Chapter 351: 350 ends suspense
"22:27."
Assuming Li Wei's touchdown was legal, earning six points, then the Kansas City Chiefs would be able to take the lead by five points, but there would still be the possibility of a comeback in the game.
Opting for a one-point extra point would make the difference six points; choosing a two-point conversion would make it seven points; if the extra point attempt failed, the difference would remain five points.
In other words, no matter what the Kansas City Chiefs tried, the score could still be overturned with just one possession.
Despite the fact that Mariota's "Hail Mary" needed to be seriously questioned, the safest bet was to deny the Tennessee Titans' offense another appearance on the field, ending the game in the hands of the Kansas Chiefs Offense, making the two-point conversion attempt the obvious choice.
Seven seconds.
Seven seconds left until the end of the entire game.
"...after video review, the call on the field stands, Kansas City Chiefs, touchdown, number twenty-three..."
Boom!
Suppressed again and again, waited and waited, anxious and nervous all the way, finally, Arrowhead Stadium got the good news they had been waiting to cheer for.
But.
The Kansas City Chiefs had no time to celebrate, the offense remained on the field, Smith signaled to the referee that they were going to attempt the two-point conversion.
Afterwards, Smith called his teammates to huddle up.
Smith raised his eyes, instinctively glancing at Li Wei.
Li Wei was drenched in sweat, with the hot steam swirling inside his helmet, but those eyes were still bright, showing not a trace of fatigue.
Smith hesitated, "Rookie, how are you holding up? Still got enough energy?"
"To handle seven seconds, I can push through. But eight seconds..." Li Wei spread his hands, a helpless expression on his face.
"Haha."
The crowd erupted in laughter, and the tense atmosphere quietly dissipated.
Smith too, tugged at the corner of his mouth, but the smile ultimately didn't rise, "The rookie is right, seven seconds, we just need to hold on for seven more seconds."
"Hey, guys, the end is just ahead."
Finishing, Smith stretched out his right hand, then raised his head to look at Li Wei.
Li Wei's smile fully bloomed, "Remember what we said? Fight to the very end."
Li Wei's right hand joined on top of Smith's, followed by Kelsey, Hill, and so on; all eleven hands of the offense stacked together.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
The Kansas City Chiefs Offense lined up, ready—
In fact, the Kansas City Chiefs didn't even need to complete the two-point conversion; they just needed to run out the seven seconds of time.
Thus, the focus wasn't on offense, but on possession.
If the Kansas Chiefs were to fumble at this point, similar to what had just happened to Henry, it would be giving the Tennessee Titans another chance to cling to life, the stuff of real nightmares.
Reed decided to hand off the football to Li Wei.
The task of protecting possession suited the running back best.
Reed, of course, didn't overlook the severe toll taken on Li Wei, and was somewhat concerned, briefly considering whether Hunter should come on to protect possession. The critical point was that the Tennessee Titans also knew the Kansas City Chiefs would surely hand off the football to the running back, making the running back the main target, unimaginable pressure.
Thoughts flitting by rapidly, Reed still decided to trust Li Wei—
From the beginning, when Reed chose Li Wei, wasn't it because of his great composure in crucial moments?
Heavy, close-fought, substantial.
The Tennessee Titans also realized their slim hope, and at this moment, their defensive group ironically burst with a do-or-die spirit, recklessly ready to self-destruct; they attempted to crush the Kansas City Chiefs' resolve, with the air in the confrontational zone between the two front lines almost suffocating.
Until—
"Attack!"
Smith's snap count shattered the chaos, and in the next second, two waves of energy crashed head-on, causing an explosive surge.
As expected, Smith turned and handed the football to Li Wei.
In an instant, the storm surged.
The Tennessee Titans' defensive line erupted with astonishing power; Orakpo, Williamson, and even Byrd all stepped up, swarming in.
After all, they had nothing left to lose, their only move was to go all in, without reserve.
Even though the Kansas Chiefs Offense was prepared and had opened up their confrontation, they were still suppressed by the menacing charge of the Tennessee Titans.
The pocket, it broke.
Orakpo noticed Li Wei in an instant—
Target locked.
Unstoppable, charging ahead with indomitable force.
All Orakpo could think about was, even if they lost the game, he was determined to teach that rookie a harsh lesson during the head-on collision and vent the frustration in his heart.
But wait, the scene in front of him wasn't right, was it?
Li Wei, standing in the pocket, was not preparing to break through with the ball as usual; nor was he retreating with the ball to waste time by turning this way and that. Instead, he was reading the defense and adjusting his steps.
Just like... a quarterback.
What was going on?
Li Wei? A quarterback?
Huh?
Orakpo felt his brain wasn't working well enough, completely caught off guard, and then he saw Li Wei raise his right hand to make a passing gesture.
What? WHAT?!
The Tennessee Titans' defensive group had gambled everything on a full-on push, and not just Orakpo alone, but two others had also broken through the pocket.
What did this mean?
The short pass area was wide open.
Orakpo seemed to see the smile on Li Wei's face beneath the helmet: Ha ha, you've all been tricked.
Damn. Damn damn damn!
Orakpo made an emergency brake, stopping and turning on a dime; his quick reaction was extremely agile, as shame and anger surged within him. He refused to let Li Wei succeed and immediately turned to cover Kelsey, who was positioning himself to receive the pass.
Even though Orakpo had no idea when Li Wei learned to pass, he didn't care because this pass connection would not succeed.
"Hmm? This..."
"Li Wei? Passing?"
"The Kansas City Chiefs actually chose a trick play! My God!"
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"Li Wei is looking for a passing target, Kelsey?"
"No, Orakpo is already catching up fast, tightly marking Kelsey."
"But!"
"Oh, wow wow wow!"
"Is this a fake pass and real run? Or a read option? I, I don't know, because Li Wei didn't give up on passing, he ultimately chose to run the ball himself."
"My God!"
"Li Wei has just played the entire Tennessee Titans' defensive group!"
"Oh! My God!"
Push off. Stride forward.
Li Wei didn't hesitate to sprint straight down the slot, seeing Orakpo turning to guard Kelsey, the pathway straight ahead opened up just a crack.
Not big, but it was enough.
Passing?
Ha, fooled you, it's still a running play.
Li Wei lowered his center of gravity and forcefully squeezed forward through the bustling crowd. He soon hit a wall, but his steps kept pounding the ground relentlessly.
One step.
Another step!
Ah, ah ah ah!
Power, fully unleashed.
With a "whoosh," the path became clear, the tightly packed wall in front of him just like that crumbled apart, and a vast red wave cascaded down around him.
Pulled by the force of gravity, Li Wei firmly cradled the football in his arms as a roar erupted in his ears.
"Two-point conversion successful!"
"The Kansas City Chiefs' offensive strategy has fooled the Tennessee Titans again, easily completing the two-point conversion and using up all the game time."
"Game over, the entire game is over!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, the 2017 NFL postseason's first American League wild-card game has come to an end."
"The victors are the Kansas City Chiefs!"