Dominate the Super Bowl

Useless.

This is the state Rodgers hates the most, holding a breath in his chest.

From the "Midway Super Bowl," Rodgers' season goal was set:

Defeat the Kansas City Chiefs led by Li Wei to reach the Super Bowl peak.

All focus, all willpower, all energy were rushing towards the goal at full speed. In the end, he couldn't even face the Kansas City Chiefs, losing twice to the San Francisco 49ers in the season, ending the season in a careless and perfunctory manner. The void and powerlessness almost overwhelmed him.

But soon, Rodgers realized that the real bad situation was yet to come, even the media had no interest in them anymore—

The more terrifying place than failure is when failure is no longer news.

Since when has the Green Bay Packers losing not been news? And since when has the Green Bay Packers stopping in the playoffs failed to attract attention? Since when has the team led by Rodgers not been a major contender for the Super Bowl?

It all started because of that guy.

"Li Wei!!!"

In the visitor locker room at Reeves Field, a roar burst out, but it couldn't be completely vented, cut off in an instant, stifled and stuffy.

Reality is so cruel.

Despite the entire league eagerly anticipating, hoping the Super Bowl could happen soon, immediately! Right now! Including the bystanders who couldn't contain their excitement, wishing they could immediately witness the "Battle of the Golden Boy" unfold.

But a good show needs patience and cannot be rushed.

Players need to recharge, the media needs to build up and ferment, and fans need to gather their energy. Only then can they appreciate the real spectacle.

So, the league has long arranged that from the conference finals to the Super Bowl, there's a bye week in between, giving the Super Bowl teams time to rest and adjust; at the same time, temporarily pulling back the bustling eyes of the league to focus on other teams and players, much like the NBA All-Star Game—

The Pro Bowl has arrived!

After all, the regular season is tough and lengthy, and aside from the two teams entering the Super Bowl, the other thirty teams should not be underestimated. Without their contributions, there would be no season's ups and downs. They too deserve attention and to have their own spotlight.

Before the league fully enters Super Bowl time, the focus temporarily shifts away from the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers to other players and teams.

It's time for the regular season summary and the Pro Bowl party!

The 2019 season Pro Bowl voting officially began in the last week of December, just before the playoffs kicked off. The league's nearly two thousand players were all eligible to compete, and fans cast their votes for the season's best lineup, another annual test of players' popularity and fame.

For two consecutive seasons, Li Wei took the top spot as the vote king with an indisputable advantage. If in the 2017 season, people complained that Hua Xia fans were voting too crazily, then Li Wei's ascent in the 2018 season was an unquestionable outcome.

And this year?

Netizens generally believed that Lamar Jackson might threaten Li Wei's position.

Firstly, the league needs new faces, people behave like fickle creatures.

Secondly, Jackson is a quarterback, whose highly entertaining style of play won applause from the entire league, professional experts, and social media, praising not just Pro Bowl popularity but as the top candidate for regular season MVP.

Thirdly, when the Pro Bowl voting started, the playoffs had not yet begun, Baltimore Ravens were still seen as the best contender against the Kansas City Chiefs, whether it's supporting Jackson or hoping someone can beat the Kansas City Chiefs, the votes would likely lean towards Jackson.

Suspense, significantly increased.

However, facts proved—

Overthinking.

Li Wei unsurprisingly took the vote king title for the third consecutive year, topping the Pro Bowl voting.

Moreover, with a clear advantage, the gap was huge, leaving Jackson no chance.

More importantly, in this Pro Bowl list, the Baltimore Ravens secured as many as thirteen seats, far ahead of the other thirty-one teams.

This shows that the Baltimore Ravens, who played a magnificent offensive game this season, truly won the fans' confidence, with multiple players reaching the best performance of their careers, and fans voting with fervor; yet even so, Jackson still couldn't shake Li Wei's position.

This exemplifies that Li Wei's appeal is far ahead, undeniably making him the current league's first man.

Nonetheless, Jackson still rightfully won the starting quarterback position for the American League Pro Bowl, becoming the focus of everyone's study this season.

In the American League quarterback position, Mahomes and Watson were substitutes, and after the Kansas City Chiefs announced collective absence from the Pro Bowl due to Super Bowl preparation, Tannehill took Mahomes' place.

In other words, the four quarterbacks in the American League Pro Bowl were the starting quarterbacks for the four teams in this year's division games, highlighting the high caliber of the American League playoffs.

The Baltimore Ravens led the Pro Bowl list with thirteen players selected, followed closely by the National Conference's New Orleans Saints, with eleven players.

Wait, what about the Kansas City Chiefs?

The Kansas City Chiefs, who maintained an undefeated record in the regular season, "merely" had eight players selected, a number so small it astonished the entire league.

After all, the Kansas City Chiefs, from any angle, were the most dominant team this season.

But viewed from another angle, precisely because the league and fans are accustomed to the Kansas City Chiefs' continuous wins and dominance, fans are holding the team to a higher standard.

In the end, the Kansas City Chiefs "merely" had eight players in the Pro Bowl, ranking third among thirty-two teams.

Offensive group, quarterback Mahomes, running back Li Wei, tight end Kelsey, wide receiver Hill.

Defensive group, defensive end Frank Clark, defensive tackle Chris Jones, cornerback Fowler.

Special duty group, return specialist Hardman.

Here, rookie wide receiver Hardman made the Pro Bowl as a return specialist, a small unexpected surprise because the wide receiver position was too competitive, and because Hardman often appeared as a special duty group player this season, fans' votes ultimately chose Hardman in this manner.

It's worth noting that although the number of selected players is "not many," except for Mahomes and Fowler as Pro Bowl substitutes, all other players were starters—

Without exception.

In other words, there was both quantity and quality.

This is the impression league fans have of the Kansas City Chiefs, a relatively stable and maturing team forming a top-tier championship team.

Additionally, on this Pro Bowl list, another noteworthy fact is that neither the Miami Dolphins nor the New York Giants had any players make the Pro Bowl, both registering zeros.

Also, Brady's record of making the Pro Bowl consistently for ten years since 2009 stopped this year, the first time in a decade, failing to make the Pro Bowl list.

The shock level is no less than in 2011 when Big Manning's nine-season Pro Bowl streak ended, but the difference is, back then, Big Manning missed the entire season due to injury and didn't play a single game; this time, Brady played the entire season and again led the New England Patriots into the playoffs, yet still missed the Pro Bowl.

Times have changed.

This feeling has never been stronger.