Chapter 1470: Chapter 1469: Conversing with Laughter and Ease
Sweat poured down like rain, blood surged.
Even sitting still, the scorching sweat continued to flow, quickly soaking the ground. Knees, fingertips, and abdomen all trembled slightly, like the last autumn leaf clinging tightly to a treetop in a fierce wind, refusing to fall, the chest hot and burning.
The sensation of burning was coursing through the body.
It wasn’t just Fuller.
Worse still, after intense confrontation and full exertion, the effects of injuries began to surface.
"Chris... Chris?"
Chris Jones had been gritting his teeth and holding on. Once he entered the locker room, he was limping, and it was obvious to anyone with eyes that his right leg muscle strain was getting worse, his whole body wobbling, almost unable to stand.
Frank Clark reached out to try to support Chris Jones, but Hill got there first, grabbing Chris Jones’ swaying body.
However, Chris Jones could hardly stand, his heavy body pressed against Hill, who was completely unprepared, exclaiming repeatedly. Clark hurried forward at this moment, and the two of them busily helped Chris Jones to a seat, easing the pressure on his right leg.
Chris Jones waved his hand, "It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s been a month already, I’m used to it. You guys shouldn’t think of getting rid of me that easily, I’m finishing this game."
Finishing, Chris Jones looked at Li Wei again, firmly stating, "Hey, did you all hear that? I’m finishing. The Chieftain’s defensive group isn’t a bunch of cowards who retreat without a fight."
That look, so determined and so intense, involuntarily reminded people of Justin Houston, the former captain of the Kansas City Chiefs defensive group.
Li Wei chuckled silently, teasing lightly, "So, is this the nonsense you inherited from Justin?"
In the locker room, no one expected Justin Houston’s name to appear at this moment. A little stunned, they all couldn’t help but laugh.
Although Li Wei was joking, his nerves were as tense as ever because his exhaustion was absolutely no less than anyone else on the scene.
Just now, seeing Fuller vomit, Li Wei himself was churning inside, knees trembling, every inch of his body seemed to be protesting—
It may sound unbelievable, but the rate and extent of energy consumption in tonight’s Super Bowl was worse than the game against the Philadelphia Eagles two years ago.
Two years ago, they were just rookies, inexperienced and without a plan, blindly charging forward on pure adrenaline, holding on till the end. Much like tonight’s San Francisco 49ers, there was no concept of energy management; but two years later, they were no longer rookies, yet their physical condition now was worse than before.
Perhaps, a perfect season... is indeed a "curse"?
In the bustling crowd, Li Wei noticed Matty’s uneven steps. He tried to hide it, making an effort to pretend nothing was wrong, not easy to notice unless carefully observed, but it didn’t escape Li Wei’s eyes, "Knee?"
Matty’s condition was an old problem from rolling through the League for many years. Injuries were inevitable. Throughout the season, Matty hadn’t shown any obvious issues; but tonight, in the first half, they fought fiercely, especially against the San Francisco 49ers’ Running Back Committee, which required full effort.
Now, aftereffects gradually revealed.
Matty tried to hide it, instinctively waving it off. At this moment, the last thing needed was an injury to disrupt the locker room’s atmosphere.
However, Li Wei had noticed, "Hey, you’re different from someone else. Missing someone we can manage, but missing you would be a big problem, we need you to play the whole second half."
Chris Jones: ??? "Are you talking about me?"
In the locker room, they couldn’t hold back, bursts of light laughter erupted.
Originally trying hard to control it, seeing Chris Jones’s innocent expression, they collectively burst into laughter.
Matty also relaxed slightly, grinning and nodding, "Get me an ice pack."
"And I need some painkillers."
"The knee looks serious but it’s actually okay. The real problem is the shoulder, I can’t lift my arm now."
Looking at Matty’s swollen, bloodshot eyes, using every effort to endure, but the body’s protest still manifested in this way.
The situation was more serious than it seemed.
Li Wei’s words weren’t just a joke, Chris Jones was irreplaceable on the defensive line, and the Kansas City Chiefs’ duel with the San Francisco 49ers was evenly matched. Although he was an indispensable role, comparatively, the secondary defense faced harsher challenges, and Matty had no substitute.
Should Matty’s shoulder injury hinder his arm movement, it meant that deep pass defense would be very, very difficult.
Three consecutive championships meant maintaining a high level of intense confrontation for three seasons consecutively; an undefeated season meant not letting guard down throughout the sixteen-game series, each game painstakingly testing time’s patience, turning into the pains ingrained in their bodies, making things progressively more challenging.
No wonder people always say it’s a curse, as no one has ever achieved it in League history.
Not only that, the usually silent Mahomes was not upset or dejected but immediately sat down to ice his ankle—
The injury from the regular season hadn’t fully healed, and tonight’s Mahomes’ mobility was somewhat affected.
A slight rustling, the air was a bit restless, and some tension.
Matty noticed it and looked at Li Wei helplessly, this was why he didn’t want to draw attention, barely managing to hold off the San Francisco 49ers’ relentless rise at the end of the first half, mental and physical exhaustion were bad enough, they didn’t need more bad news.
However, Li Wei thought otherwise.
The difficulties and setbacks were always there, and would not disappear just because of their ostrich-like behavior, ignoring the problems would only bury depression and frustration deep inside, potentially turning into shackles that break the balance at crucial moments.
To solve the problem, the first step was to acknowledge its existence; otherwise, everything was empty talk.
Li Wei took a deep breath, "Wow, so Kyle Shanahan was scared off by such a group of our ragtag bunch, too afraid to make a move in the last six seconds, this empty city strategy was perfect, I think the Oscar for Best Actor should not go to their tight end, it should go to us instead."
Kelsey rolled his eyes, "Kittle, George Kittle."
Li Wei nodded lightly, "Yes, that’s him," with complete sincerity.
Haha!
Explosive laughter, collective laughter.
Obviously, not the best time for jokes, but undeniably, the tense mood quietly relaxed.
Not only the players, but the coaching staff too without exception.
Veach’s eyes couldn’t hide his pride.
This scene couldn’t help but remind him of the time Reid showed him a game clip, the last moments of the NCAA 2016 national championship, facing the tension of a life-and-death situation, Li Wei remained calm and collected, never failing to lead the team to forge ahead with pride.
This, is their leader, their captain.