Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 615: Standard jerk 614 Chapter 615: Standard jerk 614 “Traitor,” Josh McDaniels.

The officially designated successor of the New England Patriots had shockingly decided to transfer, soon heading to the Indianapolis Colts to work with Andrew Luck.

This major announcement had completely blown up in Foxborough.

But soon, news began to reveal what was happening behind the scenes:

Two years ago, Belichick had already told McDaniels that he was planning to retire and wanted McDaniels to take over the head coaching responsibilities.

He asked McDaniels to be ready to step in at any moment.

However.

A year went by.

Another year went by.

Belichick was still in the head coach position, and McDaniels was still tirelessly assisting him as the offensive coordinator.

This year, McDaniels thought he was finally going to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but then Patricia chose to leave.

With Belichick busy stabilizing and controlling the situation, there was still no sign of retirement, plunging McDaniels into despair.

So, when the Indianapolis Colts extended an olive branch, McDaniels seized the opportunity and finally made up his mind.

After three interviews, tough negotiations through his agent and the Colts, and after much back-and-forth and complications, the deal was finalized—

For the fans, it was a disaster, a complete betrayal; but from McDaniels’ perspective, he had to consider his own interests.

Things had gotten to this point, and it was merely a loss for the New England Patriots.

The difficulties Belichick would face were his own concern, and other teams didn’t care; however, what happened next was truly astonishing.

After the Colts’ announcement, Belichick seemed to finally realize that he had let McDaniels down.

Like a scoundrel trying to win back an ex-girlfriend, he sought out McDaniels for a long heart-to-heart talk and promised that he would hand over the Patriots to McDaniels next season, ensuring the team’s future would belong to McDaniels.

McDaniels…wavered.

His agent, his family and friends, and numerous professionals in the league all advised McDaniels:

Keep a cool head, don’t get carried away.

The reliability of Belichick’s promises was low; otherwise, he wouldn’t have repeatedly let McDaniels down year after year, much like a drunkard’s “just one more drink” promises, devoid of any credibility.

More importantly, McDaniels had already finalized the agreement with the Colts, which had been officially announced; there was no reason to back out.

Rumors said that McDaniels had finally made up his mind to leave, but Belichick visited again, they had another long discussion, and then—

McDaniels chose to stay.

The entire league was in uproar.

First, McDaniels had slapped the Colts in the face by tearing up the verbal agreement.

Second, McDaniels left the entire league with an impression of being indecisive and hesitant; could such a character truly handle the role of a head coach?

Rather than Belichick wanting McDaniels to inherit his mantle, it seemed more like Belichick needed a puppet on strings.

Third, would the owners of the New England Patriots like McDaniels?

However, shock aside, McDaniels still stayed.

Subsequently, McDaniels’ long-time agent, unable to contain his anger, announced the termination of their working relationship—

In an era where news of players firing agents was commonplace, this was something unusual.

A series of tumults made the Patriots’ offseason particularly noisy and left numerous scars and doubts, making the spring training camp also unstable.

It’s worth mentioning that Belichick did not hire another defensive coordinator but took on the defense himself, serving as both head coach and defensive coordinator, imprinting his mark throughout the team.

Thus, the new season began—

In the second week, they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In the third week, they lost again to the Detroit Lions led by Patricia.

It was more than just two consecutive losses.

This was the first time since 2002 that the New England Patriots had lost two consecutive games by a double-digit margin, suggesting their competitive form was very poor.

A double-digit margin means at least two possessions, if not more; the defensive group couldn’t contain the opponents, and the offensive group failed to score.

The overall slump on both offense and defense prevented the team from rallying.

Chaos!

Complete chaos.

Regarding this, the fans of the New England Patriots blamed the Kansas City Chiefs—

It all started with that divisional game.

After all, McDaniels had ended up back in Foxborough, and neither Belichick nor Brady, being highly respected, could be easily blamed.

Other than using the Kansas City Chiefs as a scapegoat, there was no better option.

Thus,

Whether on a personal level with “Li Wei VS Brady” or on a team level with “Kansas City Chiefs VS New England Patriots,” everything was brewing a storm, evolving into a volatile fuel between the two teams.

Wait, was there really no issue with the New England Patriots’ performance?

The answer is definite—

Never underestimate the combination of Belichick and Brady.

In fact, despite consecutive losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Detroit Lions, the New England Patriots maintained an undefeated home record this season.

In the first week, they defeated the Houston Texans.

In the fourth week, they defeated the Miami Dolphins.

In the fifth week, they defeated the Indianapolis Colts.

At home, three wins out of three.

Moreover, after suffering heavy defeats in the second and third weeks, the New England Patriots fully leveraged their experience to make quick adjustments, and McDaniels also proved his capabilities.

In the fourth and fifth weeks, the team scored thirty-eight points in each game, the offensive group fully recovered, returning to the winning track.

Without a doubt, the New England Patriots proved that their dynasty was not over.

Despite the turmoil and chaos, they remained favorites to win the championship, and they could not be ruled out of this season’s Super Bowl contention.

This time, once again hosting at their home ground against the Kansas City Chiefs, the New England Patriots not only hoped to continue their season’s undefeated home record but also aimed to achieve a sweet revenge by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs for last season’s two consecutive losses.

From every aspect, this was likely to be a high-scoring battle—

The combination of Mahomes and Li Wei was set to face McDaniels and Brady.

The flames of war were about to ignite.

And indeed, the two championship-contending teams did not disappoint.

From the first offensive play of the game, both teams were already in full force, and the familiar scenes made the fans momentarily flashback to the Super Bowl at the beginning of the year—the intense, tooth-and-nail battle was dazzling.

“24:24”.

At the end of the first half, neither team had gained the upper hand, entering the locker room at halftime tied, with the suspense of the outcome hanging until the second half.