Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 1643 - 1642: Calculated Steps
Bill Belichick needs to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, even more so than the New England Patriots needs to win the game.
The reasons are both simple and complex.
Clearly, so much has happened this offseason. The whole league knows Brady is aggressively recruiting at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, showing no hiding his determination to charge at the Super Bowl, inadvertently turning into a duel between Brady and Belichick.
The true soul of the New England Patriots dynasty, is it Belichick or Brady? Who can’t be without whom? Who can stand firm quickly after flying solo and get back into the Super Bowl competition? Who can be the first to clinch the Super Bowl championship making a perfect declaration?
Right now, Belichick and Brady are not just fighting for victory, for the championship, the real importance is they are fighting for their own honor, defending their place in NFL history, defending their status in the NFL Hall of Fame, defending the glory of their entire careers.
It’s a fight to the death, no way back, there can only be one winner.
Therefore, Belichick needs to defeat Li Wei and the Kansas City Chiefs, just as Brady needs to defeat Li Wei and the Kansas City Chiefs with the same urgency.
To some extent, Belichick is even more urgent, because he needs to personally defend New England Patriots’ historical record.
Witnessing the rise of the Kansas City Chiefs is one thing, witnessing the Kansas City Chiefs stepping on New England Patriots shoulders to snatch another historical record of the New England Patriots dynasty is another, no one can bear such humiliation, no one, even Brady who has already gone to Tampa Bay cannot.
Belichick refuses such humiliation.
Furthermore, the entire New England Patriots needs to prove themselves.
For a long, long time, there was only one Tom Brady in the New England Patriots team, all others were just cannon fodder, their wins credited to Brady, their losses blamed on not providing enough support to Brady, it was always like this.
Rather than New England Patriots, it was more like Brady’s New England Patriots.
Now, the shadow looming overhead has finally disappeared, the players in New England Patriots’ locker room seemingly can finally breathe fresh air, they are amongst the most eager to prove that without Brady, New England Patriots can still win, football is a team sport, a quarterback is just a part of it, other players’ contributions shouldn’t be overshadowed or ignored.
Such as Stephon Gilmore.
Last season’s league Defensive Player of the Year, although he couldn’t overthrow Li Wei for the regular season MVP, the shadow over New England Patriots has finally lifted, Gilmore believes that the coming season is his time to shine, with Brady no longer suppressing, people are about to see his talent and abilities, Foxborough should prepare to worship him.
Another example is Cam Newton.
season crowned Offensive Player of the Year and regular season MVP seems like it was just yesterday, but Newton couldn’t have expected he would fall into a situation with no team to play for.
Newton doesn’t want to become Robert Griffin III, vanishing due to injury; Newton also doesn’t want to become Colin Kaepernick, a scapegoat for off-field issues; Newton equally doesn’t want to become Russell Wilson, trapped in Seattle Seahawks system turning into a hardworking blue-collar worker.
Newton has his own dreams, his own ambitions, he still believes he can shine brightly on the field, he still believes he can lead a team back to the Super Bowl, he still believes he can vie for championship rings.
After being abandoned by the Carolina Panthers, Newton fell into the darkest and most desperate valley of his life, his mind flooded with extreme choices.
But he didn’t. Because he needs to continue breathing, continue proving himself, and wait for the moment of striking back.
When New England Patriots announced Newton joining, the whole league gasped, everyone thought Belichick had gone insane, no one believed in Newton.
Because of injuries, Newton’s slump has been ongoing for three seasons; also because of injuries, Newton declared the season over after playing just two games last season.
Moreover, Newton is a running-style quarterback, is Belichick sure he knows what he’s doing?
Now, Newton is sharpening his skills, trying to prove himself, treating every appearance as if it’s his last chance in his career.
In the season opener, New England Patriots... actually performed well, showcasing their heritage, Belichick still proved his shrewdness. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
Big win over Miami Dolphins, narrow loss to Seattle Seahawks, big win over Las Vegas Raiders.
Currently, the record stands at two wins and one loss.
Although losing to Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots fought fiercely, having a chance for a last-minute upset until the very end.
Unexpectedly, New England Patriots showed remarkable competitiveness in the new season, not only not falling apart but quickly standing firm.
Involuntarily, this reminds one of last season’s Indianapolis Colts.
At that time, Andrew Luck announced his retirement without warning, shaking the whole league greatly, with only two weeks left before the season opener, Indianapolis Colts faced the predicament of having no starting quarterback, but they still found a solution, starting the season with two wins and a loss.
The current New England Patriots, with Belichick, the current league Defensive Player of the Year, and the former league Offensive Player of the Year and regular season MVP, amidst chaos and turmoil, New England Patriots still stood firm, the anticipated collapse didn’t occur.
Belichick silently issues his declaration: don’t count New England Patriots out, as long as he remains in command, they are still playoff and even Super Bowl contenders.
Now, another test is coming, a game New England Patriots don’t want to lose and cannot lose.
Everything, just happened here—
A dramatic encounter, a fateful showdown.
It’s hard to say Goodell is unaware of this, after all, the schedule arrangement is indeed in Goodell’s hands.
Week three against Baltimore Ravens attempting a twenty-one regular season winning streak, week four against New England Patriots challenging to break the record with twenty-two consecutive wins.
Even the first two weeks of the season were meticulously planned, opening against Houston Texans, week two against Los Angeles Chargers, all designed, calculated, step by step brewing emotions and tension, eventually exploding fully at the right moment.
Once again, unsurprisingly, Goodell won, the layout and calculation were entirely correct—
When New England Patriots step onto Arrowhead Stadium, the whole North American continent erupted!
Since the season opener with Kansas City Chiefs hosting Houston Texans, home fans erupted with astonishing viewing enthusiasm once again, from TV to streaming platforms, cumulative total viewership across different platforms exceeded forty million watching the live broadcast, witnessing the legendary showdown firsthand.
