Chapter 728: 727 Perfectly Concluded
The final week of the regular season was a tornt for the Oakland Raiders.
As ntioned before, the Oakland Raiders were set to head to Las Vegas before the 2020 season, marking their penultimate season in Oakland.
Clearly, for both players and fans, the emotional bond between the team and the city was inseparable. The players hoped for as much support as possible from the fans, while the fans wished the team would leave behind more cherished mories.
Unfortunately, these sentintal values ant nothing in the face of business interests.
Thus, the Oakland Raiders faced a difficult choice:
Should they go all out against the Kansas City Chiefs?
...
Even though the Kansas City Chiefs had already secured the top seed in the Arican League and the outco of the ga was inconsequential, the Oakland Raiders could still sicken their division rivals and add so talking points to the grudges between Oakland and Kansas City for future generations to relish.
Or should they surrender, lie down, tank?
Give up on this irrelevant ga completely, because the Arizona Cardinals are blatantly ready to flatten out, and the so-called “suspense of the second-worst team” has long ceased to exist. Oakland Raiders’ win or loss could not change their draft position for the next year, making the last week’s ga a complete waste of effort.
Caught in a dilemma, they were in a tight spot.
Of course, from the fans’ perspective, victory, victory, a hundred percent victory is the choice. After all, the team is planning to move to Las Vegas the year after next, so why should they care about the team’s future? Rather than draft positions, they still hope to irritate the Kansas City Chiefs one last ti.
However, from the team’s perspective, Oakland is now in the past; they need to consider Las Vegas. The draft pick is extrely important. Despite being out of contention for the top pick next year, they refuse to see the Jacksonville Jaguars “steal” their top pick, sothing they can’t bear to witness.
The answer erged—
Tank.
But to be fair, the Oakland Raiders were disunited and dysfunctional this season; even if they had tried their best, they likely would not have been able to shake the Kansas City Chiefs. Now that the tone was set, the ga was even more out of sync and a complete ss.
“3:35”.
When the ga ended, the Kansas City Chiefs swept the Oakland Raiders at ho, perfectly concluding their season—
Mahos threw another interception, but he connected with Watkins and the substitute Tight End, Detrius Harris, for two passing touchdowns, especially the fifty-three-yard pass to Watkins in the first quarter. After the catch, Watkins raced thirteen yards into the end zone for a decisive touchdown that set Arrowhead Stadium ablaze.
Damien and Ware, the two running backs, each scored a running touchdown.
Additionally, Safety Daniel Sorensen intercepted Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and completed a thirty-seven-yard return touchdown, scoring for the Defensive group.
The final ga of the regular season was brutally turned into a show.
The Oakland Raiders completely collapsed and didn’t even have the energy to be angry after the ga, leaving Kansas City dejectedly.
But for Arrowhead Stadium, especially for the Galas family, this was undoubtedly a carnival. In their first live football ga, they witnessed a party, and the adrenaline rush simply wouldn’t stop.
Cheering, jumping, singing at the top of their lungs, they shone unreservedly.
After the ga, the Galas family saw Li Wei again in the locker room.
Annie opened her arms and gave Li Wei a big hug, thrilled beyond asure.
“…Amazing, just amazing. Now, the only thing I regret is not seeing you score a touchdown.”
Annie hadn’t forgotten her wish list.
Li Wei, who was completely dry and had not shed a drop of sweat, looked at himself and spread his hands, “It seems, we can only look forward to the divisional playoffs now.”
Annie extended her pinky finger.
Li Wei was puzzled.
Annie raised her right hand, “Promise.”
Li Wei burst into laughter, linked pinkies with Annie to seal the promise, and then turned to his teammates, “You all saw it, I might need a bit of help when the ti cos, rember to give it your all.”
Ha ha, ha ha ha.
A wave of laughter erupted.
Jenna and Jeff exchanged glances, and it was only then they truly realized, it wasn’t just about victory, but more so the fighting spirit, the kind that makes blood boil to the point of scalding the soul, awakening vitality—
Annie, needed this kind of encouragent.
Mr. and Mrs. Galas exchanged a look, hiding the sadness in their eyes, took a deep breath, and with a smile, joined the locker room festivities.
By the ti Felix and Karen arrived at the locker room, they had missed the first part, but still witnessed the later half of Li Wei and Annie’s pinky promise.
Felix clumsily stepped forward, high-fiving Annie with his left hand and Li Wei with his right, excitedly raising his voice, “I am the witness. The witness!”
Jenna looked at Karen, noticing that Felix’s voice was hoarse, “Is everything okay?”
Karen took a deep breath, and although concern was etched across her brow, the words she spoke were different, “This is good.” She let out a long sigh, “Better than staying in a room, silent and uncommunicative.”
Karen looked at Jenna, and the two mothers exchanged a knowing look, touched yet sad, with their eyes slightly moist. Only they knew the bitterness and struggle, only parents whose children had truly gone through the tornt of cancer could understand.
“Hoo-rah!”
Li Wei, Annie, and Felix shouted loudly.
Jenna and Karen also joined in the noisy cheers of the locker room.
The 2018 regular season concluded with the last week’s gas coming to an end—
The Kansas City Chiefs finished the regular season beautifully with a victory, even with the second team playing, they still displayed the team’s growth and transformation with a resounding win, even against the disspirited Oakland Raiders. But a victory is a victory, a perfect full stop.
At the sa ti, this also ant that the playoffs curtain would rise the following week.
All the build-up, brewing, and accumulation had ended, all the chaos and suspense had fallen, one by one the answers were unveiled, and—
Finally entering the sprint to the final battle, the tense and thrilling single-elimination gas, one ga to determine the winner.
Unlike the NBA’s seven-ga series or the European Champions League’s two-leg system, like the World Cup, it’s a single ga at the pinnacle that decides the fate.
Randomness, unpredictability, and suddenness, everything is magnified dozens or even hundreds of tis—
Anything is possible, the underdogs overcoming the favorites, the lowly rising against the mighty, upsets aplenty, a dark horse reigning supre, nobody can rule out any potential outco.
Just like last season, no one expected the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles to et in the Super Bowl, nor did anyone predict that the Chiefs would actually have the last laugh.
Unpredictability, that is the fundantal reason why the NFL has beco the number one sport on the North Arican continent. The most exciting season of the year has finally arrived.
Now, standing at the crossroads just before the playoffs unfold, we reach the most intense and thrilling ti of the annual cycle, as a season of fierce competition moves into act two.
The big show, is about to begin.
First of all, the first question, who has survived this year to win the battle to enter the second round of playoff gladiators?
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