"Take them down! Take down the Steelers, we can definitely win!"
"Victory! Victory! The Super Bowl is waiting for us!"
On the field, the game had reached its final moments. The battle between the Los Angeles Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers had reached a white-hot intensity. The Raiders had performed excellently this season after years of decline. Although their performance in this game was quite good, they still trailed behind the veteran powerhouse Pittsburgh Steelers.
On the stadium scoreboard, it showed Los Angeles Raiders VS Pittsburgh Steelers, the score 14:20!
With time running out, the Raiders had the ball on offense. To qualify for the Super Bowl, the team had to score a touchdown in the next play to earn 6 points to tie the game, then kick the extra point to end the match.
All of this depended on the Raiders scoring a touchdown!
Not just ordinary fans, even Duke was a little nervous, eyes glued to the field. He had invested heavily in the Raiders. Although these investments would pay off in the future, the team making it to the Super Bowl would undoubtedly accelerate that.
Besides, as the Raiders' owner, it would be a lie to say he didn't want to see his team win the Super Bowl.
Less than a minute remained, and the Raiders had advanced to the Steelers' 20-yard line. This was already within a distance where kickers had a very high success rate. But a field goal only gave 3 points, which was useless to the Raiders they had to get a touchdown, as those 6 points were the only way to tie.
On the field, the Raiders had just kicked off when the referee threw a yellow flag onto the turf, penalizing the Raiders for a second down foul and moving their offense back 10 yards.
The Raiders, who had already reached the Steelers' 20-yard line, had to retreat 10 yards and attempt third down from the 30-yard line.
Duke's brow furrowed tightly. The 10-yard penalty would count against this series of downs, making third and fourth downs extremely critical. Thirty yards was almost an insurmountable gap.
In an ordinary game, a 30-yard touchdown wasn't rare, but at this critical moment, it was very difficult.
"Are we going to start all over next year?" Leonardo shook his head.
Duke smiled calmly. "Who knows?"
Although both were team owners, moments like this rendered them powerless, and even the coach's role was greatly diminished. At such times, someone had to step up…
The Raiders called their last timeout. After it ended, all the players gathered around quarterback Tom Brady to hear the final two play calls.
The team still had third and fourth down chances. The safest approach was usually to use third down to gain some yards, then try to score on fourth down to tie the game. Although time was short, two plays were enough.
"The safest option…" George Clooney suddenly spoke up. "Is to have running back Marshawn Lynch rush on third down with a ground play and try to gain yards."
Duke nodded slowly. He had played football before, though only at a very amateur level in a mediocre team at California Art College. Still, he had some insight. What George Clooney suggested was indeed the safest choice.
It seemed the Raiders were preparing to do just that.
Tom Brady stood behind the center, while Marshawn Lynch prepared nearby, ready to sprint. The Steelers' defensive linemen focused their attention on Lynch.
"Start!"
The Raiders' center snapped the ball, the brownish-red football flying to Tom Brady. The offensive line formed a pocket, firmly blocking the Steelers' defensive linemen. Such protection could only last briefly; each play gave the quarterback very limited time to handle the ball.
In Hollywood movies, quarterbacks were often portrayed as brainless, brawny idiots. In reality, a simple mind couldn't make a quarterback, especially in a pro team.
Pro quarterbacks were not only strong but often the sharpest minds on the field, the absolute soul of the offense. A star QB like Tom Brady frequently made critical on-the-fly decisions.
When Tom Brady caught the ball, Duke squinted slightly. Marshawn Lynch had already begun his sprint, and it seemed Brady was about to hand him the ball for the third-down play.
Just as George Clooney said, this was the safest choice, the one most quarterbacks would take.
Lynch sprinted, Brady turned his body toward him, and at full speed reached out his hand, seemingly handing the ball off. Lynch made the catching motion, then tightly clutched the ball to his chest. Seeing a gap in the Steelers' defense, he charged like a black lightning bolt.
Most of the Steelers' defensive linemen focused on Lynch. Over the past two seasons, this young running back had grown rapidly and already showed enough talent and potential to be recognized as one of the league's best future running backs.
Three Steelers defensive linemen broke free from the Raiders' blocks and lunged toward Lynch. A safety also slowed his pursuit of the Raiders' wide receiver, wary of Lynch breaking through and running unopposed into the end zone.
Many eyes were fixed on Lynch, only a few still watching Tom Brady, who was retreating rapidly and scanning the field.
"Tom Brady!"
Not everyone was fooled by the play; a Steelers player shouted out, but he was five yards away from Brady, and others even farther.
This five-yard gap, combined with the time it would take to reach Brady, was enough for a QB of Brady's caliber to make multiple decisions.
Brady noticed the safety slowing down to cover Lynch and deliberately left a Raiders wide receiver uncovered.
The brownish-red ball traced a beautiful arc, spinning as it flew to Brady's left front. Steelers players saw the ball and the open receiver and sprinted to intercept but were too late.
As a wide receiver, Julian Edelman's physical attributes were average, but he was extremely agile with solid fundamentals and had perfect chemistry with Tom Brady.
The instant the ball left Brady's hand, Edelman looked back, jumped, caught the ball smoothly, landed steadily, and with just two quick steps crossed the goal line...
Touchdown! Six points!
The Los Angeles Raiders tied the score!
The whole stadium erupted with cheers!
Duke and Leonardo DiCaprio also stood up, raising their hands high!
"!"
Shouting loudly, Duke and Leonardo embraced briefly. "Well done, Super Bowl, it's coming for us!"
They shouted a few words like regular fans, then quickly calmed down, joining others in applause after all, the game wasn't over yet.
Although the game was not finished, the suspense was largely gone. Soon, the Raiders' kicker easily made the extra point, putting Los Angeles Raiders ahead 21-20 over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Time was running out near the end, and the Pittsburgh Steelers ultimately couldn't turn things around. They could only watch helplessly as the AFC West champion Los Angeles Raiders came from behind to claim the Super Bowl spot.
The entire NFL format differs from other North American sports leagues.
Each year's competition is divided into three segments: preseason, regular season, and postseason. The preseason lasts four weeks and serves as a warm-up for the regular season; the regular season begins in the first week after Labor Day in early September, with each team playing 16 games over 17 weeks from September through December, usually on Thursdays, Sundays, or Mondays; after the regular season ends, six teams from each conference enter the playoffs: the four division champions plus two wildcard teams with the best remaining records.
Next, after three rounds of elimination games, the two conference champions meet in the predetermined stadium for the Super Bowl to compete for the championship trophy the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
One week after the Super Bowl, the two conferences select the league's best players to participate in the Pro Bowl a star game held in Hawaii.
This is the Raiders' first trip to the Super Bowl since 1983.
"Our team made it to the Super Bowl?"
Leonardo DiCaprio seemed to still not believe it. He held a symbolic stake in the team and was nominally one of the owners.
Duke slapped Leonardo's arm heavily. "I told you, this investment will pay off."
The two exchanged a glance and laughed together. Reaching the Super Bowl was already a huge victory for them.
Of course, winning the Super Bowl would be even better.
Duke and Leonardo didn't go inside the team's locker room. In American professional sports leagues, most owners keep a respectful distance from players it's a straightforward business deal: they put in the money, players put in the effort.
They wouldn't celebrate with the players but left Pasadena and went to Hollywood Boulevard, the real celebration spot for Hollywood.
However, George Clooney did not join them and left directly. Duke and Leonardo entered one of the most famous nightclubs, went straight to the bar, each ordered a drink, and chatted happily about the game they just watched.
Besides, they saw many people there they had seen on the field before, like Orlando Bloom.
....
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