Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 492: 491 Burned Out Chapter 492: 491 Burned Out Body, hollowed out.

Spirit, burning.

Whether it be the Kansas City Chiefs or the Philadelphia Eagles, both had reached their limits, sustained only by sheer perseverance, continuing to grit their teeth and hold on.

The heavy breathing and scorching sweat mingled in the air, creating a rolling heatwave that made the enclosed space of the U.S.

Bank Stadium suffocating.

At this moment, it was a test of who had the stronger will.

Just now, the Kansas City Chiefs had stormed past with an attack from Wuju Merchant; now, the Philadelphia Eagles had caught their breath and seized the moment Kansas was adjusting their pace to turn the tide, bursting with intensity instantly.

Second down, seven yards, cornerback Jalen Mills narrowly slapped away a pass from Smith to Hunter, missing an interception but still causing an incomplete pass.

Third Gear, seven yards, the Eagles went all-in with a blitz and intense pressure, linebacker Bradham effectively disrupted Smith’s pass, especially since the previous pass had nearly been intercepted, serving as a warning to Smith, causing the pass trajectory between Smith and Kelsey to arc too high.

Kelsey, despite his utmost effort, only grazed the football without gaining control, and the football flew out of bounds.

Fourth down, seven yards.

The pace of the offense and defense was still tight, the Kansas City Chiefs continued the intensity and pace of the Wuju Merchant attack, yet they narrowly missed their standard trajectory, and the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive group timely rose and regained control.

There was no time to breathe, no room for regret, as fourth down was already upon them.

Smith stood there, hands on hips, a flicker of wavering in his eyes, the bitter mix of frustration and bitterness surged, tearing through his rationality:

Could it really be impossible?

He was truly out of energy, watching the end zone so close yet seemingly insurmountable, as if no amount of effort could reach it.

Despairing.

“Captain!”

The voice exploded next to his ear, while a strong force on his shoulders pulled Smith back from swaying in mid-air; Smith sharply focused his gaze, meeting Li Wei’s determined eyes:

Hold on a little longer.

Just a little bit more.

Although this last stretch was the toughest, most painful, worst part, they had come this far; they couldn’t just give up now.

“Fourth down.”

Li Wei said.

Smith took a deep breath, forcing himself to rally amid exhaustion and confusion, his shaking pupils once again focused.

At this moment, players from both teams were still on the field—

Game time, fourteen seconds.

Kickoff position, Philadelphia Eagles’ half at the thirty-seven-yard line.

Game status, fourth down seven yards.

It took only a knee to know, the Kansas City Chiefs wouldn’t opt for a punt or a field goal, a hundred percent choosing a hard push on fourth down, as the offense still couldn’t stop.

Thus, players from both teams stayed on the field.

And still, there was no room to adjust.

The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t take a timeout, they had no way to adjust or pass the ball, coaches and quarterbacks communicating time was purely surviving in a crack; the Philadelphia Eagles, holding a timeout, refused to use it at this moment, not wanting to give the opponent breathing space, the defensive group, in fact, preferred more chaos the better.

Thus.

An incomplete pass, instead, became a chance for the Kansas City Chiefs to grasp a moment of reason.

In a football game, when a pass is incomplete, the game clock also stops, giving the team twenty-five seconds to set up the next play; for this reason, occasionally when it’s extremely difficult with no timeouts, the quarterback might choose to spike the ball to stop the clock, trading off one offensive play to gain time to set up a strategy.

Now, after two consecutive incomplete passes, the Kansas City Chiefs had no time to regret, seizing the twenty-five seconds to set up, turning right back into the offense.

“In the first half during the countdown stage, the Philadelphia Eagles performed the ‘Philly Special’ miracle in a fourth down one-yard situation, setting the exciting tone for the game.”

“Now, as the second half enters the countdown stage, the Kansas City Chiefs facing a fourth down seven yards dilemma also need a bit of a miracle to keep the hope alive.”

“However.”

“The slight advantage for the Kansas City Chiefs was that they were less than forty yards from the end zone, within the range for attempting a ‘Hail Mary’; also, the game clock hadn’t reached the final countdown, so the Chiefs still had two to three opportunities to pass the ball.

They could totally opt out of the ‘Hail Mary’ and continue to advance methodically, consuming the opponent’s territory bit by bit.”

“Such strategic options give the Kansas City Chiefs a slight upper hand.”

Amid a sudden torrent of words from Collinsworth, before he even had time to catch his breath, the Chiefs had already announced the kickoff.

“Attack!”

Smith clenched his teeth tightly, though every cell in his body protested and he could barely stand steady.

It was sheer willpower that kept him going, yet he was able to ignite the last bit of remaining energy to launch the attack.

Bang.

The Philadelphia Eagles only used four men to rush, immediately easing the pressure.

Smith quickly swept his gaze, and the Kansas City Chiefs’ receivers spread out like a scattergun, all penetrating deep along vertical routes; the Eagles seemed to have anticipated this move and followed closely, their secondary defense falling back in a man-to-man coverage tactic.

It was clear they were wary of the ‘Hail Mary.’

In the division playoff against the New England Patriots, the Chiefs had won with such a comeback, prompting the Eagles to sound the alarm early on.

However—

Smith had no time to feel joy or relief, for there was no time left in the match, making every second, even every millisecond, critically important.

Fall back, pause, adjust, throw.

Smith did not hesitate and continued the fast throws of the last offensive drive.

His arm muscles were sore, his wrists completely numb.

The delicate sense of passing seemed to be locked in a block of ice, but Smith still completed the pass with a resolute look in his eyes.

Whoosh.

Football, direct pass.

No parabola, but a short, quick, direct pass.

This was a short pass.

Linebacker Bradham: “Damn.”

Cornerback Darby: “Terrible.”

Immediately, both noticed Li Wei.

Li Wei also moved forward in a straight line burst, but he didn’t unleash his full speed.

After crossing the kickoff line and the ten yard line, he retreated.

Just then, Smith threw the pass.

The Chiefs’ tactical intent was more obvious than ever, to create a ‘Hail Mary’ situation but actually opting for a steady short pass.

A five-yard short pass.

The intended receiver was indeed Li Wei.

Pederson also kept a cautious eye, reminding his defensive group.

Bradham and Darby reacted swiftly; they rushed forward immediately.

Darby was slightly slower, but Bradham, who was tasked with marking Li Wei, started quickly and with great speed, getting to Li Wei right away.

Squeeze.

Collide.

Interfere.

Even before the pass reached its destination, Bradham had already taken a favorable position—

His teeth clenched, eyes blazing with fury.

Despite his physical exhaustion, Bradham was no better off, but the sight of Li Wei, the enemy who took whatever he wanted throughout the game, immediately ignited his fighting spirit, unleashing tenfold, a hundredfold energy.

He was ready to burn his soul if necessary, his eyes flaring with murder again.

Ah, ah, ah.

Power, fully unleashed.

Bradham: “He will absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not let Li Wei complete the catch.

Damn!”