Chapter 1032: 1031 King's Demeanor
"Li Wei! Li Wei! Li Wei!"
Arrowhead Stadium descended into madness as the entire audience erupted in synchronized, deafening clamor, their hearts exploding uncontrollably.
No one was an exception!
Including the live broadcast room.
"Unbelievable! All of this is simply... wow, unbelievable!"
"On third and four, the Kansas City Chiefs managed to pull off a trick play, opting for their third consecutive ground attack, handing the football once again to last season's regular-season MVP."
"Li Wei did not disappoint."
"Not only did he break away from the encirclement of three linemen, but he also broke through the Baltimore Ravens' crowd strategy."
"And despite losing his helmet, he toyed with Jefferson and Thomas—a double-team once again."
"Finally, with Humphrey relentlessly chasing him, he astonishingly escaped with unparalleled speed, making a long dash to the end zone for a touchdown."
"This."
"God! An eighty-one-yard touchdown run! Li Wei single-handedly swept through the Baltimore Ravens Defense, incredible!"
"Harbaugh just knelt down!"
Literally,
Harbaugh really did kneel, unable to believe his eyes—
Three-person encirclement. Two-person pincer attack. Single-person pursuit.
The Baltimore Ravens Defense had all the advantage, relentlessly chasing until the end; yet, Li Wei, with his helmet off, made a direct hit.
This?
Harbaugh couldn't believe his eyes, his knees buckled, and he knelt down.
This is ability.
No, to be precise, it's not just ability but also game temperament and fighting spirit.
In Harbaugh's view, those who mocked Li Wei, scorned Li Wei, or even waited for Li Wei to fall were purely jealous, jealousy twisted them into something ugly.
Now, in his junior year, Li Wei already possessed the true demeanor of a champion.
Though hard to believe, Harbaugh thought they were witnessing the rise of a new GOAT.
Taking a deep breath, Harbaugh lifted his head to look at Jackson beside him, who wore a complex expression of astonishment.
Harbaugh didn't mind his own embarrassment being seen; in fact, he needed these young ones to recognize Li Wei's excellence. If someone continued to be blinded by their prejudice just because Li Wei was merely a "mere" running back, then it would be them who'd be left as clowns, not Li Wei.
Beside him, Jackson looked at Li Wei in the end zone.
Without a helmet, revealing that baby face, way too handsome and charming for a football player, just like Beckham.
Logically, a running back without protective gear should be more fragile; however, Li Wei was like a blood-stained battle god, turning the Baltimore Ravens Defense into clowns, not only easily converting third and four but also making a long drive all the way to the end zone.
Li Wei, Li Wei, Li Wei.
From NCAA days, that running back's name hovered like a lingering curse, as if a mountain pressed above his head.
At this moment, the entire Arrowhead Stadium was bowing in reverence before Li Wei, leaving Jackson no escape from the deafening wave of sound.
But now, he was different, this season he had undergone a transformation—
He would defeat Li Wei, proving himself with a rightful victory.
Silently, Jackson straightened his back.
On the other side of the field, Chris Jones was also watching.
In the end zone, Li Wei scanned the field with burning eyes, needing no other actions, as Arrowhead Stadium erupted in unbelievable energy.
Li Wei remained Li Wei, always stepping up in critical moments.
So, how long would their defense group continue to ride on the coattails? Now, Houston and Berry have left, the future of the team's defense group rests on their shoulders, how long do they intend to hide under Li Wei's wings?
Indeed, they were still in transition, but if they didn't step up, by this time next year, the defense group would still be in transition.
They needed to shoulder the responsibilities, they needed to step up.
He longed to fight alongside Li Wei, no longer being the useless ones idling behind the Offensive group.
"Li Wei!"
"Li Wei!"
Arrowhead Stadium, waves of heat, just started, the match atmosphere had already broken the meter.
Relying on Li Wei's long touchdown run, the Kansas City Chiefs tied the score.
The true key lay in the momentum reversal—
Since the beginning, the Baltimore Ravens had been building confidence, believing they could defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, even at the undefeated Arrowhead Stadium for the entire season, Harbaugh had a very clear and precise pre-game strategy and executed it successfully.
But now, a 180-degree shift, the Kansas City Chiefs overturned the situation.
All of it, originated from Li Wei.
The trolls on social media fell silent for a moment, shivering hidden within the frenzy of Kansas City Chiefs fans and Li Wei fans.
After a brief silence, the trolls angrily found their voices again.
"Watch, Lamar will rise up with a storm!"
"Just tied the score, and the Li Wei fans are already eagerly cheering, unaware of who's really feeling the pressure, haha."
"The Baltimore Ravens are no longer the team you used to know, watch Lamar Jackson now!"
Buzzingly, social networks regained their enthusiasm.
Then someone calmly replied.
"Blind fans should check the score first, laughing."
Score, "6:7."
Kansas City Chiefs took the lead.
That's when people remembered, the Baltimore Ravens' first touchdown attempt for a two-point conversion failed, so there were no extra points.
This... embarrassing.
Social networks were abuzz, but undeniably, all the pressure landed on Jackson's shoulders.
When people attacked Li Wei, do not forget, the voices attacking Jackson never ceased either, the top performances in the past two games were still not enough to convince everyone, now was the time to face the defending champions.
Jackson took the field.
Harbaugh and Reed were once again locked in a battle of wits.
Jackson's potential was indeed there, his future was worth looking forward to, but Jackson in his sophomore year was still immature, even though he had grown rapidly in the off-season, he still needed more games to accumulate experience.
Furthermore, Reed believed that even if Jackson grew into a full-fledged player, it was difficult for him to become a top elite quarterback.
The fundamental reason lay in his habitual reliance on his body, similar to the controversies around running backs, if a quarterback tends to use their body for collisions and confrontations, it indicates that the quarterback has discarded their most important weapon.
Of course, this was Reed's current judgment, he couldn't guarantee he was 100% correct; but at least now, Jackson's inexperience was apparent.
The key was to get Jackson moving.
Jackson indeed had passing ability, and his accuracy was far superior to Newton's; but currently, Jackson still leaned towards showcasing himself—
Just like Mahomes last season, for young players, if there's an opportunity for a long pass and a spectacular show, it's difficult to reject such temptation.
So when Jackson starts moving, his defensive reads and passing judgments would falter, this was the Kansas City Chiefs' opportunity.
Analyzing tactics on paper seemed pretty simple; the real challenge lay in how to execute, optimize effectiveness, and transform paper analysis into actual results, which was also the most interesting part of football.