The Cincinnati Bengals continued their Cinderella story in the postseason on Sunday, upsetting the heavy-favored Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game to secure a spot in the Super Bowl LVI. Next, the Bengals will face the Los Angeles Rams, who beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.
The match didn’t start well for the Bengals as they found themselves trailing 21-3 early in the second quarter. At that point, it looked like the Chiefs were set to reach their third straight Super Bowl appearance without having to put much effort into it. But Cincinnati and their quarterback Joe Burrow had other ideas.
The Bengals first cut into Kansas City’s lead late in the first half with a 41-yard touchdown catch by Samaje Perine.
Cincinnati then went on a tear in the second half, scoring 14 unanswered points and getting a 23-20 lead midway through the final period. The Chiefs got the ball back with around six minutes left in regulation, putting together a long drive that ended with a tying field goal as the clock hit zero.
Kansas City won the coin toss to get the first possession of the game, but their struggling offense quickly found themselves having to overcome 3rd&10 at their own 25-yard line. The Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes tried to get his team out of the hole with a deep ball, but his intended target Tyreek Hill was in double coverage, and the pass was intercepted by Cincinnati’s safety Vonn Bell.
The Bengals patiently advanced the ball to set up a 31-yard field goal for their kicker Evan McPherson, who calmly put the ball between the uprights and got his franchise its first Super Bowl appearance since 1988.
