Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 396 395 Dare to dream

Suddenly, Provo looked up, but he didn't expect Ware to glare back defiantly, making Provo feel somewhat guilty, instinctively averting his gaze, hanging his head low to stare at the bucket of murky water in front of him—

It wasn't black, but a nauseating grey.

Ware could not hold back anymore, blasting full force.

"You should be grateful, at least pretend to be, for how many bills David and I covered for you. Do you have any idea how hard it is to run David's tavern? My life's a mess too, God, I can't even find a job, I can only hope the bartender work at David's tavern can last a bit longer, just a bit longer."

"Again and again we tolerated your tantrums and rage, we're not your slaves; we don't need to bear your bad temper unconditionally, but we shut our mouths, always standing by your side."

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Because we're friends. Because our hearts all beat for the Kansas City Chiefs. Because our lives are all dreadful with no hope in sight."

"At least, at least we still have the Chiefs."

Provo gazed blankly at the bucket of grayish filthy water.

He thought he would be teary-eyed...

But there were no tears.

His eyes were dry without a hint of moisture.

"Chris, things are hard, really hard, but none of us ever gave up."

"This week, for the American League finals, even though we too wish to go to Jacksonville to support the team, obviously we can't; our wallets won't cover the travel expenses. So David decided to throw the doors open at the Old Oak Tree, welcoming all fans to come watch the game together."

"I think you should come too."

"I... I can't offer more help; I'm struggling to keep myself afloat. But at least, I can offer you a beer. Whether you come or not, that's your decision."

Ware stood still for a moment, waiting, while Provo kept his head down, as if he hadn't heard a word of the conversation, a breath of frustration stuck in Ware's chest, a thousand words churning deep in his throat, but in the end, he said none of them.

He turned and took heavy steps away.

After just two steps, he heard Provo's weary voice from behind.

"I'm afraid..."

Ware stopped in his tracks.

"I'm afraid that I'm a curse, the main culprit for the team's loss."

Ware turned around, ready to speak, but Provo beat him to it.

Provo stood there dumbfounded, his shoulders slumped in dejection, watching the crowd around him cheering and celebrating wildly, and suddenly he realized something important—

Kansas City really hadn't been this lively in a very long time.

The lifeless city was slowly coming back to life; despite the winter still being cold, it felt as if you could hear the quickening footsteps of spring approaching.

...

A question, how far can the Kansas City Chiefs really go in this year's playoffs?

Or perhaps a different question, when the champions of the National Conference and the American League are ready to battle it out, which of the remaining four teams will look most like champions?

League: ...

Silence fell over the group.

Before the playoffs began, experts had already given their opinions, declaring this season to be the most open competition yet:

Anything is possible.

Always, the biggest draw of the NFL has been the fierce competition and unpredictable scenarios, with the hard salary cap and large rosters leading to unpredictable changes every offseason, which in turn means that any team could potentially be the Super Bowl Champions each season.

The 2017 season, judging by the regular season performance, saw narrower gaps between teams than expected, and the playoffs were likely to have many surprises.

However!

The reality proved to be a shock!

Brees-led New Orleans Saints, Brady at the helm of the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers evolving from the "Steel Curtain" to an offensive trident, Los Angeles Rams with Donald, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers who respectively made it to the Super Bowl finals in the past two seasons...

A series of teams with championship potential, hot topics, and formidable strength, all floundered! All of them!

A total wipeout!

More surprising than a surprise.

And so, we have the scene before us, the last four teams still standing in the playoffs—

Philadelphia Eagles, with the unknown 2012 third-round pick quarterback Nick Foles stepping up to the starting position after Carson Wentz was ruled out for the season due to injury.

Minnesota Vikings, with 2012 undrafted quarterback Keenum becoming the team leader after both the starting and backup quarterbacks were injured.

Jacksonville Jaguars, led by mediocre quarterback Bortles who had not made a name for himself after two seasons. Your next chapter is on My Virtual Library Empire

And the Kansas City Chiefs, led by former first overall pick Smith who had only two playoff wins after more than a decade in the league.

...Really?

For a while, the experts tried to predict, but it seemed like they hardly knew where to start.