Chapter 1396: Chapter 1395: Self-Redemption
Houston Texans have fallen into a vicious cycle.
In response, O’Brien tried rotating his running backs, attempting to break through with different styles and rhythms, achieving some results but not completely escaping the predicament.
In the end, O’Brien was forced to resort to desperate measures—
Watson was shouldering more and more offensive responsibilities, just like the Baltimore Ravens last game, where, in the stalemate of ground offense, they were forced to repeatedly hand the football to Jackson. But in doing so, the offensive strategy was easy for the opposition to decipher, leading to a vicious cycle.
Even someone as shrewd as Harbaugh fell into the trap.
Over the years, passing has reigned supreme across the League, and the priority for running backs has declined each year. Be it the Baltimore Ravens or the Houston Texans, they never increased their investment in the running back position. It’s not that they don’t value it, but rather when the uniforms are being laid out, the running back always ranks lower in priority.
Just like in the 2017 Draft, Harbaugh had his eye on Li Wei and was even tempted, but in the face of defensive group needs, the running back ranking still fell behind.
Eventually, neither Harbaugh nor O’Brien foresaw that at critical moments, their thoughts would invariably return to Li Wei—
If the team had a top running back like Li Wei, they wouldn’t be in such a predicament right now.
Unfortunately, in real life, there is no “what if.”
Now, O’Brien finds himself in Harbaugh’s shoes, tightening the noose around his neck with his own hands, but this is currently the only way to alleviate the predicament.
Even though O’Brien knew this was a scenario he least wanted to see, Watson in Super Saiyan mode was indeed the only key.
Raging, Watson pushed through fiercely, dragging the entire offensive group full speed ahead by himself.
Three consecutive drives, continuous struggles, closely skirting danger, Watson gritted his teeth and led the team past midfield, but once again fell into a dilemma.
In a third-and-three predicament, the Kansas City Chiefs opted for an unexpected blitz. In the high-paced and intense confrontation between powerhouses, they hadn’t had the manpower to launch a blitz in a long time, but now it seems they’ve been waiting for such an opportunity to create chaos unexpectedly.
Watson felt the pressure, and in his haste, the pass towards Hopkins was noticeably uncontrolled, slightly elevating the parabola.
Finally, it extended beyond Hopkins’ reach.
Even if Hopkins were Superman, he could not retrieve it.
The pass was incomplete.
All in front of them felt like sinking into quicksand, slowly and steadily consuming their vitality; the more they struggled, the faster they sank.
After more than six minutes of struggle and back-and-forth, the Houston Texans faced their first three-and-out of the game—
For the second consecutive time, from Watson down to the entire offensive group, they showed excellent competitive form, but this should have been the best time to catch up and drag the match into a stalemate. The result was two drive failures, hitting the wall with enthusiasm and getting nowhere closer to their goals.
In the end, not only did they fail to close the gap, but they faced a counterattack from their opponent, watching helplessly as the gap widened, and the team fell into a true predicament.
This was a wake-up call. Not just once, but twice as a wake-up call.
But at least, this time, there was no interception.
So, is that something to celebrate? Have they fallen so low that they need to rely on such things to save face?
Watson and Hopkins exchanged glances, briefly connected, then quickly diverted, mutual disdain visible.
However, the Houston Texans didn’t give up, and the special duty group’s kicker, Fairbairn, played a crucial role.
Last time on the scene, Fairbairn almost made a mistake under pressure, but the field goal still hit the post and found its way in; and this time, with only a 50% success rate for field goals over forty yards this season, Fairbairn burned with a little universe and actually kicked a 53-yard field goal, scoring again.
Ah!
Eyes widened, watching the football wobble over the goal, all Houston Texans players, coaches, and fans erupted in ecstasy.
Initially, they had lost hope, with the offensive group hitting a wall even after improvements, which was even more disheartening.
However, Fairbairn’s miraculous feat at a crucial moment had everyone cheering and thrusting their arms up, seeing a glimmer of hope in adversity. Though the offensive group hadn’t broken the stalemate, the special duty group wonderfully performed a self-redemption.
Surprise!
Absolute surprise!
Even if it’s just a field goal, the entire Houston Texans celebrated it as if it were a touchdown!
Everyone high-fived, everyone cheered, and in celebrating with each other, Watson and Hopkins subconsciously high-fived, temporarily setting aside their personal grudges, moving towards victory together—
Just as Watt said, if they want to win, they need the group’s strength.
“13:28.”
Just a field goal, but the score gap was suddenly cut from three possessions down to two, and the situation turned around, the mindset and momentum shifted subtly, bouncing back from a low point.
Buzzing, all eyes fell on Watt—
Indeed, they had the entire second half to turn things around. Two possessions weren’t an insurmountable gap; but the premise was they could defend against the Kansas City Chiefs offense.
Now, the moment of decision has arrived.
The Houston Texans must bring out the momentum and state from the divisional game that left Lamar Jackson in disarray; as of tonight, they still hadn’t successfully defended against any Kansas City Chiefs offensive drive, the situation was dire!
The air silently tensed.
“Fly!”
“Fly!”
The Arrowhead Stadium echoed with a united chant.
The Kansas City Chiefs offense took the field again, but this time… Levis was not in the lineup.
Levis was rotated!
At this moment, Levis was resting on the sidelines, having continuously burned out, continuously shouldered responsibilities, continuously created miracles; he should be the most fatigued player on the field, desperately needing rest and a break; so Damien was rotated in, winning precious breathing time for Levis.
Seeing Damien, the Houston Texans defensive group noticeably relaxed, exchanging glances and seeing the fighting spirit in each other’s eyes.
Whether intentional or not, the pressure Levis brought was indeed palpable, no special action needed, just having Levis present, the invisible pressure became overwhelming.
And now, without Levis, the pressure eased—
Luckily, Levis wasn’t a superhero. Levis, like them, was also made of flesh and blood, would reach limits, and would need rest. This was good news.
Immediately, Watt noticed, issuing a timely reminder:
Don’t let your guard down.
Indeed, Levis was a “presence,” just by standing on the field, his presence couldn’t be ignored; but never be blinded, for apart from Levis, the Kansas City Chiefs offense was still an excellent, threatening, and impactful team no one could underestimate.
Especially Mahomes, who maintained a low profile this season yet increased his destructive capability.