Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 1624 A God-given Opportunity
The ghost lingers.

For Watson, it was like a nightmare he couldn't wake up from; he could never escape Watt's shadow, inside and out, in every nook and cranny.

He is the quarterback, the core of the team, and the future of the team. Watt should have handed over the locker room authority to him long ago, but Watt refused, always holding on to the power of the voice, fearing being ignored or overthrown. His poised and generous leader image in front of the media was all an act.

In reality, Watt was nothing more than a power-hungry, empty-headed good-for-nothing. Perhaps he was capable in his first few seasons in the league, but after two seasons of injury, he had long lost his peak performance. Yet he still occupies the position without doing anything, hindering the team's future.

If Watt had been willing to develop a successor and hand over the locker room to him earlier, perhaps they would have broken through the blockade and made it to the Super Bowl last season.

As for the San Francisco 49ers and Gallopolo, Watson considers them utterly worthless, and the Houston Texans have no problem beating them to the top.

With great difficulty, Watt finally got out of the Houston Texans' locker room, but they didn't expect that they still couldn't get rid of that guy's influence.

But from another perspective, this is also a good thing—

Watt and Levi, like a turtle eyeing a green bean, are a perfect match.

In this way, he wouldn't need to expend much effort; defeating the Kansas Chief in one fell swoop would be enough to prove himself. He couldn't wait to see Levi and Watt looking disheveled. Of course, the real focus was still on defeating the Kansas Chief.

Not only did he avenge last season's AFC Championship game, but he also shattered the Kansas City Chiefs' myth of invincibility, proving that DeShawn Watson is the next true king of the NFL.

Hmph, he's ready. He'll make the whole world tremble before him, and the chief of Kansas will grovel before him.

Surrounded by reporters, Watson slightly raised his chin, revealing an arrogant and confident demeanor, but the reporters were clearly unwilling to let him off easily.

“DeShawn, this is Arrowhead Stadium. The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t lost here in over two years. This game is obviously going to be a tough challenge.”

Watson scoffed, not even bothering to argue, "We'll see on the field."

He left behind a declaration and turned away with a flourish.

A rustling sound came from behind, followed by a commotion from the reporters. This made Watson straighten his back and feel confident. It was time for the Kansas Chief to step down from his pedestal.

In fact, Watson's confidence was not unfounded, as league professionals also believed that the Houston Texans had a chance.

Obviously, professionals know that the Houston Texans have lost two key players, and they also know that the Kansas City Chiefs are currently the strongest team in the league; but another fact is that the Kansas City Chiefs' seasons tend to start slowly.

The Kansas City Chiefs have had a poor preseason run for the past three seasons, including a four-game losing streak last season.

Reed needs time to test tactics and needs games to integrate players, which is consistent with the Kansas City Chiefs' style. In addition, Reed favors young players and hopes that rookies can integrate into the team as soon as possible and grow through games. The preseason is a good buffer period and transition zone.

It was thanks to this that the Kansas City Chiefs were able to quickly get into form after the regular season officially kicked off.

It's worth noting that since Reed took over the Kansas City Chiefs, they have only lost one season opener, a loss to the Tennessee Titans in the 2014 season.

However, this year is different.

Firstly, without a spring training camp, the adaptation of rookie players is generally problematic, not just for the Kansas City Chiefs, but for all rookies in the league.

Secondly, the lack of preseason games, or even warm-up games, means that all tactical drills have not been tested in actual combat; everything is just theoretical. Once the games begin, the head coach's on-court command will be crucial. The entire league knows that Reed's on-court command ability is a weakness.

Reed is a master of pre-game strategy, but now this master lacks data and practice to update his database, and the uncertainty in pre-game preparation is indeed increasing.

Some might say that the Kansas City Chiefs have a solid foundation, and even with last season's tactical system, they should be able to easily defeat the Houston Texans without Watt and Hopkins.

In the NFL, things don't work that way. Why do teams need to update their playbooks every offseason?
Aside from preventing the leakage of tactical manuals after player transfers, the real key lies in the professionalism of rugby coaches.

Last season's tactics have already been thoroughly analyzed. If there are no adjustments or innovations during the offseason, and the new season continues to follow the same pattern, the team will soon run into trouble. Relying solely on the team's existing strengths will not allow them to go far.

The same applies to other competitive sports, but this is especially true in the turn-based, competitive world of rugby, where the tactics manual plays a particularly prominent role.

For this reason, experts have suggested that perhaps—and this is just a possibility—the Kansas City Chiefs may experience some fluctuations and struggles at the beginning of the season, and it's not just the Houston Texans; throughout September, those teams may have some opportunities to win against the three-time defending champions.

"If you want to defeat the Kansas Chiefs, now is your chance."

"We must seize every opportunity when facing the Kansas Chiefs; a golden opportunity lies before us."

"Everyone is asking how to break through the blockade of Arrowhead Stadium, and now the opportunity has come. The 22% capacity will give the away team some breathing room."

And that's not all.

All the noise and commotion surged toward O'Brien—

He had no way out; he had to win.

On one hand, the Kansas City Chiefs are preoccupied with their own problems, while on the other hand, the Houston Texans are going all out. This mismatch could change the course of the match.

"In the Kansas City Chiefs, it's Watt's game; but in the Houston Texans, it's everyone's game."

"This is a must-win game against the Houston Texans, for the head coach and for ourselves."

“O’Brien has a golden opportunity to prove himself. Opportunities are rare, and he must seize them.”

O'Brien was obviously the focus.

This offseason, O'Brien abandoned two key players, Hopkins and Watt. Although he had the support of the team owner, McNair's support was conditional, not an endless and unconditional blessing.

O'Brien has always been in the spotlight, with rumors constantly circulating and the atmosphere in his locker room being turbulent and chaotic. There has been a constant stream of speculation in the league regarding O'Brien's locker room management.

Keywords such as "tyrant," "tough," and "absolute power" are swirling around O'Brien, especially after Watt's departure. The atmosphere in the Houston Texans' locker room is shaky and on the verge of collapse.

To make matters worse, those who knew the truth about the locker room gradually stepped forward and aimed their guns at O'Brien, pushing him further into the abyss.

(End of this chapter)