, grabbing a towel to cover his head before losing control.
He needed a moment to calm down.
Harbaugh noticed this scene, expressionless——
He neither rebuked Jackson's youthful fervor nor comforted Jackson's embarrassing failure. Young people need to undergo such setbacks to grow, otherwise, what others tell him will always remain others' experiences, not turning into personal lessons.
Last year, Mahomes threw an interception leading directly to the Kansas City Chiefs losing to the New England Patriots, that was a genuinely profound lesson.
Right now, the Baltimore Ravens are not losing, it's only the first quarter, Jackson still has ample time to experience resentment and anger.
As for Harbaugh, he needs to focus and face the Kansas City Chiefs' upcoming wave of offense. They need to minimize the damage from the interception.
Opportunity, not too bad——
Thanks to Marquise's quick reaction, tackling Matty at the five-yard line in front of the end zone, the Kansas City Chiefs have to start their offense from the end zone front after the interception.
This starting position is even worse than the initial offensive wave.
This means, as long as the Baltimore Ravens Defense can keep up the pace, maybe Harbaugh can minimize damages and swiftly launch a counterattack to regain the initiative.
Who knows, maybe the aftermath of the Kansas City Chiefs' interception will be a safety for the Baltimore Ravens?
At once, Harbaugh began deploying troops——
The mistake from the recent offensive and defensive drive, Harbaugh refused to repeat, focusing on three points:
Keep an eye on Li Wei; keep an eye on Li Wei; and... keep an eye on Li Wei.
Apparently, they realized clearly Li Wei's motive and determination for this game, right from the start, he was in full swing, they need to give it their all.
However, Harbaugh calculated, so did Reed.
First and ten yards, quick short pass.
Mahomes found rookie wide receiver Hardman with an unexpected two-yard short pass, utilizing Kyle's dismantle route, Hardman ran three yards amidst the crowd.
Second and five yards, screen pass.
Li Wei and Kelsey sprinted toward the sideline simultaneously, but with slightly different parabolic angles, akin to two stamens projected from the same flower, ultimately running parallel outward.
Li Wei was further from the line of scrimmage, Kelsey was closer, and Mahomes delivered the pass toward their direction, but with two options, Baltimore Ravens' short pass area defense was caught off guard.
Kelsey made the catch, easily completing the second gear conversion, and advanced an additional five yards.
In a blink, the Kansas City Chiefs had moved out of the end zone front's danger area, reaching above the twenty-yard line.
With a series of tactical short pass combinations, akin to the Baltimore Ravens' bewildering passing strategy, the secret of the Kansas City Chiefs' passing strategy wasn't fully revealed this season. Though it's still the first quarter, Reed noticed the change in momentum and atmosphere, immediately accelerating.
First and ten yards, fake run true pass.
Hill, Watkins, Hardman, three wide receivers, cross running perfectly coordinating, finally Mahomes connected with Watkins, leveraging two wide receiver teammates' shielding, Watkins pulled out into open space in the sideline area, avoiding defense, made an easy catch, turned to secure the first down before stepping out of bounds.
Three passes, three targets.
Three successes, two first down conversions.
Unstoppable.
Casually, the Kansas City Chiefs dissolved Baltimore Ravens' intent to quickly counteract and mitigate interception losses effortlessly.
The reigning champion flaunted its passing offensive prowess, Mahomes appearing composed, precisely delivering offensive firepower as he ambled around. Despite not as dazzling as Jackson, they seamlessly merged with the team, making the whole offensive drive particularly effortless, offering no chance to the opponent.
Moreover, maintaining a high-frequency pace, amid continuous advances, Mahomes didn't halt for adjustments, instead aligning again, preparing for another offensive push.
The key, ensuring no breathing space for the Baltimore Ravens Defense.
Harbaugh prepared to counterattack initially, yet didn't expect their urgency to turn into the opponent's advantage, evolving into an opportunity to pursue triumph.
The situation, subtly seemed precarious.