Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 961: Truly deserved fame and reputation

Second place, Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle.

As last season’s League Defensive Player of the Year, Donald’s dominance was truly terrifying. He continued the powerful momentum once built by Watt, securing back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Although Donald not only lost to Li Wei but also to Mahomes in the regular season MVP voting, this didn’t impact his status among players.

On the contrary, precisely because defensive players are often ignored and undervalued, the strong rise of players like Watt and Donald has led players to rally together on behalf of the Defensive group, hoping the League would recognize the role defense plays in football. Donald has now become a brand-new symbol for this movement.

With Watt leading the way, Donald following closely behind, and linebackers Khalil Mack and Von Miller rising to prominence, these past few years have seen a robust emergence of stars from the Defensive group. Unlike the Offensive group, which draws attention primarily through quarterbacks, the Defensive group is steadily showcasing its comprehensive strength.

Perhaps the only lamentable aspect is that among these defensive icons, only Von Miller led the Denver Broncos to victory at the 50th Super Bowl Championship, claiming the Super Bowl MVP that year. None of the other players have managed to secure a championship ring.

For this reason, Donald unfortunately missed the top spot on the League’s Top 100 Players list and couldn’t replicate Watt’s remarkable feat of claiming the number one title in 2015.

So, amidst such fierce competition, who could outshine Donald and Brees to secure the crown at the top of the list?

The answer seems all too clear.

First place, Li Wei, Kansas City Chiefs running back.

Undoubtedly!

Without suspense!

By popular acclaim!

The League bears witness to history once more—

Li Wei’s achievement marks only the second time in history since Peterson topped the Top 100 Players list in 2013 that a running back has claimed this position, and only the third time in nine years that a non-quarterback has reached the top spot.

More importantly, Li Wei’s sophomore season was, in a sense, even more spectacular than his rookie season.

Last season, Li Wei was named Offensive Player of the Year, sweeping through the competition like an unstoppable force as a rookie. He threatened Brady’s position in the regular season MVP race and then delivered consecutive comebacks in the playoffs, culminating in a decisive Super Bowl victory and claiming the Super Bowl MVP to end the season perfectly.

From stats to accolades, every aspect of Li Wei’s performance radiated dominance. Nearly every media outlet unanimously agreed—

This was the greatest rookie season of all time.

Throughout football’s long history, there are only a handful of players like Mahomes who, within one or two years of joining the League during their first starting season, delivered top-tier performances. They exist, though rare. Yet, Li Wei managed to turn in a historic rookie season performance unparalleled, unmatched, and utterly singular—a feat that draws everyone’s attention.

During his rookie season, Li Wei debuted in seventh place on the Top 100 Players list, showcasing remarkable talent.

However, when the list was announced, it sparked a series of controversies.

On the list, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Bell claimed fifth place, while Los Angeles Rams running back Gurley landed sixth—both ahead of Li Wei.

Setting Bell aside for the moment, Gurley also made his first career appearance on the list, debuting at sixth place, and astonishingly ranked one spot ahead of Li Wei, who debuted at seventh. Is this reasonable?

Looking at the stats, game performances, critical moments impact, playoff data, and season honors—Li Wei was comprehensively ahead in every aspect.

If Bell managed to secure his position through cumulative reputation and prestige built over the years, then that could perhaps be explained, as the voting was by players. But what gave Gurley, who similarly made his first career appearance on the list, an edge over Li Wei?

This is baffling.

When the list was revealed, countless fans and even some professional commentators expressed shock:

As expected, the "rookie" label continues to act as a restraint. Even though Li Wei delivered a season that rivaled football’s historical top ten or top five, a season so extraordinary that it should have made the rookie label seem even more surprising, the ironic reality was that the label caused people to continually overlook him.

Absurd! Ridiculous! Speechless!

Such a situation is truly hard to imagine—a rookie player, during the very first season of his career, soared into the Top 100 Players list’s top ten, ranking seventh, yet still sparked waves of protests and dissatisfaction claiming his placement was too low.

This defies logic.

But this is reality. The announcement of the list triggered heated debates, with some even reporting to training camp to ask Li Wei’s thoughts on the matter.

To this, Li Wei smiled warmly and replied.

"I’m a newcomer, an outsider, and there’s still a lot for me to learn. I think my peers’ advice—that I should maintain a humble attitude and keep learning and growing—is very good advice. So, shall we see each other again next season?"

That radiant smile appeared as a featured image during the League’s Top 100 Players list reveal show, reawakening the fear of being under the control of a Demon King—

Look, this is Li Wei, always following through on his words.

For two consecutive seasons, he posted dominant performances. For two consecutive seasons, he led all running back statistical charts. For two consecutive seasons, in head-to-head encounters with the League’s elite defensive players, he had the upper hand. For two consecutive seasons, during key playoff moments, he stepped forward to lead his team to victory.

And for two consecutive seasons, he clinched the Super Bowl championship!

A running back who is methodically reshaping the very structure of the League, ultimately becoming the spiritual leader of his team and pushing beyond even Peterson and Sanders.

Unbelievable!

From every vantage point, Li Wei’s season was flawless. Especially in the Super Bowl arena, where his Kansas City Chiefs faced a head-on battle with Donald’s Los Angeles Rams, Li Wei delivered an unparalleled performance, directly besting Donald to lay the foundation for his team’s decisive victory.

Thus—

He conquered the League.

Following his early-season triumphs in securing both the regular season MVP and the Super Bowl MVP honors, Li Wei officially claimed the top spot on the League’s Top 100 Players list.

A new king is crowned.

Among Li Wei’s countless accolades, this number-one placement on the League’s Top 100 Players list might seem less flashy, as people often talk about Big Manning’s five regular season MVP wins as historic but rarely mention Manning’s two Top 100 Players number-one rankings. Yet, for Li Wei, this achievement holds special significance.

Over the past twenty years, from Sanders to Tomlinson, Peterson to Lynch, Bell to Gurley, Henry to Barkley, Kamara to McCaffrey, running backs have constantly faced challenges. They’ve had to deliver 150% of their performances under harsh scrutiny to earn even a sliver of respect.

Li Wei was no exception, enduring even greater hardships.

A running back. A Chinese running back. A Chinese rookie running back.

He burst into the football field with seeming cluelessness, disrupting every single game with unreasonable flair, as if an uninvited stranger had crashed a backyard party and then thrown a wild celebration. No host would eagerly welcome such an intruder.

Yet now, at this very moment, Li Wei has broken through this barrier, winning his rightful recognition with honor and integrity.

This is a moment to witness history.