Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 1651 - 1650: Scattered Rain and Flying Clouds
"Incredible!"
"The biggest upset of the season!"
"But... a divisional rival is still a divisional rival!"
"The Las Vegas Raiders have become the biggest dark horse of the past three seasons, accomplishing what the other thirty teams in the league have been striving for but could never achieve!"
"Josh Jacobs did it! Just like Li Wei defeating Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs defeated Li Wei, once again completing a legacy from top to bottom for the University of Alabama."
"As the entire league discusses the cycle between the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots, from the beginning with the New England Patriots to ending with the New England Patriots; now another cycle is being born, from the Oakland Raiders to the Las Vegas Raiders, despite changes in time and names, the never-ending rivalry in the AFC West remains unchanged!"
"The answer is revealed, the Las Vegas Raiders! It’s indeed the Las Vegas Raiders playing the ultimate dark horse role, truly very Kansas City Chiefs-like."
"The Terminator is born!"
Exclaim, cheer, scream, shock, impact.
Billows and tidal waves, the entire North American continent plunged into madness—
This wasn’t even a night game, no one in the league foresaw this scene, the game was casually scheduled for a Sunday afternoon, just an ordinary regular-season game; but the Las Vegas Raiders turned the situation upside down, just like the Cleveland Browns always manage to disrupt the divisional standings.
Boom boom boom, boom!
Noise, clamor, and uproar swept over.
Collective frenzy.
However, Josh Jacobs had no time to savor it all.
After the buzzer-beating touchdown, Jacobs kneeled and curled into a ball in the end zone, trembling uncontrollably.
"Hey, congratulations."
A voice came from above, Jacobs jerked his head up, and what he saw was Li Wei’s sweat-drenched, flushed face, with a big smile at the corners of his mouth and eyes full of light, no regret or sadness, quite the contrary, brimming with youthful energy.
Li Wei kindly extended his right hand, the smile at the corner of his mouth reaching his eyes, shining like stars in the sea.
"You better believe it, everything’s happening, you scored the game-winning touchdown, you helped the team win, this is your moment."
The words were skillful, Li Wei made no mention of himself or the Kansas City Chiefs, nor did he mention Jacobs ending the Chiefs’ glorious record, instead focusing solely on Jacobs; this was the glory Jacobs fought for.
Jacobs also smiled, indeed, Li Wei was still that Li Wei, facing victory and failure with integrity.
As always.
Jacobs grasped Li Wei’s right hand, pulled himself up, and gave Li Wei a big hug, words swirling on the tip of his tongue but couldn’t be spoken, finally just heavily patted Li Wei’s shoulder, and let out a long breath, "A great game."
Li Wei gave Jacobs’ back two heavy thumps.
Jacobs almost spat blood, "Rookie!"
Li Wei released the hug and laughed heartily, "You’ve taken all the spotlight and glory, you should allow me a bit of frustration." But despite the words, the clarity and brightness in his eyes were unmistakable, "I suggest you get ready, shortly we’ll be visiting you in Las Vegas."
That eager expression made Jacobs shiver, sighing to the sky, "Won’t you let me enjoy the joy of victory a little longer?"
Li Wei tilted his head, "Enjoy, enjoy to the fullest, don’t worry, I won’t be watching you all the time."
Jacobs: ...then why do I feel like there’s a thorn in my back right now?
Li Wei, "Haha." After a small joke, "Hey, I’m serious, a great game, tonight you deserve it. Enjoy tonight’s applause."
A warm flow surged through Jacobs’ chest, instantly filled with boldness, "I’ll be waiting for you in Las Vegas, warmly welcoming your arrival."
The game, ended, completely ended.
Seeing off the Las Vegas Raiders, the post-game press conference finished, the locker room wrapped up post-game relaxation massages and a brief summary, teammates gradually left.
Li Wei returned to Arrowhead Stadium alone.
The stadium was long emptied, vast and silent, deserted and still, yet the air seemed to still contain echoes of the noise, the roars, the smoke of battle, the sparks from collisions, the sweat and heavy breathing surged everywhere, the glaring score on the stadium’s big screen.
"40:38."
Everything, felt unreal—
Did it just end like this?
Li Wei only felt... a bit hollow, a void hard to accurately describe in words, suspended in mid-air, unable to land.
They must admit, the Las Vegas Raiders performed excellently, especially on offense, Derek Carr and Josh Jacobs were well-prepared, facing the Kansas City Chiefs’ rapidly growing defensive line this season, achieving run-pass balance, playing a great offensive game.
Actually, the Kansas City Chiefs still performed well, not collapsing nor fatigued as imagined, continuously applying pressure on offense, scoring another thirty-eight points, maintaining the lead to the final forty seconds.
However, at the last moment, Jacobs seemed to be divinely assisted, under Carr’s deceptive pass-run cover, he rushed forward, completing it in one go.
Undoubtedly, the Las Vegas Raiders deserved this victory, Jacobs deserved all praise and affirmation.
But why does there still feel a sense of emptiness?
Those truths, Li Wei understood.
In competitive sports, there’s no perpetual winner, no person or team can always win, every long and legendary winning streak has a day of ending, everyone must face failure.
Moreover, failure is part of competitive sports.
In fact, without the bitterness and anger of failure, victory wouldn’t taste so sweet and fulfilling.
From past to present, Li Wei has faced many defeats on the field, after joining the Kansas City Chiefs, he also faced considerable failure bitterness, the six-game losing streak after losing to the Oakland Raiders in the 2017 season was life-altering, and the insults faced after losing in the Gillette Chiefs in the 2018 season were unforgettable.
But today, an indescribable emotion lingered in his chest, refusing to leave.
Li Wei strolled along Arrowhead Stadium’s sideline, like a game of "cops and robbers" he played as a child, with the difference being they had to keep their feet on the basketball court’s sideline, stepping off meant being out, clearly a pursuit game, yet a group of kids played happily.
Out of nowhere, Li Wei recalled that night, spotting Alex Smith at the training base, his desire for the Super Bowl and uncertainty about the future exposed a bit of fragility usually hidden by the calm and strong captain; perhaps now he too is feeling life at different dimensions?
Bzz bzz bzz.
The phone in his pocket buzzed, Li Wei thought it was Mahomes urging him to come home, but upon seeing the caller ID, the smile at the corner of his mouth gently rose.
