Chapter 426: Surprise
boom!
With a loud bang, colorful paper fireworks fluttered all over the sky, dyeing the Jacksonville sky close to midnight with a touch of magnificence, and the gorgeous and enchanting peacock blue bloomed wantonly in the rich night.

The award ceremony reached its climax——

In the 2017 season, the AFC champion belonged to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ah!
The Old Oak Tavern had gone completely crazy. Everyone threw off the restraints of their chairs, regained the strength of their legs supporting the ground, and raised their hands high:
Jumping, cheering, shouting.

Ahhhhh!
West could no longer control himself, he clenched his fists and roared with all his strength.

Then, a turn.

West found Provos, who was stunned, in the crowd and shouted at that face in a frenzy.

“That’s our team!”

“Chris, do you hear that? That’s our team!”

Provos tried to smile, but found that his eyes were already filled with tears.

He looked at West’s flushed face, then at his friends in the pub who were completely throwing reason to the wind and partying together, and finally saw Anderson, who was stubbornly raising his chin to stare at the TV screen to hide the embarrassment in his eyes. An emotion that could not be expressed in words just broke out.

This time, Provos did not wipe away his tears.

For the first time in a long, long time, Provos did not hide his embarrassment and vulnerability, nor did he prick every warmth close to him like a hedgehog. He just smiled and showed himself frankly.

Suddenly, Provos raised his arms high and shouted loudly.

“fly!”

Who would have thought that such a simple word could contain so many emotions and fully display the inner excitement and passion.

Ah, ah ah ah.

Roaring, passion surging, blood boiling, smiles blooming in tears.

The next second—

“fly!”

The entire Old Oak Tavern shouted in unison, and those smiles, cheers, and happiness intertwined together, erupting like a volcano.

Perhaps there is finally a ray of light at the end of the winter haze that has shrouded Kansas City.

In fact, they are not greedy. Really, one playoff victory is enough. They dare not hope for more because they know that advancing to the playoffs is a feat in itself. In the long and miserable winter in Kansas City, this little spark of hope is already a luxury.

However! but!

One win. Two wins. Then, three wins.

Top the American League!

All this far exceeded expectations.

They believe, believe that their dreams will come true, believe that tomorrow will come, and believe that the future will be better, just like an innocent child, willingly believing in miracles.

Occasionally, there’s nothing wrong with foolishly believing in some fairy tales.

Life was hard, too hard, and they all knew that the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory could not change the plight of unemployment; but at least, dreams made life bearable.

They still persist, they still fight, they still don’t give up——

Keep walking.

As for the Super Bowl?
No matter what the result is, they will stand behind the team and fight side by side. The point is not whether they can win the game, but that they are still fighting, running and flying, and that is enough.

Obviously, they are ready.

Super Bowl, look out, the Chiefs are coming!
……

“This is history.”

“I’m not talking about the string of records Levi wrote as an Asian running back, nor the history Levi created as a rookie in the AFC Championship Game, although those numbers are amazing and will go down in history.”

“But.” “Beyond that, putting aside labels like Asian, rookie, etc., Levi and the Kansas City Chiefs are still making history.”

“This is only the second time since the turn of the millennium that the AFC champion isn’t named Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger or the Baltimore Ravens.”

“The last time such a feat was accomplished was by the Oakland Raiders in the 2002 season.”

“That year, John Harbaugh was not the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, Ben Roethlisberger had not yet entered the league, Peyton Manning was still rebuilding the Indianapolis Colts, and Tom Brady was considered a fleeting role player.”

“That year, the Oakland Raiders were still the dominant force in the AFC West, while their rivals in the same division, the Kansas City Chiefs, were still looking for hope for revival.”

“However, the Oakland Raiders entered a long slump of 13 consecutive years without making the playoffs, which is currently the longest record of the league’s continuous absence from the playoffs, and also the longest record of consecutive absence from the playoffs in the four major North American sports leagues, which ended only last season.”

“Now, the Kansas City Chiefs have won the AFC championship after fourteen years as a sworn enemy, and the world is completely different.”

“Maybe, all this is a coincidence, maybe not. The only thing that is certain is that the Oakland Raiders absolutely do not want to see this scene, but I don’t know what sparks will collide when the two teams meet next season.”

“We are clearly witnessing history.”

Not only the fans, but also the commentators Schrie, Nantz and Romo were amazed.

When the 2017 season kicked off, this was totally unexpected. Even when the Kansas City Chiefs upset the New England Patriots in the opening game, it did not change people’s predictions about the course of the season.

However, now?
Sure enough, the world of competitive sports is always full of surprises.

ESPN, “Inside the League” studio, New York.

They are on standby.

Because the live broadcast rights are not in ESPN’s hands, they do not need to broadcast the program simultaneously; but after the game, they need to record the program as soon as possible and review the game.

A closer look will reveal Bart’s absence.

“Oh, Blair’s outside smoking, he needs to be alone.”

Bart looked quietly at the cigarette in his hand, his furrowed brows filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Indeed, he predicted the result of the American League Final correctly, but why couldn’t he be happy?
Because Levi is still moving forward? Because Levi’s face-slapping performance that lasted for the entire season has not ended? Because his crow mouth failed to work for the first time?

and.

God, Super Bowl predictions, what should he do?
I’m so worried.

Bart took another long drag on his cigarette.

Across the mountains and rivers, Romo seemed to be able to hear Bart’s struggle, and he was trying to comfort his companion in his own way.

“There is no doubt that the 2017 season is subverting all predictions step by step.”

“Both conference finals were upsets.”

“The Philadelphia Eagles upset the Minnesota Vikings to top the NFC, extinguishing the Minnesota Vikings’ great dream of becoming the first team in history to compete for the Super Bowl championship in their home stadium.”

“The Kansas City Chiefs upset the Jacksonville Jaguars and won the AFC title. The Jacksonville Jaguars, as the biggest favorite to win the championship, hit a wall head-on. They still have a lot to summarize after the game.”

“So, ‘Dark Horse vs. Dark Horse’.”

“Two dark horses meet in the Super Bowl final. Now it depends on who can last the whole time.”

“Chances are, fifty-fifty, it’s going to be anybody’s game, really.”

“Before the season started, if someone had told me the Super Bowl matchup would be between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, I would have told them that the joke wasn’t funny, but now, I’ve become the joke.”

“However, this does not mean that the Super Bowl is not worth looking forward to.”

“In fact, this may be the most uncertain and closest match in the past 15 years. I am eager to try it out.”

“Phew, I’m really looking forward to Levi’s performance.”

Bart: …Nice knife skills, Tony.

(End of this chapter)