"My God, Li Wei spun away from Mitchell's determined tackle, completely dodging it as if Mitchell were just a green rookie totally played by Li Wei, and then, Li Wei had already broken free."
"The twenty-five yard line!"
"Now there's only Davis in hot pursuit, but... Li Wei's speed."
So close, yet so far, that's indeed the most sorrowful and painful aspect of life, and Davis was experiencing this hard blow:
Clearly Li Wei was right in front of him, yet he was always just a bit short, just that little bit, and then he could only watch as the distance gradually increased bit by bit.
In the end, he was left far behind.
Arrowhead Stadium, the crowd went wild.
The sound rolled on, and then, the classical anthem rose again over the stadium, everyone shouting in unison with all their might.
"He's here, he's there, he's everywhere, he's the Edgerunner, Li Wei, Li Wei, Li Wei!"
The whole place, vibrating with excitement.
In the broadcast room, ESPN commentator Pash tried to find his voice, screaming and cheering, but was quickly drowned out by the torrential wave of the live crowd.
This wasn't the first or even the second time, but each time witnessing it live still made the blood boil, shivering with excitement from the feet to the scalp.
A tingling sensation.
"The game, it's not over."
"Without a doubt, the game is not over, and the intrigue of the outcome has returned."
"Indeed, the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive team possesses Roethlisberger, Brown, and Bell, they never lack explosiveness, always capable of unleashing energy for a fatal blow when their opponent slightly lets their guard down; but, Kansas has Li Wei."
"Li Wei, this year's top rookie running back again turned the tide, escaping four tackles, single-handedly dismantling the entire Pittsburgh Steelers defense, and bringing back the suspense seven seconds before the official time-out."
"Wow, Arrowhead Stadium witnesses a miracle again."
"First, Li Wei displayed his dazzling footwork in a confined space, then his sharp judgment amidst encircling dangers, and finally his absolute speed in a moment of instability, offering us a textbook-level ground advance." Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire
"God, are we really watching this for free?"
Li Wei, standing in the end zone, roared furiously.
Suppressed, tense, challenging, the tough nature of today's game also brought out Li Wei's strongest form, his eyes emitting a killer instinct that swept over the crowd.
One shout, then another.
Behind him, Kelsey, Hill, Smith, all followed suit, one after another rushing up, shouting towards Li Wei.
"The fat lady is still singing!"
"The fat lady is still singing!"
The game, it's not over.
The passion surged, as Arrowhead Stadium regained confidence, the roaring chants echoing for a long time, boosting the morale of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The offensive group returned to their positions, but Li Wei did not sit down. Instead, he walked to the sidelines, tossed the football to the Lineman Houston, met the gaze of the other defensive players, and finally looked towards Murray—
With Berry substituted in, Murray was obviously under a lot of pressure, especially facing Brown and Bell, the two major threats.
But isn't that the charm of competitive sports?
To dare to challenge the strong, even if one fails, what of it? This failure doesn't mean failure every time, and certainly not forever.
Each of them was pushing their own limits.
Li Wei said to Murray, "The fat lady is still singing, the game isn't over yet."
Murray: "??? What fat lady?"
As a result, the rest of the offensive players burst into laughter, silently dissolving the tense and oppressive atmosphere, igniting their momentum instantly.
Now, it was up to the Kansas City Chiefs Defense—
A two-point gap, with just two minutes and seven seconds until the end of the game.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, they just needed to hold on tightly to win; for the Kansas City Chiefs, they still needed to go all out.
Reed didn't choose to gamble with a kick because the risk of a gamble kick was too great. With just over two minutes remaining, relying on the defense was more reliable.
The next move was up to the two coaches' strategies.
If it were Tomlin's call, he would definitely opt for a ground advance to consume time, but Reed would absolutely choose to call a time-out, added to the official timeout opportunity, Reed essentially had four timeouts, which meant that Tomlin needed to secure a first down to maintain the initiative—
to waste all of Reed's timeouts and continue consuming time.
So, the focus was on how Tomlin could secure a first down while also eating up the clock?
Without a doubt, Brown and Bell remained key, and it rested on Tomlin how he would strategize.
First down and ten yards, Reed predicted Tomlin's ground attack strategy accurately. Just as Bell received the ball, Lineman Houston had him wrapped up.
Then, the two-minute official timeout.
Second down and twelve yards, almost everyone thought Tomlin would opt for a pass, but he gave the football to Bell for the second consecutive time. This time, Reed miscalculated, the defense was completely tricked, and Bell showcased his individual skill, forcefully advancing twelve yards, not only securing the first down but also forcing Reed to use his first timeout.
The Kansas City Chiefs were pushed to the edge of the cliff.
Bell appeared calm, but he still glanced towards Li Wei—
First, Li Wei performed excellently to turn the situation around.
Then, Bell also demonstrated top performance to prove himself.
Although there was no verbal provocation, the competition between the running backs still sparked, silently tipping the balance in favor of the Pittsburgh Steelers once again.
The Pittsburgh Steelers appeared very calm and composed, executing varied offensive tactics.
Tomlin stole a quick short pass at first down and ten yards; Roethlisberger tried to connect with Brown to stealthily secure another first down, but the Kansas City Chiefs Defense was highly alert this time, quickly surrounding Brown with three players, containing him without losing significant yardage, and avoiding prematurely losing the game right there.
Afterward, Tomlin didn't keep playing around, honestly opting for a ground advance. Bell didn't try to gain more yards, but deliberately charged into the crowd each time, relying on this deadlock to consume time and tightly protecting the ball to avoid any mishaps.
Finally, the Kansas City Chiefs Defense didn't make a mistake, halting three consecutive plays, and ending the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense—
Thirty-seven seconds, with the final thirty-seven seconds left in the game.
Moreover, Reed had no timeouts left.
This meant the Kansas City Chiefs had two offensive opportunities left; perhaps including one attempt at a Hail Mary.
Although the Pittsburgh Steelers hadn't completely extinguished the suspense of the game, Tomlin could accept this outcome. They were familiar with such scenarios, and the most important thing was:
No, clearly Smith didn't possess such boldness and audacity. If it had been Rodgers, they might have needed to worry, but not with Smith.
Thus, the Pittsburgh Steelers were very close to victory, 99%.