Chapter 675: 674 Turtle Turnover
Lamar Jackson erupted, hands clenched into fists, as he passionately pounded his chest left and right, like King Kong atop the Empire State Building, roaring and unleashing all his energy without reservation.
He had waited and suppressed himself, and finally, the opportunity had come.
Behind the three consecutive wins, the whispers questioning Jackson’s quarterbacking skills and qualifications never ceased.
Facing the utter rookie Li Wei, Jackson, who prided himself as a genius, kept hitting walls, unable to turn the tide.
All that frustration, that anger, that pain, those endless nights honing his skills, finally found release in this face-to-face encounter through an astounding thirty-three-yard long pass as a counterattack—
This was his, Lamar Jackson’s capability; did you see it?
“Welcome to the Lamar Jackson Show.”
One shout, then another, climbing higher and higher, endless and unrestrained.
Jackson, holding nothing back, the eyes that had always been calm now burst with a murderous aura, forcefully suppressing the energy at Arrowhead Stadium.
Then, the Baltimore Ravens players joined in one by one.
Running back Edwards was the first to rush up, colliding passionately with Jackson, celebrating wildly, as if they had already won, or as if he firmly believed that the Ravens had now secured a superior position amidst the suspense of the game.
Suddenly, Edwards broke away from Jackson and sprinted towards the Kansas City Chiefs’ sideline.
Spreading his arms, moving sideways like a crab, sticking out his tongue, making faces, flaunting his dominance, his wild, reckless laughter reverberating in the ears.
Just then, a figure suddenly stepped forward, half a step—
Seeing that face, Edwards flashed a ferocious grin, ready to move in and scare the fragile rookie.
Yet, Li Wei’s corners of his mouth also twitched upwards, a smile appeared, and he raised the helmet in his right hand, swinging it forward without warning—
Edwards watched as the helmet enlarged in his pupils, his smile turning to horror, he instinctively reacted, braked hard to stop, leaned his upper body back to dodge, but because of his bulky and heavy body, and insufficient core strength, the lean turned into a stumble.
Like a turtle flipping over.
With a thud, Edwards sat down, his clumsy demeanor resembling a shaggy, dark bear.
Things took a sharp downturn.
Edwards was immediately overwhelmed with shame, looking up in a panic, only to realize that Li Wei didn’t even bother to mock or taunt him.
Indifference, sometimes more cutting than curses and mockery, Edwards scrambled up using his hands and feet, cursing as he fled in disarray.
Turning in a cloud of dust, Edwards ran behind Jackson, who stood tall and proud, his gaze fierce as he looked towards Li Wei, not hiding the murderous intent in his eyes.
Li Wei noticed it too and looked back, their gazes colliding in the air.
Jackson, unwavering, continued to stare at Li Wei, stepping back towards the Ravens’ sideline, but his gaze never flickered nor shifted, his fighting spirit burning fully in the air, intensely passionate, his blood boiling.
This was Jackson’s challenge—
Even though Li Wei had returned, seemingly unaffected by injuries, and the Kansas City Chiefs had regained their spiritual leader, their competitive state had once again improved, making Arrowhead Stadium burst into a frenzy; however, the Baltimore Ravens withstood the impact, maintained equilibrium amidst a powerful clash, and took the initiative to break the balance.
Utilizing Jackson’s unexpected, breathtaking long pass, expectations were completely overturned, and during this fierce confrontation, the Baltimore Ravens seized their first lead, gaining an advantage in the sprint to victory.
The Baltimore Ravens were in the lead.
Perhaps, Jackson’s first career victory against Li Wei was about to arrive.
At this moment, one could noticeably feel that the air had tensed up.
Throughout this season, the Kansas City Chiefs had also won several tough battles against teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Cincinnati Bengals; but in the most important and critical matches, the Chiefs had sequentially lost to the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams, exposing the team’s lack of stability at crucial moments.
Similar to last season, yet different.
Now, another crisis emerged, different from any battle this season, as the Kansas City Chiefs had continually maintained the lead and advantage, but during the second half of the fourth quarter, they encountered an unexpected turnaround, falling behind at the curve entering the final sprint.
Another test. Familiar yet markedly different, and no one knew the result.
All eyes, sporadically drifted toward Li Wei.
With his head held high, calm and composed, his whole being exuded a burning desire to fight, his fists clenched with excitement and eagerness, quietly awakening the boiling blood—
They were ready, for any challenge, any crisis, any adversity, facing the abyss with integrity.
Kansas City Chiefs’ territory, the twenty-five-yard line, first and ten.
What was slightly surprising was that in this game, both coaches, Reed and Harbaugh, hadn’t spent much energy on the special teams, with punts and kickoffs being very clean; instead, both teams engaged in intense strategic maneuvers in their tactical transitions between offense and defense.
Harbaugh subtly displayed a hint of surpassing the master.
In front of him, it was still so, with Harbaugh being the first to break the deadlock and make a change.
Throughout the game today, the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive strategy was consistently implemented, maintaining front-field pressure, opening up short-pass areas, disrupting Mahomes’ habitual rhythm, reducing his forces just right to force Mahomes into uncomfortable pacing, full of energy but unable to harness it effectively.
Undoubtedly, as the game progressed, Harbaugh’s tactics proved crucial, and this was one of many reasons why the Baltimore Ravens Defense could control the situation.
Now, with the Ravens taking the lead, Harbaugh immediately altered the defensive strategy, neither conservatively nor hesitantly—
Previously, the Baltimore Ravens Defense had also used blitzes, but they were based on applying enough pressure to create opportunities; now, slightly different, a direct blitz came right at kickoff, exploding the defensive aggression compared to pressuring.
Clearly, the Baltimore Ravens not only held the score advantage but were also ready to aggressively and thoroughly crush their opponents.
Without a doubt, Harbaugh once again demonstrated a leader’s boldness.
Because Harbaugh knew that facing Reed, a steady and secure strategy often led to a trap, and seeking stability might herald the onset of disaster.
However, Reed was Reed, recognized as a top-tier coach in the League even before he clinched a Super Bowl title; his maturity and wisdom had been showcased repeatedly.
At this point, how could Reed possibly be unprepared?
“Wait, the one with the ball is Li Wei!”
“Ah, no, that’s not right…”