Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 247: 246 Rookie Benchmark

The game ended just like that.

Elliott stood there, devastated and disillusioned, his face a mix of sighs and reluctance—

He had fantasized about arriving in Philadelphia from Cincinnati on a Rainbow Cloud, entering "God Mode" at the crucial moment, turning the tables with a desperate counterattack, and becoming the ultimate hero securing victory for the Philadelphia Eagles. Not only would he deliver a powerful counterstrike against the Cincinnati Bengals, but he would also prove himself.

Indeed, the moment the kick flew out, everything seemed possible, and he truly believed that he could be the hero of the victory.

He had even planned his celebration, high-fiving Wentz, passing on the heavy responsibility to Wanfu Mary, and then embracing the cheers of his new teammates.

However, everything abruptly came to a halt.

Li Wei.

It was Li Wei, who single-handedly extinguished the hopes of a Philadelphia Eagles comeback, strong enough, decisive enough, and most importantly, calm enough.

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Unflustered in the face of danger.

So, is this what superstar charisma is like?

Gently and deeply exhaling, Elliott carefully gathered his chaotic thoughts, looked up, and spotted Li Wei in the crowd, busily surrounded by Kansas City Chiefs players, not just from the offensive group but the defensive group as well.

Can you imagine? A rookie, a newcomer, quietly becoming the core of the team just two weeks into the season.

Perhaps, he should take Li Wei as an example, firmly grasp this opportunity, stabilize his footing in Philadelphia, and embark on a new journey.

After all, like Li Wei, he too was a rookie. If a running back can have their spring, why not a kicker?

His gaze fell back on Li Wei, filled with a bit of longing and admiration. Elliott hesitated slightly, wondering if he asked Li Wei to exchange jerseys, would he refuse?

Finally, after some hesitation, Elliott decided to give it a try. Before he could take a step, he realized someone had beat him to it—

Wentz.

Carson Wentz felt a bit embarrassed.

Goff was quickly labeled a "bust," and Wentz was severely criticized by the media. Compared to last year’s treatment of Winston and Mariota, it was like heaven and earth.

In fact, this game was no exception—

Even without attending the press conference yet, Wentz knew he was about to become a focal point of media scrutiny again.

Wentz’s intuition was right.

At the post-game press conference, a reporter directly confronted Pederson with the stats: in the entire game, last season’s leading rusher, Blount, had only one carry for zero yards.

Furthermore, throughout the game, the Philadelphia Eagles only attempted ten running plays, advancing seventy-one yards on the ground, fifty-five of which came from quarterback Wentz, meaning the running back group advanced only sixteen yards.

Sixteen yards.

This statistic was indeed bloody.

The media blamed everything on Pederson and Wentz; if Pederson hadn’t insisted on focusing on a passing offense, the Eagles might not have lost.

Wentz wasn’t surprised.

After all, every move he and Goff made could become an original sin, and every word they said was scrutinized under a microscope. Whatever happened, "blame Wentz" and "blame Goff" had become the norm.

Especially since the 2017 season had no rookie quarterbacks to share their pressure, Wentz and Goff still stood in the line of fire.

The pressure was suffocating, even if Wentz managed to switch to "God Mode" in the final moments to add suspense to the game. But it wasn’t enough, still far from enough.

This year, the pressure on Li Wei was even greater by comparison, and to some extent, even more exaggerated than Goff and Wentz combined.

People saw the historical brilliance created by Li Wei, but Wentz saw the pressure Li Wei endured as a running back, those labels, any one of which was tremendously heavy—rookie, Asian, running back, newcomer, and so on, each label was a mountain that could crush a person.

However, how did Li Wei manage it?

Under immense pressure, he didn’t bend, didn’t get scared, didn’t back down, but turned it into motivation, erupting with more powerful, more ferocious, more aggressive energy.

Setting a bar for rookies that was difficult to surpass.

Before he realized it, Wentz found himself standing before Li Wei, seemingly a subconscious act.