Dominate the Super Bowl

"Go back home to mama."

"Whimpering baby, be careful not to wet your pants."

"This is just the beginning of the disaster."

With claws bared and faces contorted, as they headed back to the locker room during halftime, Gillette Stadium opened wide its gaping maw, unleashing a torrent of curses and a sweeping wave of boos that devoured the Kansas City Chiefs with relentless aggression, showcasing the home field advantage to the distant guests.

Faces on both sides of the player tunnel emerged, fiercely pounding on the walls with thunderous roars.

"Hehe, welcome to hell!"

The Kansas City Chiefs were disheartened.

Despite anticipating the difficulty of the game, despite being mentally prepared, facing the sudden and ferocious attacks still made them dizzy, suppressed on both offense and defense, their morale and condition plunged—

A severe reprimand.

The situation was very, very bad.

In the locker room, amidst the quiet fluttering of minor noises, everyone hung their heads low, avoiding eye contact, quietly hiding their own disarray.

This scene made Coach Reed very anxious.

If the players were angry or irritable, it at least showed they still had fighting spirit; but the silence before him signified that faith was beginning to waver.

The nightmare curse was taking effect again.

It wasn't just the players— even the veteran Reed was apprehensive.@@novelbin@@

Indeed, professional players, more or less, all have their own superstitions and obsessions, believing that persistently doing something can bring good fortune, or that breaking a cycle can herald a turnaround. The current plight once again awakened the habitual nightmares of the Kansas Chiefs, subconsciously starting self-doubt, eventually transforming into a Heart Demon.

At this moment, what was often needed was a leader with firm belief to stand out and break the deadlock.

Maybe... Li Wei?

Li Wei's leadership quality was only part of the reason, the real key was Li Wei's "ignorance." This outsider to the Football field had no biases or predetermined stances, and the ignorant are often fearless.

But as a rookie running back, on such an important stage as the playoffs, to call out in the guise of a leader seemed still insufficient, for he hadn't yet established enough authority in the locker room.

So, what to do?

Reed, his brain whirring rapidly, looked toward Li Wei.

But unexpectedly, he saw that Li Wei wasn't preparing to speak, but rather was watching Smith.

Reed was slightly surprised, since Smith had very rarely shown such mettle; but this time was slightly different. Smith noticed Li Wei's gaze, wrestled with his thoughts briefly, took a deep breath, and still stood up.

Rustling softly, eyes sporadically fixed on Smith.

"Guys."

Smith began, clearly feeling uncomfortable.

"I'm not a superhero, I don't have the power to turn the tides."

"That day, I even told the rookie, this is only the third playoff victory in my career, one for San Francisco, one for Kansas City. I'm not the man with the decisive hammer."

The air in the locker room was filled with the rustling of minor noises, many attempting to stop Smith, to comfort him, but Smith raised his hand to stop them, displaying a smile to show he was fine.

"Actually, the historical records are not on our side."

"In the history of the Kansas Chiefs, whenever we've been ten points behind in the playoffs, we have never won a game, not even one."

"Sorry, Coach Reed."

Reed's plump cheeks quivered slightly, and he raised both hands in a surrendering gesture, making the atmosphere in the locker room relax a bit, with a soft ripple of laughter emerging.

"Which is to say, from all angles, we already have no chance."

"But."

"I want to try."

Calm, composed, without bold assertions or surging passion, one could even hear the hesitation in his words, but Smith's gaze was so determined—

He truly believed that this might be his last game representing the Kansas City Chiefs, and those complex emotions were known only to himself.

"No one expected us to turn the tables, not even myself."

"But I still wanted to try."

"Because I'm not fighting alone, we have the Offensive group, the Defensive group, the Special Duty Group, we have the coaching staff, and millions of fans."

"Regardless of the outcome, I want to let go of the burden and truly enjoy the game."

"So, I'm ready to show the power of Kansas at Gillette Stadium, who else wants to join me?"

Smith was always Smith, his words were not bombastic or grand, yet like a spring breeze, they still managed to awaken the fervor deep in the souls, bonding the team firmly in a resilient way.

Whoosh.

Li Wei was the first to raise his arm high, "Count me in."

Suddenly, Kelsey also stood up, overflowing with enthusiasm, "I'm second."

"Me."

"Me."

One by one, players in the locker room all stood up, straightened their backs, their eyes gleaming as they looked towards Smith, awakening a buoyant spirit in a do-or-die situation -

Not to fight, but to enjoy the game.

No one could defeat a team that enjoyed the game, no one.

Smith let out a long breath, a smile gently curving his lips as he involuntarily looked again towards Li Wei, the quarterback and the running back exchanging a glance, executing a perfect silent coordination.

Then, Smith raised his arm and shouted.

"Fly!"

The next second, everyone in the locker room also yelled out loud.

Coach Reed squinted his eyes, showing a hint of admiration.

Perhaps Smith was not a passionately overwhelming team leader, but if the Kansas City Chiefs wanted to turn the situation around, the first step was to unload the burden and go in light; they needed to break free of the oppression and threat imposed by the New England Patriots; it seemed Smith had accomplished just that.

Next, it was up to Coach Reed - Continue reading at My Virtual Library Empire

Tactically, they also needed adjustments.

...

"Just enjoy it as if it's the first game of your career."

Smith took a deep breath, reminded of Li Wei's earlier words.

A little freshness, a bit of nervousness, a dash of excitement, and a bit of exhilaration.

He thought, he was ready.

The second half of the game officially began.

The first half was initiated by the New England Patriots on offense, while the second half saw the Kansas City Chiefs Offensive group taking the field, both teams having completed their alignments.

Just now, the New England Patriots, recalling Li Wei's kickoff return touchdown from the season opener, had decided to kick the ball directly out of bounds to deny Hunter any chance to return, displaying their caution.

Even with a comfortable lead of three touchdowns, Belichick was not complacent.

The Kansas City Chiefs therefore started their offensive from their own twenty-five yard line.

Smith had to admit, he was not focused enough in the first half, the thoughts of "last game" constantly looming, making him more nervous and more prone to distractions, resulting in more pressure while reading the defense.

But now, as it was potentially the last, he should enjoy it all the more.

Calm, focused, seizing every moment, not to let the last game become the last regret -

"Attack!"

The kick-off command, cutting through the air.