American Football: Domination

"Mahomes. Lance."

"Lance, cutting through the middle?"

"Lance steps back, reading the defense—Pittsburgh Steelers' secondary reacts in time, stacking the right side, forcing Lance to move laterally and look for an opening from the left—pressure, heavy pressure!"

"Wait, this scene…"

"Lance!"

"Pass!"

"Oh my God!"

"'Chiefs Exclusive'—Lance's target is—"

The world held its breath. All eyes locked onto the red-brown arc slicing through the sky, everything else suspended in time. That parabolic curve soared across the field, tugging at the heartbeat of Arrowhead Stadium.

"Mahomes."

"Mahomes!"

"This is just—"

Stunned silence swept the stadium as the young quarterback caught the football cleanly and turned awkwardly to charge forward.

30-yard line.

20-yard line.

Kelce clears a key block.

10-yard line.

5-yard line.

Collision seemed imminent—hearts leapt to throats. Total silence. Not even a breath could be heard. At the last moment, Mahomes cut smoothly, evading the tackle with ease.

End zone line—

"Touchdown!"

"Wow, oh God!"

Goosebumps. Ears ringing.

"Touchdown!"

"Touchdown! Without a doubt, magnificent! We're only in the season opener, but this play is a strong contender for the best offensive drive of the 2018 season!"

"The Kansas City Chiefs score a touchdown with a stunning trick play!"

"In a surprise moment, at an unexpected position, with an unanticipated move, the Chiefs flipped the game. From Mahomes to Lance, then Lance to Mahomes—recreating the iconic Super Bowl play from earlier this year. A 35-yard pass from Lance to Mahomes, who stormed into the end zone—flawless!"

"...Wow!"

Awe, admiration, amazement—

Mahomes turned to Hill and Kelce, eyes filled with disbelief:

That was a touchdown? Just like that?

His baffled expression made Kelce laugh out loud, pulling Mahomes in and smacking his helmet.

"Touchdown! Patrick, that's a touchdown!"

Only now did Mahomes start to feel the reality sink in.

Throwing a touchdown as a quarterback and catching one as a receiver were completely different experiences. Adrenaline rushed in.

Chiefs offensive players rushed over to celebrate, but Mahomes kept scanning the crowd—

Finally!

"Rookie! Touchdown. Haha, touchdown! Come on, let's do it again!"

Mahomes was giddy, eager for more. The whole team burst out laughing.

Lance gave him a thumbs-up. "Then let's go for another."

Roars of laughter.

The Chiefs' offense shook off their gloom. One by one, they joined in the rowdy celebration.

Edmunds: ??? Did anyone think about my feelings?

The rookie safety from the Steelers lay in the aftermath, frustrated at his missed tackle. Before he could get up, he was swarmed in red—a trapped monk in a spider's web. Terrified, he scrambled away on all fours.

Laughter echoed behind him.

Edmunds: Damn it!

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

"The Steelers were completely caught off guard. Tomlin tried to stay steady, but in this play, his caution was exploited by Reid—costly. Pittsburgh's defense looked lost the whole time, posing no real threat."

"Now the game is in a delicate balance."

"This was the Chiefs' first score since the second quarter. A game and a half of struggles finally found a breakthrough—first with a defensive stop, then Lance's ground push, and now a crafty offensive trick. In just three minutes, the reigning champions regained control."

"Fans, the real game may just be starting now."

Balance—disrupted again.

Score: 30–28

Unlike the first two quarters, the game tightened up. The Steelers still led, but the margin was now within one possession. Everything reset.

Time to rethink strategy.

This meant both Tomlin and Reid had to redeploy.

So the question—

Did Tomlin still have something up his sleeve? Any secret tactics he was saving for Week 4 against the Ravens? If so, should he bring them out now?

The answer seemed clear.

When the Steelers' offense returned, running back Conner was handed the reins.

Tomlin had been dodging the Bell issue, even abandoning the run game for a pass-heavy strategy.

And it worked—the Steelers showed they could keep up. If not for the Chiefs' championship-level pushback, Tomlin might've already sealed the deal.

But now, he had to confront the running back dilemma—

With Bell's absence known league-wide, the Steelers' offense leaned on Brown—Brown himself expected it. But that also meant their strategy was exposed early, limiting flexibility.

Not good.

So Tomlin avoided overloading Brown with obvious schemes, trying to stay unpredictable.

Now was no different.

In a tight game, Tomlin turned to the run.

He trusted his running backs' individual talent, but more importantly, he believed in scheme and blocking. They were willing to re-sign Bell—but not overpay.

Scheme and line matter more than raw talent.

So:

James Conner, this year's 105th pick in the third round, got his shot.

Until now, Conner had just one carry. He'd mostly been used as a receiver or an extra blocker. Now he returned to his main role.

The Steelers looked to break through on the ground.

So—was this a new move, or a recycled one?

Conner was visibly excited. A Pittsburgh native and Pitt alum, he wanted to represent his city and become a pillar like Bell.

Let's not forget—Le'Veon Bell was just a second-round pick too.

Draft position means nothing.

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Powerstones?

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