Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 1642 - 1641: Cycle of Fate

Lamar Jackson, the perfect quarterback model, is highly anticipated by the entire league, and experts unanimously say this is the future of football.

But what about reality?

"Jackson VS Li Wei," three battles with three losses.

To be more precise, it should be utter defeat; since their first encounter in the NCAA, all confrontations inside and outside the field have resulted in repeated failures, with victory hard to come by.

If Jackson has no psychological shadow, that would be a testament to a truly "steely will."

So, does Jackson have the perseverance and determination to fight again after repeated defeats?

After the game, the entire league’s focus fell on the Baltimore Ravens. The highly anticipated Jackson, who was expected to be the face of the league and lead a new wave in football, once again found his throat choked.

In the blink of an eye, Jackson is already in his third year; only one year away from the end of his rookie contract, the time left for him to continue finding excuses to firmly establish himself is running out.

"... They just restrained us."

After a long silence, Jackson gave an answer, not anger, not frustration, not agitation, nothing, but rather showed a hint of dejection.

It seems standing before Li Wei, he doesn’t know what to do.

He has exhausted all his efforts, left nothing in reserve, spent the entire offseason sharpening his skills, with the aim of surpassing the training camp level of Li Wei; training until he tastes blood in his mouth, all for today; yet the game didn’t form a competition, resulting in a loss in such a manner.

Jackson was truly bewildered, plunged into deep self-doubt, wondering if he could ever defeat Li Wei.

To the extent that when reporters asked about Jackson’s view on his competitive relationship with Li Wei, he didn’t fly into a rage nor was filled with fury, instead stood there blankly, with an empty gaze looking forward, lost and vacant-minded, even zoning out during the press conference.

That appearance was truly heartbreaking.

"Lamar..."

"Lamar!"

Until the onsite reporters couldn’t bear it and woke Jackson up, he suddenly came to his senses, like a startled bird waking from a nightmare, panicked and confused.

Barely regaining composure, Jackson hurriedly said, "This is not a contest between me and Li Wei, but between the Chiefs and the Ravens. We’ll find a way."

Rarely seen, the reporters mercifully gave Jackson a breather without continuing the siege; the focus shifted to Coach Harbaugh.

Harbaugh frankly admitted defeat, once again displaying the demeanor of a top coach.

"They beat us in pre-game preparation, tactical execution, game state, and on-the-spot adaptation; we lost on all fronts and very badly."

"No excuses."

"We need a more correct analysis and layout; we need to make more accurate judgments and choices during the game; we have a lot of work to do."

The loss was very difficult, painful to the core, with bitterness in the mouth, but facing failure is the first step towards success, and Harbaugh always believed in this.

When reporters brought up the battle history between Li Wei and Jackson, Harbaugh rarely showed a bitter smile.

"You’re making me regret, right?"

Reporters immediately sensed the underlying meaning in Harbaugh’s words, "... Coach Harbaugh, did you intend to select Li Wei at the 2017 draft?"

Groundbreaking!

Absolutely groundbreaking; although Li Wei has been in the league for four years, people never knew that apart from the Kansas City Chiefs, the Baltimore Ravens were also tempted; if true, it would explain why Harbaugh always had a special view of Li Wei.

Harbaugh didn’t deny it, "Clearly, Coach Reed showed his determination. That’s competitive sports; those with determination and faith laugh last."

"Undoubtedly, Li Wei is a player. That Player. A unique existence. He knows what he’s doing, he also knows what the team is doing, and this quality is precious, which is something Lamar needs to learn. I believe he has the ability."

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

The press conference was a hubbub.

With reporters cautiously asking, "Coach Harbaugh, did you just say... you hope Lamar learns from Li Wei?"

Harbaugh, "Yes. He’s currently the best player in the league, and I believe Lamar can learn a lot from him and eventually transform the energy to defeat him."

Frank, gracious, and full of wisdom.

Harbaugh displayed the broad-mindedness and reason of a top coach, admitting for the first time that Jackson needs to learn from Li Wei, even if Jackson is hailed as perfect, even if Jackson is a quarterback and Li Wei is a running back, even though Jackson is only a year younger than Li Wei, even though last season they were neck and neck for first and second in different selections and awards.

A bombshell dropped lightly.

Imagine how the discussions inside and outside the league will explode, how tumultuous they are; but for the Kansas City Chiefs, they’ve already moved on—

The focus, aiming at next week.

After enduring the pressure to defeat the Baltimore Ravens at an away game, the Kansas City Chiefs’ regular season winning streak has forcefully reached twenty-one games, tying the New England Patriots record; just one more win, and the Kansas City Chiefs can break the record and lead this list alone.

Moreover, pushing the entire season-winning streak encompassing regular and postseason to twenty-eight games.

In the NFL, where the regular season has only sixteen games, this is an astonishing height, the Kansas City Chiefs continue creating myths, challenging the ceiling.

You can imagine how many teams in the league yearn to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs.

Precisely because of this, the Kansas City Chiefs need focus and concentration, to avoid distractions by external factors, and concentrate wholeheartedly on the game.

The next opponent, the New England Patriots.

Everything, like a cycle of fate; what could possibly be more romantic, poetic, and dramatic than such a destiny duel?

The Kansas City Chiefs must defeat the New England Patriots to break the record of a twenty-one-game regular-season winning streak held by the New England Patriots.

Not just breaking another record, but more importantly, completely sending the fragmented and lingering ghosts of the New England Patriots dynasty into hell after its collapse.

And what about the New England Patriots?

After Brady’s departure, the dynasty that dominated the league for twenty years was declared over, but Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots are not finished yet.

The New England Patriots not only need to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs to preserve a historical record—merely a record, not worth Belichick’s concern. More importantly, Belichick is chasing the highest wins record for NFL head coaches, he needs the New England Patriots to say goodbye to the past and start anew, he needs the New England Patriots to regain footing in the post-Brady era and open a new Chapter.

He needs to prove that the brilliance and success of the New England Patriots’ dynasty were because of him, Bill Belichick, not Tom Brady; he needs to leave a clear mark on the thick book of NFL professional league honors, to prove his unique position in this sport.

He needs to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs.