Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 1648 - 1647: Dragon Slayer

In the world of competitive sports, who doesn’t love a story of the underdog triumphing over the strong? Who doesn’t enjoy a Cinderella comeback tale? And who can resist the heartwarming journey of common folk tirelessly climbing to the summit?

Let’s not forget, the Kansas City Chiefs themselves were once the protagonists of such narratives — dark horse, rookie, underdog, stepping into the Cinderella story with a magnificent transformation. And now, the Kansas City Chiefs are becoming the NFL’s great Demon King, the target everyone is eager to challenge.

The 2020 season has prepared people’s minds that the Kansas City Chiefs won’t suddenly crumble, the Kansas City Chiefs won’t disband on their own. Their victories, their records, their continued dominance, all were within expectations, nothing shocking.

If one wants to stop the Kansas City Chiefs from winning a fourth consecutive championship, forget about defeating them; even threatening them requires standing up on one’s own.

Victory needs to be fought for with one’s own hands. Facing opponents like the Kansas City Chiefs, waiting in place for them to collapse and hand over the victory will never work.

The fact has also proven this point. Competitors hoping to leave their mark in the 2020 season are sharpening their knives. The historic pursuit of a fourth consecutive Kansas City Chiefs championship is magnificent, and the feat of defeating them to win the Super Bowl is equally precious and rare —

Who could resist being a Dragon Slayer?

Now, these Dragon Slayer candidates are advancing proudly in their own ways, not only the Kansas City Chiefs have opened the season with four consecutive victories.

The Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, and five other teams are all undefeated, keeping pace with the Kansas City Chiefs in fierce competition, boldly declaring that they are ready to join the Super Bowl contention.

At this moment, the impact of the offseason arms race can be clearly felt—

A comprehensive rise!

Here, the Pittsburgh Steelers are particularly striking.

The other four teams were all playoff teams from last season and are king throne contenders in this season, but not the Pittsburgh Steelers.

After the locker room turbulence caused by Brown and Bell, the Pittsburgh Steelers regrettably missed the playoffs last season. Additionally, Little Manning’s retirement, Joe Flacco’s and Philip Rivers’ team abandonment, beginning their wandering careers, also cast doubts on Roethlisberger’s prospects.

"An old general, can he still fight?" a phrase used against Brady over a year ago, now lands on Roethlisberger’s shoulders.

Nonetheless, after some offseason adjustments, Tomlin and Roethlisberger surprisingly came back again, showcasing the demeanor of an American League traditional powerhouse.

Indeed, the heritage of a traditional powerhouse can never be underestimated.

Here, the Green Bay Packers are no different.

This year’s draft, the Green Bay Packers traded up for the rookie quarterback Jordan Love. The bold and aggressive gamble shocked the league, causing a stir inside and out, the tension between Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers’ management bubbling overnight.

In an interview, Rodgers said, "I understand that anything can happen during the draft, but when your team trades up to pick a quarterback instead of someone who can help us win immediately, it certainly surprises me."

Subtle, restrained, suppressed, Rodgers has exerted all his strength from within but still couldn’t contain his discontent.

Rumor has it that Rodgers and team manager Brain Gutekunst had a disagreement that spiraled out of control, creating tension in the management.

Of course, rumors remain unverified, and the Green Bay Packers adopted a cooling-off approach, quieting down the fervent buzz.

Ultimately, in the age of social networks where news is measured by seconds, waiting a few days, those stories lose steam and are quickly forgotten.

Despite this, the Green Bay Packers have still laid down hidden hazards, entering last season’s NFC Championship, and are highly anticipated once more this season. Still, the future of Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers is shrouded in mystery.

The result?

Rodgers chose an open strategy—

Bravely facing challenges, directly responding to doubts, proving himself through performances on the field, and using victories to solidify his authority.

Consecutively defeated the divisional arch-rival Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, then overpowered the strong opponent New Orleans Saints, and finally triumphed over the Atlanta Falcons.

Four games, four victories, seamlessly scoring an average of 38 points per game, even stronger than the Kansas City Chiefs’ firepower, topping the season’s highest-scoring team list.

Rodgers quickly displayed peak form early in the season, securing a place as a nominee for the regular-season MVP without delay.

In the past two seasons, the regular season MVP has revolved around young players, Li Wei or Mahomes, Li Wei or Jackson, Li Wei or Garoppolo, et cetera, causing people to forget that, as the youngest among the four elite quarterbacks, Rodgers is in his prime—

Neither Mahomes nor Jackson defeated Li Wei in the regular-season MVP race, so what about Rodgers?

Undoubtedly, Rodgers is going all out, bearing the responsibility of proving himself, delivering 120% performance. All competitors must stay alert.

Amidst Rodgers’ overwhelming dominance, people completely forgot about Jordan Love’s existence, and it seems the Green Bay Packers’ backup seat is entirely overlooked; Gutekunst’s decisions and judgments during the draft have become a mystery, leaving no one able to fathom his thought process.

Is this perhaps the legendary... provocation tactic?

Gutekunst remains mysterious, with a silent smile.

Wait, among these unbeaten teams, there’s no mention of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What’s going on with Brady?

Like Li Wei, Brady winning isn’t news; losing is. After a high-profile offseason, recruiting for war efforts, what’s up with Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

The answer is the New Orleans Saints.

Since Brady announced joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the National League South immediately entered hell mode, leaping into a division that the league fears, even prompting half-joking remarks that Brady did it on purpose.

In the past, the New England Patriots in the AFC East regularly faced weak divisional opponents; Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets lacked competitiveness, allowing Belichick and Brady to secure the divisional championship and playoff spots with little effort.

So, for Brady’s second professional Chapter, does he not only aim to prove he’s better than Belichick but also fearlessly face divisional arch-rivals?

In week one of the regular season, Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced Brees’ New Orleans Saints head-on, undoubtedly the focus of the game.

Brees had the last laugh, giving Brady a harsh welcome gift to the National League South.

The ambitious Tampa Bay Buccaneers, aiming for the championship, unexpectedly lost in the first week. The Brady and Arians combination seems off to a rough start.