San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Cincy adds stripe as field goal seals AFC title berth
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Cincinnati Bengals just keep ending postseason droughts, and their latest victory has them in their first AFC Championship Game in 33 years. Rookie Evan McPherson kicked a 52-yard field goal — his fourth of the game — as time expired, lifting the fourthseeded Bengals past the topseeded Tennessee Titans 19-16 on Saturday to end the NFL’s longest active road playoff skid.
“He’s got ice in his veins,” Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said of McPherson. “There’s not much more to be said. He’s just as cool as it gets.”
A week after snapping a 31-year playoff victory drought, the Bengals finally won their first road game in the postseason after losing their first seven. They reached the 1981 and 1988 Super Bowls by winning on their home field.
Cincinnati will play in the AFC Championship Game next Sunday at the winner of the Buffalo-Kansas City matchup in the other AFC divisional round game Sunday.
The Bengals had three interceptions against Ryan Tannehill, two of which set up McPherson field goals. Logan Wilson picked off a Tannehill pass with 20 seconds left at the Cincinnati 47. Joe Burrow hit Pro Bowl rookie receiver Ja’Marr Chase with a 19-yard pass, then the Bengals ran twice to set up McPherson for the win.
“That’s a kicker’s dream,” McPherson said, “to have the game on your shoulders.”
Burrow shook off being sacked nine times as Tennessee tied an NFL mark held by four other teams for the most in the postseason. The Bengals’ second-year quarterback threw for 348 yards, and Chase finished with 109 yards receiving.
Joe Mixon ran for the Bengals’ lone touchdown, a 16yarder on their first drive of the third quarter.
“We found a way all year,” Burrow said. “Man, crazy, crazy game. That’s a really, really good team. Unbelievable defensive line. They had a great plan on defense. Credit to them, we found a way at the end.”
The Titans wrapped up their 25th season in Tennessee with their third straight loss on their own field, this one as the AFC’s No. 1 seed. They haven’t won at home since January 2003 in the postseason.
“I don’t think Ryan or myself or anybody did enough to win the game,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “That’s how it goes. It’s never going to be about one person, not as long as I’m head coach, which will be a while.”
Tennessee had running back Derrick Henry, the 2020 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, on the field after he missed nine games with a broken foot. He ran for a touchdown and finished with 66 yards.
Tannehill threw an interception on the Titans’ first play of the game. His second pick came on 1st-and-goal at the Bengals 9 in the third. He finished with 220 yards passing. A.J. Brown had five catches for 142 yards. Burrow was the NFL’s most sacked quarterback during the season, just ahead of Tannehill.
The Titans sacked him on his first snap and had three sacks in the first quarter. Burrow joins Donovan McNabb as the only quarterback to be sacked at least eight times in the playoffs and win. McNabb and Philadelphia won 20-17 in overtime against Green Bay in 2003.
The Titans had plenty of opportunities to win.
Henry was stopped on 4thand-1 at the Cincinnati 37 instead of Tennessee trying a long field goal for the lead with 7:16 left. They also got the ball back with 2:43 left and plenty of time to drive for the winning field goal themselves after scoring 10 points within 90 seconds late in the third quarter, tying it up at 16.
But Tennessee showed little awareness of the clock, running only one play before the clock stopped for the two-minute warning. On the third play, Tannehill’s pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine was picked off by Wilson, setting up the Bengals for the winning field goal.
“All day we were just shooting ourselves in the foot,” Brown said.
McPherson converted for his 11th field goal from 50 yards or longer, the most in a season for one player.
“He stepped up big and got us to where we need to go,” Burrow said.
Tennessee’s five sacks in the first half were the most in a playoff game since Jan. 8, 2000, when the Titans sacked Buffalo’s Rob Johnson five times in the game best known for the Music City Miracle.
Tennessee tied the NFL playoff mark for sacks in a game, held by Kansas City against the then-Oilers on Jan. 16, 1994, Cleveland vs. the Jets on Jan. 3, 1987; the 49ers against the Bears on Jan. 6, 1985 and Buffalo against the Chiefs on Jan. 1, 1967.