The Cincinnati Bengals pulled off the unthinkable in the AFC Championship at Arrowhead Stadium. They defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in overtime to advance to Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles. This Bengals team has handled every bit of adversity that comes their way and triumphed this season. Down 21-3 at one point in the second quarter and 21-10 at the half, the Bengals stormed back to briefly take the lead before settling for overtime as time expired. The Chiefs would win the coin toss, but a Vonn Bell interception would push the ball close to midfield only needing a field goal to win. Quarterback, Joe Burrow would then hit Tee Higgins on multiple passing plays before handing the ball off to Joe Mixon to get to the Chiefs 10-yard line. That enabled Bengals rookie phenom kicker Evan McPherson to drill a 31-yard chip shot to send the Bengals to Los Angeles for their third Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
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The Cincinnati Bengals Advance to Super Bowl LVI
California Dreaming
When this Bengals magical playoff win started against the Las Vegas Raiders, just winning the first playoff game in 31 years might have sufficed for many Bengals fans. Now, after beating the number one overall seed in the Tennessee Titans and the Chiefs for the second time this season, Cincinnati has proven they’re for real. It just so happens this squad has been California dreaming for several weeks.
IT IS US. We're here to make noise.
📺: AFC Championship Game – 3:00 PM ET on CBS pic.twitter.com/8gQUdVdYyx
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 30, 2022
To reach the Super Bowl, you need many aspects to fall into place to get there. This Bengals team has been increasing their aspect ratio since Week 16. They are also so young that they don’t know what they don’t know. This has served them incredibly well as they are rewriting this franchise’s history book.
Joey B Good
The superlatives to describe what Burrow has meant to this city and franchise are too numerous to count. In just two short years, one of which was cut short by a devastating knee injury, he has the Bengals within one game of a Super Bowl title. In every moment in the biggest games, Burrow just keeps getting better and better. While his numbers weren’t eye-popping against the Chiefs, he made several plays with his legs that kept drives alive and led to points. He also came up with those clutch throws to Higgins in the overtime period that were perfectly placed that ultimately led to the win.
The first No. 1 overall pick start a Super Bowl in his first two seasons.
Joey. Franchise. pic.twitter.com/NjvG6Ob76K
— NFL (@NFL) January 31, 2022
Cincinnati’s Own
The biggest storyline in the aftermath of this game was the stellar play of the Bengals defense in the second half. They totally changed their defensive philosophy following halftime. Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo decided to drop eight players into coverage on the majority of the snaps so Patrick Mahomes would hold the ball longer. This strategy worked to perfection. Mahomes was limited to just 55 passing yards in the second half as the Chiefs were held to only three points. The two plays of the game were from Cincinnati native, and defensive end, Sam Hubbard. He had two crucial sacks as the Chiefs were driving late in the game for the go-ahead touchdown and win. These types of plays have been a microcosm of the Bengals season. The team has had players dig deep at just the right moment and make plays to ultimately propel the team to victory. When the season began, not many fans, residents of Cincinnati, or maybe even Bengals players could’ve dreamed they’d reach the Super Bowl this year. Well, they’re one game away from the NFL’s ultimate prize. Just remember, if you’re going to dream a little dream, you might as well make it big!
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
