Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 455: 454 Paper Talk Chapter 455: 454 Paper Talk “Underdog vs.

underdog,” the 2017 NFL Super Bowl was indeed full of charm.

It is worth mentioning that for both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, they each had the chance to rewrite history and craft their own fairy-tale endings – a golden opportunity that was not to be missed.

For the Kansas City Chiefs, it was their third Super Bowl appearance since 1966 and 1969, with 1969 being their only championship year.

Returning to the championship stage after forty-seven years was undoubtedly exhilarating.

For the Philadelphia Eagles, this was also the team’s third Super Bowl appearance, previously in 1980 and 2004.

Yet, they had never clinched a championship, making this year perhaps their best chance ever.

In the half-century history of the Super Bowl, there still are numerous teams that haven’t won any championship, totaling thirteen.

Among them, the following teams have made it to the Super Bowl but unfortunately never won: the Buffalo Bills, the Minnesota Vikings, the Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers, the Arizona Cardinals, the Tennessee Titans, the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Additionally, there are teams that have never even made it to the Super Bowl stage: the Cleveland Browns, the Detroit Lions, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Houston Texans.

Lastly, there are the Philadelphia Eagles.

This season, as underdogs, the Eagles truly stood out, ranking as the National Conference’s top seed in the regular season and advancing triumphantly to the Super Bowl—a commendable performance indeed.

Compared with the Kansas City Chiefs, who struggled, faced numerous ups and downs, and more than once teetered on the brink of elimination only to miraculously advance at the last moment, the Eagles, with their regular-season record of thirteen wins and three losses, naturally held a slight advantage and took initiative in their quest to be crowned Super Bowl champions.

Perhaps this year, the Philadelphia Eagles would finally end their championship drought?

At the end of the day, no matter who ultimately prevails, they will have written their own history and marked a significant milestone in the 2017 season.

However, theorizing on paper is merely a hypothesis, an interpretation—a real athletic competition must be settled through actual battle.

No one will forget, nor should they forget that in the second week of the regular season, the Kansas City Chiefs, also underdogs at the time, defeated the Philadelphia Eagles.

Who knows?

Maybe Pederson will once again reveal his weaknesses all too clearly in front of his mentor Reed?

A true test is needed to see whether it’s a mule or a horse, only then can we truly know.

Naturally, some support the Philadelphia Eagles while others back the Kansas City Chiefs.

The unexpected clash of “Underdog vs.

underdog” leads no one to predict the outcome definitively.

In ESPN’s “Inside the League” show, ten experts were sharply divided “five to five,” each supporting different teams.

Such an evenly matched pre-game analysis is indeed something not seen for many years.

Among them.

Being a staunch supporter of the Kansas City Chiefs all season long, through peaks and troughs, Lawson, known as a “Li Wei fan,” supporting the Chiefs unwaveringly isn’t new.

His consistent support throughout the season has earned Lawson the title of a talent scout, growing alongside Li Wei and the Chiefs.

Lawson isn’t one to mindlessly praise; his analysis has always been calm and objective.

In Lawson’s view, the Chiefs’ playoff journey faced repeated tests, from Henry’s ground assault, Brady’s passing attack, to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ top-tier defense.

Each opponent represented a milestone, becoming a force that continually propelled this young team to grow and evolve, ultimately leading to their transformation.

One step, one footprint at a time.

When the Kansas City Chiefs set foot on the ultimate stage of the Super Bowl, they were ready to face any challenge.

Undoubtedly, Lawson’s perspective represents a fresh analytical approach, humorously dubbed by netizens as “the leveling-up in monster-fighting mode,” witnessing the growth of a young team.

If the Kansas City Chiefs actually clinch the championship this season, their postseason journey could rightfully be depicted as a “carp leaping over the dragon’s gate,” achieving a transformation with each game.

To some extent, Lawson indeed captured a crucial aspect:

Growth.

Because Lawson knew that the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles before him were still young, not mature enough, not complete enough, not strong enough, no one could be sure of victory, and in the end it all depended on performance at crucial moments, so he also considered the fifty-second Super Bowl as a battle of transformation.

And he firmly stood behind the league season’s biggest revelation:

Li Wei.

This was the source of Lawson’s confidence and conviction.

Not just among netizens, within the “Inside the League,” Lawson’s views were quite popular; after the broadcast, it continued to trend vigorously on social media.

And what about the “Li Wei Hater” Bart?

He chose the Kansas City Chiefs in the last game and, against all odds, his prediction succeeded, leaving Bart completely disheveled, not even sure if he should celebrate.

This once again proved that Bart and Li Wei were utterly incompatible.

Be it a wrong prediction, he felt stifled; a correct prediction, and he felt just as stifled.

So, for the final game of the season, how should Bart take sides?

After careful consideration for the Super Bowl prediction, Bart chose—@@novelbin@@

“Philadelphia.”

Bart swore that he didn’t mean to target Li Wei, it was purely objective analysis; of course, he couldn’t deny that he disliked seeing Li Wei continue to swagger and win games.

If Li Wei were to top the Super Bowl, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how rampant he would become next season.

Just imagining it made his skin crawl.

But at the end of the day, it was a rational judgment.

With great elaboration, Bart began his analysis.

He analyzed from the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense against the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense, from the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense against the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense, from the Kansas City Chiefs’ special teams against the Philadelphia Eagles’ special teams, assessing each match-up one by one.

In the end, Bart concluded—

The Philadelphia Eagles had a slight edge, especially with Pederson’s significant improvement in sideline coaching during the two playoff games, which gave Bart enough confidence.

Just look at the opening odds in Las Vegas.

The odds kept changing, clearly, the professionals in Las Vegas also favored the Philadelphia Eagles more, and as time went on, more of the general public chose the Philadelphia Eagles, to the extent that Las Vegas had to further reduce the odds for the Philadelphia Eagles.

From professionals to widespread audiences, they also slightly favored the Philadelphia Eagles a bit more.

The gap wasn’t significant, but the balance of victory indeed was gradually tilting; the Philadelphia Eagles’ chances seemed to lead by just half a step.

However, in making the show, one can’t be conservative or stiff; they still need to create some conflicts and contradictions to increase viewer engagement.

“…I don’t see any possibility of Kansas City topping.”

It stirred up a huge commotion.

Indeed, when it comes to inciting hostility, Bart was unrivaled; with just one statement, he managed to knock both supporters and detractors of the Kansas City Chiefs off balance, strongly breaking out of the circle.