Dominate the Super Bowl

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Whistle, whistle, whistle!

The game had ended, and the Kansas City Chiefs, playing at home, defeated the visiting San Francisco 49ers "27:17," welcoming their first preseason game victory.

The preseason, focusing on honing tactics and selecting the roster, does not prioritize winning or losing. Throughout the whole game, Li Wei only played one quarter, but still managed to rack up some stats with that one long sprint, advancing 101 yards and scoring a touchdown, showcasing his competitive abilities in a professional event.

Not just Li Wei, Mahomes only played half the game, with other backup quarterbacks taking the field in the second half. Currently, the Kansas City Chiefs have a total of five quarterbacks and eight running backs on their team, all of whom must be cut and adjusted after the preseason ends—even the backups must undergo rigorous trials.

Last season, after Jamaal Charles was injured, the shortfall from lack of depth among the Kansas Chiefs Running Backs was exposed and became a soft spot ruthlessly exploited by opponents. Reed did not want to repeat the same mistakes this year.

Following the game, the local media in Missouri was jubilant.

Li Wei. Mahomes. The two high draft picks traded up for by the Kansas City Chiefs at a great cost, not only represent the immediate combat power for the year but also the future of the team, bearing countless expectations.

And now, both rookies had put on impressive performances, proving their worth, and the media and fans were equally excited, eagerly applauding.

At the same time!

Stimulated by Li Wei's outstanding performance, another rookie running back, Hunter, was also determined not to be outdone and produced a report card that was in no way inferior to Li Wei's. He forcefully rebutted those who questioned the decision to select two running backs, showcasing not only the ground strength of the Kansas City Chiefs but also the depth of the bench and the richness of tactics, which were met with cheers.

Expectations climbed higher and higher.

However, the media and fans of other teams were much more composed.

"One game doesn't prove anything."

"Before mindlessly hyping them up, shouldn't we look at the performances of Fournette and McCaffrey?"

"Stay calm, calm down, it was just a victory over the San Francisco 49ers who are not adept at defense, there's no need to be so startled and rush to celebrate."

"Indeed, Li Wei did well, but was he really that outstanding? Outstanding to the level of a Top Scholar?"

"Let the bullets fly for a while, there's no need to rush to praise or criticize."

Bustling about were a group of impartial critics trying to bring calm back to the League.

In their view, it was clear that the League's executives, led by Roger Goodell, were trying to promote the Hua Xia and the Asian Market behind the scenes, and perhaps they were exaggerating Li Wei's six points to twelve, presenting him as a savior of Football, as if the NFL were a bunch of yokels who had never seen a real superstar, an unsightly spectacle indeed.

So one by one, they began dousing with cold water to cool things down, pulling on the reins.

Soon, their "reason" was also proven to be correct.

In the following second preseason game, the Kansas City Chiefs traveled to face the Cincinnati Bengals, and the previously well-performing offensive group completely lost its firepower.

Including Li Wei.

Just like the last game, Li Wei only played for one quarter, this time pairing up with starting quarterback Alex Smith.

On one hand, Smith was also looking for his touch and form; on the other hand, Reed focused his attention on testing short pass coordination. This caused the Chiefs' offense to revolve around the short pass area, unable to make headway with passing or rushing, making the scene somewhat dull.

The Cincinnati Bengals' targeted area defense was outstanding, strong where it needed to be strong, tactically sound, effectively restraining the Kansas City Chiefs' advance, the entire offensive and defensive standoff becoming a grinding war of attrition.

Li Wei, performed moderately.

This was the first time Li Wei had experienced the true NFL-level intensity of competition, from individual ability to team cooperation, a significant step up from his time at Louisiana State University. He was continually pinned down for speed, hit multiple walls, and the entire game was dull.

"12:30".

The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a crushing defeat away from home. Read latest stories on empire

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The joyous cheers from the previous game all quieted down, and the Kansas City Chiefs' shortcomings and weaknesses were fully exposed, giving the major media outlets an early Christmas.

"I've always said..."

That phrase summed up the central theme as one by one, experts emerged to claim they had foreseen this scene all along, that the Professional League wasn't that simple, from the intensity to tactics, it's a whole different ballgame compared to college football, and rookies like Li Wei and Mahomes still have a long road ahead of them.

"I'm really not just targeting Li Wei, but all the rookie players are trash."

"They were just rookies and yet they were hyped up to be superstars, isn't this a slap in the face?"

"So eager to create stars after just one game – I can barely watch this performance, what's next, are they going to start punching Brady and stepping on Manning?"

"If becoming a superstar was so easy, by now the league would be full of them. Wake up, Kansas City media, stop daydreaming."

"The professional career of the first Asian first-round pick in history, Li Wei, remains a demanding journey."

This was just preseason, and yet the news was already off the charts—

Winning, it's news.

Losing, it's also news.

In all this clamor, people selectively forget one thing:

Whether it was the first game or the second, Li Wei only played for one quarter, his role in the victory wasn't as significant, and similarly, his share in the blame for the defeat wasn't as large either.

Moreover, Li Wei is a running back, the often disregarded and overlooked running back. Traditionally, it's the quarterback who shoulders the responsibility for wins and losses; since when did running backs find themselves at the eye of the storm?

But, that's not important, none of it is.

The only thing that matters is that Li Wei is a topic, any topic related to him can easily explode with traffic, and everyone wants in on the action.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, the entire focus of the league, inside and out, revolves around Li Wei, and it spreads from top to bottom: from the highest team echelons to the average fans, even passersby who don't care much for football see Li Wei on their social network timelines.

A powerful breakout!

Whether they like him or not, whether it's praise or curses, the topic just can't veer away from Li Wei. In just a couple of weeks, from "Inside the League" to "Countdown to NFL" and other professional programs, there's been more than one or two episodes focusing on Li Wei, and the fierce, controversial clashes don't stop.

This, is what you call buzz.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell watched this scene with a silent laugh, his eyes filled with satisfaction and approval—

Let the haters keep hating, because that's how you get traffic.

Just with Li Wei alone, the NFL 2017 preseason discussions have already rivaled last season's playoffs in terms of heated debate, igniting the passion of the fans completely.

Good, very good, things are moving along the expected path, even far exceeding expectations.

The fervor, spreading everywhere.

Everything had become so crazy and noisy that the players couldn't stay out of it either; everyone was talking about Li Wei, including the top player in the league.

Tom Brady hadn't foreseen a day in his career when the first question at a post-game press conference would have nothing to do with him.

"Tom, how do you evaluate Li Wei's performance?"

Brady: Huh???

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