Chapter 737: 736 Suddenly
The excitent of the playoffs continues.
Although the “Reed Bowl” clash between Pederson and Nagy is worth looking forward to, a kind of Super Bowl rematch, the ga between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Baltimore Ravens is even more exciting from any perspective.
So, the latter occupied the night ga slot.
It’s worth ntioning that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco had declared his recovery from injury, ready to return to the field, but Harbaugh did not change his mind, opting to keep Flacco on the bench as a substitute, with Jackson starting as quarterback.
This was the first ti in Flacco’s career that he served as a substitute.
Following last year’s drama with Little Manning in the New York Giants, Flacco too found himself sitting on the bench, as the new wave pushed the old, marking an unprecedented shift in eras.
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Undoubtedly, Lamar Jackson is the biggest winner among this season’s rookies, from being ignored on draft day to narrowly clinching the thirty-second spot, enduring every humiliation, but now he has beco the only rookie quarterback to lead his team to the playoffs—
Where are those quarterbacks now who were infinitely celebrated at the draft?
That’s also why the “Jackson VS Rivers” contest is generating even more buzz. Can Jackson, who defeated Flacco in an internal team competition, continue his strong performance by defeating Rivers to move forward in his playoff journey?
After all, if Jackson defeats Rivers, up next would be… Brady.
Just the thought alone has the dia and netizens collectively climaxing.
No wonder the pre-ga rumors were already buzzing.
Early Sunday morning, Li Wei’s apartnt was buzzing with activity.
For Li Wei, having a bye in the first round of the playoffs was still sothing new, slightly different from a regular bye week. Although the daily schedule was much the sa, the mindset, atmosphere, and environnt still differed—after all, playoffs are playoffs. In an era where information is ubiquitous, achieving complete tranquility and focus is nearly impossible.
In the 2016 season, the Kansas City Chiefs finished the regular season with a twelve-win, four-loss record, ranked as the Arican League’s top seed. After a bye, they faced the Pittsburgh Steelers at ho, but the team clearly hadn’t adjusted to the right track, eventually losing “18:16” by just two points and bowing out.
A lesson as painful as blood, fresh in mory.
Especially for Hill, Jones, and these third-year students, who were rookie rookies back then, having endured such a despairing loss.
They needed a bit of psychological treatnt.
So, Li Wei organized this “party” on ga day, getting the sophomores and juniors together to watch the ga.
When Kelsey and Houston heard about it, one by one, they voiced strong protests, these young people leaving the old folks to fend for themselves, each showing up uninvited, packing into Li Wei’s bachelor pad.
In Li Wei’s view, it’s all excuses.
These family n clearly didn’t want to spend their Sundays at ho staring at their wives and children, so they used watching the ga as an excuse to gather at Li Wei’s bachelor pad.
Otherwise, why wouldn’t they bring their wives and children along?
But does the reason matter?
Not really.
What truly matters is that they all gathered together, ready to watch the ga.
The first ga, between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears, was promising.
“Justin, Justin, what’s the difference between the coaching styles of Pederson and Nagy, and who do you favor more?”
“Pederson. Experience matters. There’s a real difference between having gone through the playoffs and not.”
“I also favor Coach Pederson, the Super Bowl was really thrilling.”
“But this year, Philadelphia has too many injuries, whereas Chicago is strong and healthy. Coach Nagy is truly impressive.”
Chattering, the atmosphere was extraordinarily lively.
Mahos hurried into the kitchen, lowering his voice, “Rookie, are you sure it’s okay not to serve alcohol?”
Today’s party, no alcohol.
Originally, it was fine to have a couple of drinks during the bye week, and since beer is considered a beverage, not alcohol, Reed hadn’t explicitly banned alcohol anyway.
But Li Wei had declared alcohol off-limits early on.
Forget whiskey or anything of that sort; they couldn’t even have beer. They were limited to soda water, juice, cola, and Gatorade—it was pitiful.
The regular season had just ended and the playoffs hadn’t started yet, so it was easy to beco lax during this break. It wasn’t so much about the alcohol itself, but the ntal state that mattered; drinking a couple of beers surely wouldn’t have been a problem.
If they had stayed at their own hos, Li Wei wouldn’t have been able to reach that far; but now they were at his apartnt for a party, and in the heat of revelry, it was all too easy for things to go off the rails if they weren’t cautious, so Li Wei had to guard them closely.
So, was this walking into a trap of their own making?
Even Mahos found it hard to watch.
Li Wei’s face was calm, “What, did soone ask you?”
Mahos looked troubled; those guys didn’t dare to ask Li Wei directly, so they ca to him with their problems.
Li Wei chuckled, “No worries, tell them that the alcohol is in the storage room. They can help themselves. Beer, spirits, baijiu, you na it. My dad even brought over a case of Maotai last ti to share with the team.”
Mahos looked skeptical, “Really?”
Li Wei nodded, “Really. The catch is, for every bottle they drink, we’ll add ten sets to tomorrow’s training, my quota.”
Having said that, Li Wei grinned broadly, showing off his neat set of big white teeth.
Mahos shivered.
Li Wei added, “I’ve counted every bottle already, and it doesn’t matter who drinks it; we’ll all train together.”
Mahos swallowed hard, caught in a dilemma, unsure if he should tell the truth.
Li Wei patted Mahos on the shoulder, “It’s okay, just tell them that. If there are any problems, they can co to . The storage room isn’t locked; they can co and go as they please.”
Mahos hesitated and then stepped back. Li Wei’s phone in his pocket began to vibrate. He glanced at the caller ID and flashed a smile at Mahos, “I’m serious.”
Mahos, seeing that mischievous glint in Li Wei’s eyes, couldn’t shake the feeling that Li Wei was deliberately encouraging them to drink so he could unleash a hellish training session the next day.
Once that thought erged, he couldn’t control it any longer.
Mahos blinked rapidly and sprinted out the door.
Li Wei burst into hearty laughter and answered the phone.
“Hey, Felix.”
It was indeed Felix calling.
Li Wei had exchanged phone numbers with Felix because of the situation with the kids at the hospital, allowing Felix to contact him anyti.
Felix had always been cautious about disturbing Li Wei’s training and daily life, only occasionally sending photos from the chemotherapy room.
What was happening today?
Was it because of the wild card race that the kid got excited too?
Unexpectedly, the voice from the other end of the phone sounded slightly distressed and tense.
“Li Wei… Li Wei… I’m sorry…”
“I… I need a bit of help right now, I am sorry, really sorry…”
Before he could explain the situation, Felix kept apologizing. It was clear from his voice that he was in distress.
Li Wei’s heart tightened, and the smile vanished from his lips, “Felix!”
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