Chapter 1404: Chapter 1403: Licking Wounds
Beep, beep beep beep.
As Li Wei slid to the ground, the referee finally blew the whistle to end the match, putting an end to the Houston Texans’ torment.
In the final moments, the Houston Texans had lost all fighting spirit, hastily finishing up, each player lying on the field like teenagers posing in a painful youth movie, looking up at the sky, their faces filled with disappointment and confusion, gazing upwards at a forty-five-degree angle as if they could see their sadness flowing backward into a river.
The Kansas City Chiefs players all raised their hands high and rushed onto the field; regardless of the Super Bowl two weeks later, they were now champions—
American League champions!
An entire season of persistence and sprinting finally released in this moment, temporarily forgetting the Super Bowl, temporarily forgetting the historical records, temporarily forgetting all troubles and pressures, celebrating freely, cheering wildly, embracing the moment of victory with open arms.
"The match is over."
"Ladies and gentlemen, the 2019 American League finals have concluded. The two-time defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, completed a perfect game, defeating the surging Houston Texans and defending their No. 1 seed status in the league with an unparalleled presence, advancing to the Super Bowl for the third consecutive year."
"The American League championship once again belongs to the Kansas City Chiefs."
"Unbelievable!"
"I mean, the Kansas City Chiefs’ undefeated season continues. Their hopes of an undefeated championship season and a consecutive three-peat record are still alive, and everything is now focused on the Super Bowl stage. Can anyone stop the Kansas City Chiefs?"
"San Francisco 49ers? Or the Green Bay Packers?"
"But the focus is on the fact that the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers must fight for the opportunity to challenge the Kansas City Chiefs. Who can earn that qualification?"
"Ladies and gentlemen, with the conclusion of this conference finals, the Kansas City Chiefs have accomplished a feat, becoming the third team in league history to remain undefeated at home for two consecutive seasons."
"Including both the regular season and playoffs."
"From 1972 to 1973, the Miami Dolphins went 17-0 at home; from 2003 to 2004, the New England Patriots went 20-0 at home."
"Now, from 2018 to 2019, the Kansas City Chiefs are 20-0 at home."
"Greatness!"
"Undoubtedly, the Kansas City Chiefs are etching themselves into history, leaving a significant mark in NFL history."
"Perhaps some might question the Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff victories this season as lacking in persuasion, with the Tennessee Titans eliminating the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans eliminating the Baltimore Ravens, arguing that the Kansas City Chiefs did not face a real challenge, but I personally believe this is unfair."
"Whether it’s the Tennessee Titans or the Houston Texans, they proved their strength, and the Kansas City Chiefs, with even more outstanding performance, withstood their opponents’ assaults, which is far more challenging than facing the New England Patriots or the Baltimore Ravens heads-on, because I believe Reed and the coaching team had also been preparing for the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens, only for their plans to be completely disrupted when opponents changed at the last moment."
"We are in the light, and they are in the dark."
"Under such circumstances, the Kansas City Chiefs steadied themselves, continuing their winning streak, truly demonstrating their ability to adjust, with no less gold content than their continuous comeback battles in the 2017 season..."
Bla bla bla.
The outcome of the match was completely expected; yet the surging excitement and fervor continued to gush forth endlessly.
Every viewer in front of the TV could deeply feel Nantz and Romo’s jubilance, even more infectious and impactful than the words themselves.
Because they were witnessing history—
Following the Miami Dolphins from 1971 to 1973, the Denver Broncos from 1986 to 1988, and the Buffalo Bills from 1990 to 1993, followed by the Dallas Cowboys from 1992 to 1994, the Kansas City Chiefs became the fourth NFL team ever to reach the Super Bowl final for three consecutive years.
Among them, the Dallas Cowboys came closest to a three-peat but unfortunately lost to the San Francisco 49ers in 1994.
Now, the opportunity rests in the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs!
They are witnessing history, and even more, they are becoming part of history.
How could they not be excited, how could they not be thrilled?
Arrowhead Stadium was completely engulfed in frenzy, cheering, jumping, shouting, and screaming, indulging in collective jubilation.
Even the wildest, most daring dreams could not have anticipated this three years ago in Kansas City, nor did the league before the off-season predict witnessing history firsthand.
Yet, everything happened just like this on the playoff stage, from the helpless bitterness of struggling for a win to the formidable and grand dominance of invincibility, the Kansas City Chiefs completely inherited the mantle of the New England Patriots, growing into the league’s new dominant power, sending the entire world into a whirlwind of madness.
"23:38."
The final score was fixed.
Watt lay on the grass, slightly tilting his head, looking at the scoreboard over the field, unable to find the right words to sum up himself at this moment.
Emptiness. Exhaustion. Depletion.
From body to soul, Watt had fully poured himself into the game, with nothing left, only a sense of emptiness.
Watt wouldn’t lie. He had imagined such an outcome before: getting eliminated again, squandering another opportunity, stopping short again. The harshness and coldness of competitive sports have really left him little time, he might have felt sadness, he might have felt pain, he might have felt anger, he might even have cried out in frustration.
Yet, none of that happened.
Nada, nothing at all, the whole person felt hollow, leaving nothing behind, lying there stunned with no sense of reality.
His mind was a blank, whether it was sadness or anger seemed to disappear in the boundless void and chaos.
He just wanted some peace.
He wanted to lie there motionlessly, allowing himself to drift through time without even wanting to move a finger.
No reporters, no teammates, he wanted none of it; for the first and only time in his career, he didn’t want to worry about anything—he just needed a little buffer time to zone out and catch his breath; the rest could wait, there was no reason to be concerned.
Then.
A figure appeared above him, Watt carefully examined it and then recognized the face, with the corners of his mouth slightly curled up, and deliberately using a rough gesture to speak brusquely.
"Hey, you’re interrupting my sunbathing."
The newcomer raised both hands with a face of regret, but his words conveyed something else, "Sorry, I meant to. Don’t you know how precious Kansas City winter sunshine is? Not just anyone gets to enjoy sunbathing and waste time here."
Watt couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.
Li Wei extended his hand, offering Watt a bit of strength.
Watt shook his hand, "Thanks. But I need a bit more time; can’t you see I’m licking my wounds?"
Frankly, directly, without hiding or pleasantries.
Watt admitted it, candidly admitting that this defeat was harder to bear, even worse and more distressing than the 0-30 wildcard loss four years ago.