HABOOB
Evan McPherson calls his shot before sending Bengals to AFC title game
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
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.
