Chapter 404: Easy to Understand
Regardless of one’s opinion or stance, whether one is a fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Kansas City Chiefs, no one can deny that the game in front of them is… boring.

“Our physical strength and energy have reached their limits. What’s next is a bayonet fight. The situation is gradually turning in favor of the Jacksonville Jaguars.”

“That’s why they say champions rely on defense.”

“The Jacksonville Jaguars are playing tight defense and not making any mistakes.”

The game was so boring that fans started checking their phones and social networks were extremely lively.

“0:0”.

It’s really hard to get excited about such a game, at least that’s the case in the first quarter.

Philadelphia Eagles fans who were quietly watching the game said:

You can’t.

What happened to the life-and-death battle? What happened to the loss of both sides? The Philadelphia Eagles were ready to sit back and reap the benefits, but in the end, this is it?
On the other hand, social networks were buzzing with excitement, and it had never been so lively before.

On the other side, in the commentary seat of the live broadcast room, Nantz still needs to continue commentating.

“…In fact, the situation is far from as simple as the score makes it seem. Tony, what do you think?”

Romo nodded in agreement.

“That’s the pace the Jacksonville Jaguars like to play at.”

“From the score point of view, the game is still evenly matched, but the Jacksonville Jaguars are firmly in control.”

“On offense, quarterback Bortles still hasn’t been able to bring any surprises, and running back Fournette is also a little impatient. The more eager he is to prove himself, the more likely he is to overexert himself. He has already slipped twice today.”

“This is Jacksonville, not Foxburg. The weather today is pleasant and warm like spring, which is very suitable for outdoor football games. However, Fournette’s performance is not satisfactory. He is still too eager to prove himself.”

Jacksonville, located in the northeast of Florida, was sunny and windy even in January, without the heavy snow in Foxborough. Compared with last week’s wild card game, it was simply another world.

On paper, the quality of this game should be more exciting than the National League Final played in snowy Philadelphia, but the actual situation is completely different.

“Of course, the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense showed enough strength on the ground.”

“Obviously, Reid made full preparations before the game and made a comprehensive tactical layout. They knew that the Jacksonville Jaguars had the second-best ground attack in the league, and their targeted tactics completely strangled the opponent’s lifeline.”

“In the first quarter, they stopped Fournette six times at the line of scrimmage, which was a big surprise.”

“But for Ma Ruo, he doesn’t mind.”

“The offense will focus on ground attack, and the defense will take over the game. This is his game plan, and now everything is going according to plan.”

The subject changed and Romo got to the point.

“Defensively, the Jacksonville Jaguars continued to be strong.”

“Obviously, Ma Ruo watched the game video carefully and studied the tactics.”

“Here, we need to pay special attention to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Smith.”

“First of all, we cannot deny that Smith’s performance in the last divisional game was indeed outstanding. The two long passes at the beginning and end of the first half were absolutely amazing. Without a doubt, he played the best game of his career.”

“but.”

“It’s not enough to mask the slow decline of Smith’s season overall.”

“I haven’t forgotten that Smith’s quarterback rating and pass success rate have both set new career highs, but behind these data is that as the season progresses, Smith’s shooting speed has become slower and slower, and his defensive readings have become more and more flawed, resulting in more and more sacks.” “In the last divisional game, Smith suffered six sacks in the first half. While we should condemn the poor performance of the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive line, we should also see that Smith’s defensive reading field of view has obviously fluctuated, resulting in a longer shooting time, giving the defense team space to sack the front line, and even affecting the accuracy of his own short passes.”

“The most obvious data is that the continuous advancement performance of Hill, Kelce and Hunter after catching the ball has declined significantly compared with the first half of the season. The decline in the receiving position and passing comfort has led to an overall decline in the performance of the receiving team. From six consecutive wins to six consecutive losses, Smith’s performance is an important factor.”

“And, as we entered the playoffs, this shortcoming continued to be magnified.”

“It is clear that Smith is going through a very difficult and struggling time.”

“The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense has been dancing on the tightrope, winning two consecutive comeback games and advancing to the next round.”

“What I want to say is that Maradona carefully studied the Kansas City Chiefs’ game videos. On the one hand, the front line continued to put pressure on him, and on the other hand, he relied on the close defense of the cornerbacks, and did not give Smith much space to pass the ball in the first quarter.”

“11 passes, 5 successful connections, this is Smith’s lowest pass success rate of the season; two of the unsuccessful passes were almost intercepted.”

“We know that Smith is a solid player who rarely makes mistakes. One of the important reasons is that he doesn’t take risks often, which ensures that his pass completion rate, interceptions and quarterback passer rating remain in an eye-catching position, but his conservatism is becoming the key to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ control of the game.”

“Because of the cautious and timid passing offense, the ground offense was not smooth either. Although Levi and Hunter have been looking for ways, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ ground defense did put great pressure on them.”

The writing is fluent and smooth.

Romo is worthy of being a professional quarterback and he immediately grasped the crux of the problem.

On the surface, it looked like the game was 0:0, and no one was able to break the deadlock. But in fact, the game was gradually entering a familiar pattern for the Jacksonville Jaguars. If things continued like this, the Kansas City Chiefs would be the first to make mistakes.

In the first quarter alone, Smith was nearly intercepted twice, Hill fumbled the ball once but the ball was not converted, and even Levi almost lost the ball when he was double-teamed.

Crumbling and in danger.

There have been no fatal mistakes so far, but they are dancing on the edge of a knife.

The pressure came down like a tidal wave and layer upon layer.

To be precise, the game is now “Defense VS Defense”, which is the mode that the Jacksonville Jaguars like, and the spotlight is all on the defense.

however.

“Precisely because of this, it is the offense that has the ability to change the game now.”

“Both defensive teams performed very, very well. Now it depends on which offensive team can break through the other team’s defense first and break the balance.”

“Unprecedentedly, the pressure and responsibility falls on the shoulders of the offensive team.”

Romo, as a former quarterback, no matter how he performed on the field, he was able to serve as the starting quarterback for many years and occupy a place in the fiercely competitive league. Naturally, he has his abilities and insights.

Romo grasped the key immediately.

Then, the eyes fell on the quarterbacks of the two teams:
Bortles and Smith.

“Considering the status of the two quarterbacks in this game…”

A pause.

“I think it may be other offensive players who can break the deadlock now.”

Although he didn’t say it explicitly, Nantz understood immediately and exchanged glances with Romo. Both of them laughed and then looked back at the court.

“Fournet vs. Levi”, is it finally coming?

(End of this chapter)