Evan McPherson calls his shot before sending Bengals to AFC title game
Jan 22, 2022, 7:27 PM | Updated: Jan 23, 2022, 8:41 am
Kicker Evan McPherson #2 of the Cincinnati Bengals lines up his game winning kick against the Tennessee Titans giving them a 19-16 win in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Nissan Stadium on January 22, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Ballgame.
That’s what Bengals kicker Evan McPherson called right before sending Cincinnati to the AFC Championship Game, quarterback Joe Burrow told reporters pregame.
“Gave a little warmup swing and he said, ‘It looks like we’re going to the AFC Championship,’ right before he went out to kick it,” Burrow said McPherson told him.
McPherson hit a 52-yard field goal to beat the No. 1 seed Tennessee Titans 19-16 at Nissan Stadium on Saturday night.
EVAN MCPHERSON. A ROOKIE.
THE @BENGALS ADVANCE! #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/B6QsNNNhyX
— NFL (@NFL) January 23, 2022
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Not bad for a rookie kicker, who is a perfect eight of eight in the playoffs and 11-for-13 from beyond 50 yards this season (including the postseason).
Weirdly enough, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel chose not to use his final timeout to try to ice the 22-year-old McPherson.
The kicker finished with 13 points on the night after going a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals — including two over 50 yards — in addition to one PAT.
Prior to this postseason, the Bengals had not won a playoff game since 1991.
Only two players on Cincinnati’s roster were even alive back then.
But in just a week’s time, the Bengals have rattled off back-to-back playoff victories to reach their first AFC title game since 1988.
Burrow and Cincinnati will continue to rely on the leg of McPherson if they hope to have a shot at upsetting the Kansas City Chiefs or Buffalo Bills on Championship Sunday.
It never hurts to have a kicker who has proven he is clutch in the playoffs.
Just ask Tom Brady how he feels about Adam Vinatieri’s impact on his career.
