Chapter 1395: Chapter 1394: Kicking Someone When They’re Down
"Damn!"
Anger destroys reason, impulse breaks free, and Watson, in a step forward, recklessly charges at Hopkins, anxious and ashamed, tearing at his soul. He just needs an excuse to vent his anger and save face. No matter who crosses his path, the outcome is the same.
Hopkins?
Perfect timing.
However, before Watson could continue, a figure steps in between them forcefully, intercepting them, arms wide. Just a single Iron Sand Palm strike to the chest, both men are dropped like they were hit by a hammer.
"Sit down!"
A roar, and Hopkins and Watson immediately quiet down, both men completely unable to retaliate, sitting on the ground like obedient children.
Though both were indignant, burning with the urge to fight back, their chests were tight, breath stuck, unable to make a sound.
Not only them, but other players around and O’Brien about to step in were also stunned, gaping at the scene, unable to help but swallow hard.
There, clear as day, was JJ-Watt.
"Shut up."
"Shut up!"
Watt was furious, absolutely furious, the fire in his eyes burning fiercely, intimidating all noise and restlessness into submission.
"Is now the time to blame each other? Is now the time to worry about your own brilliance? Is now the time to shirk responsibility and attack each other?"
"Don’t worry, once we lose and return to the locker room, you’ll have plenty of time for these ’fun times’ where you can settle the scores slowly."
"But for now?"
"Everyone calm down immediately, we still have a battle to finish!"
"Do you want to win?" Watt asked Hopkins, who turned his head away, ultimately saying nothing more.
Then Watt turned to Watson, "Do you want to win?"
Watson, seething with rage, held his ground defiantly, "He provoked me first!"
Watt stared directly at Watson, unblinking.
Usually, Watson disdained Watt’s "playing the senior" act; clearly past his prime, pretending to be the locker room boss, when the locker room should have entered a new era belonging to Watson. Now, staring at Watt, Watson no longer hid his dissatisfaction.
When did it become Watt’s place to lecture him?
Watt noticed the stubbornness in Watson’s eyes and did not back off.
Not only that, he pressed further, "Do you want to win? Do you want to be a locker room leader? Do you want to be a spiritual leader like Li Wei?"
One sentence, one name, stabbed Watson deeply, his eyes blood red, but Watt had no intention of holding back.
"Then step up. Football is not a game for one person to play the hero and show off; you need to trust your teammates and also own up to your errors."
Step by step, aggressive and unyielding.
"Do you want to win? Do you believe you can win? Do you have the ability to win?"
A triple strike.
The string of Watson’s rationality snapped, his neck tense, "Nonsense!"
Watt didn’t take a step back, clashing head-on, suppressing Watson’s fury fiercely, "Then pull yourself together and lead your team, chin up, onto the field."
"We still have a war to finish, never turn your gun on your own comrades, never."
"For God’s sake, no one here desires victory more than I do! If you yearn to be a leader, then show up like a leader, or else go back to college playing kiddie games!"
Impressive and magnificent!
The usually amiable and kind Watt, who typically spoke gently and calmly, rarely displayed his wrath.
With the force of a torrential storm, he unleashed upon Watson.
Flustered, Watson found himself completely suppressed, unable to move at all. Finally, struggling to stand, full of shame and anger, he yelled at Watt with clenched fists, "Ah! Ahhh!"
And then bolted.
With a swift turn, Watson returned to the field, sprinting down it, pouring out his frustration and anxiety.
Beside him, Hopkins took a deep breath and stood up. Though not giving face to O’Brien, he glanced at Watt, still respecting him, slowly entering the field, standing tall and proud, unwilling to back down.
The Houston Texans’ offensive group took the field again.
Their previous offensive drive had gone smoothly, led by Watson, executing a rarely seen fluid offense until an interception nullified all previous efforts, rendering even the most brilliant attack merely an empty framework.
Now, everything felt bizarre—
Just entered, watched the Special Duty Group’s dizzying play, then back again, the offensive group seemed always on field but clearly interrupted; moreover, the continued offense returned to square one, making the earlier smooth offensive seem like a dream.
Seemingly true yet false, half-awake, half-dreaming.
No breathing space, continuous entry, the Houston Texans’ offensive group still had momentum and spirit, but anger disrupted them, causing minor errors and irregular breaths to continuously interfere.
Seemingly aggressive, maintaining strength; in reality, all form with no substance.
Watson remained in Super Saiyan mode, showing his passing and running skills vividly, but energy consumption was steadily climbing—
Most directly, Third Gear increased.
In other words, efficiency in First and Second Gear declined.
Data-wise, ground offense hit more walls, whether by running back Hyde or Watson himself, the running game became clumsy and slow, repeatedly encountering efficient intercepts by the Kansas City Chiefs, limiting average advance yards to under two, forcing Watson to pass more.
From this detail alone, one could see Reed’s savvy and wisdom.
Seizing the short gap of fluctuation and chaos from the Houston Texans, strengthening ground defense, precisely predicting O’Brien’s changes; the Kansas City Chiefs Defense Group, their morale boosted, appeared calm on the surface, but their entire defensive initiation and confrontation were improving.
No one expected that the Kansas City Chiefs would start from ground defense, further limiting the Houston Texans’ attempts to gain a foothold.
Thus, after repeatedly hitting walls on the ground, the Houston Texans had to lean toward increased pass attempts, raising the predictability of offensive tactics, thus allowing the Kansas City Chiefs Defense Group to plan more confidently, enhancing both specificity and foresight for efficiency.
Originally, throughout the season, the Kansas City Chiefs’ continually weak and unstable secondary defense had now found some breathing room, making their pass defense slightly easier.
Taking advantage of a weakness.
The Kansas City Chiefs once again displayed the wisdom of a mature team, escalating their state at the right time, reading the game’s rhythm, creating significant impact with least effort.
At this moment, it was the perfect moment for an all-out assault.
As expected, the passing pressure on Watson’s shoulders kept increasing, with the efficiency of passing advances diminishing as well.
An unhealthy cycle.