Chapter 853: 852 The so-called curse Chapter 853: 852 The so-called curse A matchup, another matchup, needle tip against awl point.
At this moment, it becomes clear that the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs share many similarities in style and strategy this season. Though constructed in different ways, the two teams demonstrate a comparable rhythm, creating excellent squads. Their fierce collision in the Super Bowl will hinge on in-game adjustments and on-field performances—
Just like the midseason Super Bowl.
“…Yes, I understand, I know.”
“Based on numerous analyses, the outcome should be a fifty-fifty split. The two teams are neck and neck, nearly indistinguishable. We can absolutely look forward to a peak showdown.”
“What’s more, weren’t the Los Angeles Rams the victors of the midseason Super Bowl? So, why is everyone unanimously favoring Kansas City?”
Blair Butt remarked: all sides besieged.
During the “Inside the League” program, Butt once again found himself in a tough spot. Out of ten professional commentators, the support was skewed “8:2” in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs. This was a scenario Butt did not anticipate at all.
In a flash, the nightmares returned, the haunting memories of last season’s ridicule shaking his belief in himself. This season had seemed to grant him some respite, shifting the spotlight slightly away from him. But now, the all-too-familiar spectacle had reappeared.
Butt shivered uncontrollably: Should I change my stance?
Butt didn’t like Li Wei. No particular reason.
Of course, he could list a hundred reasons to justify himself, but the truth was, he and Li Wei were inherently at odds. He just couldn’t bring himself to like him.
Even after two seasons of undeniably exceptional performances from Li Wei, Butt still refused to offer any praise.
If the match were one-sided, he didn’t mind objectively analyzing and acknowledging the dominance of the Kansas City Chiefs. But if the game was closely contested, after a rational, objective, and technical breakdown, he would still lean toward opposing Li Wei.
Butt kept waiting for the moment when Li Wei would fall from grace.
Unless Li Wei could produce continuously stellar and efficient performances across three, even five seasons like Peterson, Butt would never be truly convinced.
The American League Championship? Just missed it by a little.
And now the Super Bowl?
After a brief half-second pause, Butt’s thoughts still instinctively drifted to the other side—the side opposite Li Wei. “I still believe in Los Angeles.”
Sure, both the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs might have a shot in the Super Bowl. But with eight out of ten analysts bending the knee for the Kansas City Chiefs, Butt found it unbearable and felt the need to make his stance clear.
“Hey, let’s be rational here.” Butt straightened his back, assuming a battle-ready posture.
“I know, we’ve gone several rounds discussing data analytics, matchups, mentality, experience, tactics, and strategy. Everyone has their own points of reference to support their views.”
“But I only want to say one thing.”
“The Kansas City Chiefs had an outstanding season, but they still lost three games. That’s all I’ll say. I just want to remind everyone of that.”
The subtext couldn’t be clearer: the Los Angeles Rams had beaten the Kansas City Chiefs before and could do it again to claim the Super Bowl crown.
From the sidelines, a dissenting voice quickly chimed in, “Indeed, they lost three games. But they haven’t lost twice to the same opponent all season.”
Los Angeles Chargers, one win, one loss.
New England Patriots, one win, one loss.
So, for the upcoming Los Angeles Rams?
Perhaps, the Los Angeles Rams, who claimed a regular-season victory, should tread carefully.
Butt choked on his words, nearly gagging on his own saliva, but he swiftly rallied, “The Los Angeles Rams are the same—exact vengeance taken in the National Conference Championship.”
“And don’t forget about the MVP curse.”
Competitive sports often intertwine with superstitions and curses, and the NFL is no exception. The Super Bowl carries a plethora of lore.
For instance, the “Super Bowl Loser’s Curse.”
If a team loses the Super Bowl in one year, it’s said the following season will likely be unlucky. The Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers from the last three years have all emphatically proven this theory.
To date, no team from a Super Bowl host city has ever made it to the Super Bowl—
In other words, no team has ever truly held a home-field advantage in the Super Bowl.
Even more bizarre, since 2005, having home-field advantage in the Super Bowl has seemingly become a curse. Teams wearing away white jerseys have won the championship ten times, while only four teams triumphed donning their home colors.
There are also legends like the “Yankee Stadium Curse” and the bye-week curse in the regular season’s final week. These tales, grounded in historical data and coincidences, have no guarantee of scientific validity, yet they remain fan and media favorites year after year.
Among them, the most renowned, baffling, and inexplicable is the “regular-season MVP curse.”
Since the turn of the millennium, the regular-season MVP has gone without a Super Bowl victory for seventeen consecutive years. This includes elite players like Brady, Big Manning, and a host of legendary Hall-of-Famers. None have managed to break free.
The regular-season MVP symbolizes consistent excellence across the season, only to fade out during the postseason—or more specifically, underperform on the Super Bowl stage.
Among these MVPs are players like Cam Newton, Matt Ryan, and Adrian Peterson, who only received the accolade once. But it also includes veteran masters like Brady, Big Manning, and Rodgers, who repeatedly proved themselves, yet all without exception faltered in the Super Bowl.
Pressure, expectations, visibility—such explanations fall far short.
In the 2007 season, Brady led the New England Patriots to an undefeated regular season and secured an unquestionable unanimous MVP. Yet, shockingly, he lost in the Super Bowl to Little Manning’s wild-card blitz. To this day, it remains a mystery.
Still, it happened. What else could it be but a curse?
The last regular-season MVP to lead his team to a Super Bowl championship was Kurt Warner in 1999. It was also the same year he authored his Cinderella story.
That year, Warner was the quarterback for the St. Louis Rams.
After an unearthly season that earned him the MVP title, Warner’s Super Bowl performance was mediocre. But the St. Louis Rams’ defensive group rose to the occasion, delivering a goal-line stand at the one-yard line in the dying seconds to quash the Tennessee Titans’ last resistance. That moment was hailed as “The Longest Yard.”
Ultimately, the St. Louis Rams secured their franchise’s first Super Bowl championship with a 23–16 victory.
After the 1999 and 2001 seasons, the Los Angeles Rams are once again standing on the brink of a Super Bowl triumph. This time, they plan to take down another regular-season MVP, extending the curse of no MVP leading a team to a Super Bowl win since Warner, while clinching their franchise’s second championship ring.
Once again, all eyes turn to this season’s regular-season MVP: Li Wei.
So—can Li Wei break the curse?