American Football: Domination

Brady: Shit.

He flipped himself up off the ground, eyes blazing as he glared at Revis.

What the hell?

Did this guy take some secret energy booster at halftime? Why the sudden surge of effort?

A mercenary playing this hard? What was the point?

Revis, completely unfazed, flashed a cocky grin, flexed his biceps in mock celebration, and then stepped right into Brady's space, chest-to-chest, not backing down.

Brady's breath hitched for half a second before he let out a frustrated growl, turning away and punching the air in frustration.

Revis didn't bother acknowledging him. Instead, he turned and faced his Kansas City teammates.

Fists raised. Voices roaring. A wall of energy surging toward him.

One after another, players swarmed him, celebrating.

That feeling.

God, how long had it been?

For the first time in forever, Revis felt alive.

This—this—was why he could never let go of football.

This exact moment.

His blood boiled. The fire was back.

"Kansas City has responded!"

"First, an audacious deep pass. Now, relentless defensive pressure. The Chiefs are making a stand!"

"The pressure is shifting to New England."

"Belichick has to steady the ship. If Kansas City scores again, the fourth quarter could get unpredictable."

Of course, Belichick had already sensed the change in momentum.

Scoreboard: 7–24.

New England had gone three-and-out, but they were still in field goal range. Their special teams unit lined up, drilled the kick, and added three points.

27–7.

The Patriots still held a three-possession lead.

Just like the first half.

But the game had changed.

And Belichick knew it.

Kansas City wasn't just scoring.

They were fighting back.

The real battle had begun.

Kansas City's Offense Strikes Again

New England's defensive front blitzed off the edges.

Kansas City countered up the middle.

A war of adjustments. A chess match at full speed.

And then—

"Lance! It's Lance! He kept his balance! My God—WHO can stop this guy?!"

"He breaks a tackle! He's loose!"

"Linebacker—missed!"

"ANOTHER broken tackle! Unbelievable!"

"Double-team coming! Finally, Chung and McCourty combine to take him down!"

"But—WOW! Kansas City read New England's edge rush, and instead of bouncing outside, they attacked the middle. Lance turned a three-yard gain into an eleven-yard burst. First down!"

"Hunt!"

"Short pass to rookie running back Kareem Hunt—not Hill! Tyreek Hill was a decoy!"

"Malcolm Butler bit too hard on the fake!"

"Hunt pushes forward—first down again!"

"Pressure! The Patriots' pass rush gets home—Harrison closing in!"

"Oh! Collision!"

"Smith dodges the sack but still takes a shot. He gets the throw off—"

"Lance? No! Kelce!"

"Beautiful blocking disguise! Lance dragged Gilmore out of position, freeing up Kelce!"

"Kelce bulldozes forward! Seventeen yards! Chiefs are in the red zone!"

"HILL!"

"TOUCHDOWN!"

"The Patriots' defense just made a fatal mistake. They completely bought into the Chiefs' offensive misdirection!"

"Hill is WIDE OPEN! Smith finds him with ease!"

"Too easy."

"Uh-oh."

"Red alert. Kansas City is closing in. They didn't come here to roll over—they came to FIGHT."

New England's front kept bringing the heat.

They were still hammering Smith in the pocket.

But—Smith had adjusted.

After halftime, his focus was sharper.

He wasn't rattled.

His defensive reads? Sharper.

His decision-making? Quicker.

Even under pressure, he was finding the gaps and executing perfectly.

And he wasn't alone.

Kansas City's entire offense had turned a corner.

The physicality. The execution. The attitude.

They were playing fearless.

The energy on the field was shifting.

Foxborough, once a fortress, suddenly felt vulnerable.

Brady Takes Control

With the Chiefs closing in, Brady took the field.

This moment? He'd lived it a thousand times.

Kansas City had thrown their best punch.

Now it was his turn.

He stepped into the huddle, eyes blazing, voice cold and cutting.

"Let's shut this shit down."

Snap.

New England's offense roared to life.

Quick slants. Sharp reads. Up-tempo precision.

Brady led the drive with surgical efficiency, slicing through Kansas City's defense with short passes and audibles at the line.

Three quick first downs.

The Patriots were across midfield.

The crowd came alive.

Then—

"Houston again!"

"Third-and-four! The Chiefs defense is holding!"

New England had the right play call.

Gronkowski had a mismatch.

Houston knew it.

He had no business being one-on-one with Gronk.

Normally, it took two, sometimes three defenders to keep Gronk contained.

Houston was outmatched.

But he refused to lose.

Gronkowski turned, reached for the pass—

Houston dove.

His hand just barely tipped the ball.

The pass wobbled—fell incomplete.

Fourth down.

The Kansas City sideline exploded.

A critical stop.

Even though New England salvaged a field goal, the gap had shrunk.

Score: 14–27.

Kansas City had clawed their way back.

Now, they were within two possessions.

The game was no longer a runaway.

Belichick Adjusts

Belichick had seen enough.

Kansas City's offense had adjusted.

Smith was handling pressure better than expected.

Lance was breaking tackles.

Hill was stretching the field.

The Chiefs were winning first downs.

So Belichick countered.

Instead of blitzing, he pulled back.

New England rushed four, but dropped three linebackers into coverage.

A wall against short passes.

It worked.

Kansas City's next drive?

Three-and-out.

The Patriots' defense stood tall.

Foxborough roared.

They had survived the onslaught.

A Familiar Sight

Fifteen years.

For fifteen years, the Patriots had done this.

No matter the challenge, no matter the opponent—

They always found a way.

They had sent challengers home empty-handed for years.

In playoff games before the AFC Championship, New England was nearly untouchable.

Since 2001, they had only lost three home playoff games before the conference title round.

The last time? 2010, against the Jets.

Every other time? They found a way to win.

Tonight?

They were doing it again.

Belichick adjusted.

Brady steadied the ship.

The defense held firm.

Kansas City had pushed them to the edge—

But New England wasn't breaking.

The defending champs roared back.

The war was far from over.

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