Bengals spurn ‘underdog narrative’
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Cincinnati Bengals went into the divisional round having never won a playoff game on the road. They hadn’t made the AFC championship game since 1988.
But Jan. 22 at Nissan Stadium proved one thing: These aren’t the same ol’ Bengals.
The Tennessee Titans played like a young, inexperienced team and not like the AFC’s top seed. Tennessee didn’t execute and made costly mistakes, mainly from quarterback Ryan Tannehill. The mishaps embodied a team not ready for the moment.
The fourth-seeded Bengals made timely defensive stops and executed in crucial situations, atypical for a team with little-to-no postseason experience.
Cincinnati (12-7) overcame the Titans (12-6) by matching a single-game playoff record of nine sacks. The Bengals forced three Tannehill interceptions to eke out a 19-16 win and a ticket to the AFC championship game Jan. 30.
Tannehill’s third and final interception was the back-breaker. Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson intercepted the ball at the Cincinnati 47-yard line with 20 seconds remaining. The Bengals went on a four-play, 19-yard drive culminated by a 52-yard game-winning field goal from rookie kicker Evan McPherson, who converted all four field goal attempts and received the game ball.
“This is the expectation for this team,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said after the game. “This is not too big for these guys. I know we haven’t been here before, but it sure feels like we have. You see the attitude of the team and the confidence that they have.
“You can’t replace the confidence that these guys have earned in themselves.”
Tennessee went into the
game with home-field advantage and the momentum of star running back Derrick Henry’s return.
But even 275 miles from home, the Bengals controlled most of the game.
Cincinnati won the turnover battle (3-1), had the advantage in time of possession by nearly seven minutes and never trailed despite quarterback Joe Burrow running for his life every series.
Burrow and the Bengals showed remarkable poise and composure during their first road playoff game in front of an announced crowd size of 62,242.
“Just a resilient group,” Taylor said. “They don’t panic. They know that we got a lot of talent and someone can step up and make a play to put us in it. That’s just what this team is all about.”
These new-aged Bengals are not the team that won six total games from 2019 to 2020. This season’s group is already up to 12 wins (10 regular season, two postseason). They are one victory from the Super Bowl, a game that hasn’t featured the Bengals since Jan. 22, 1989.
But don’t tell the Bengals about the past. Over 80% of the team arrived after Taylor was hired in 2019.
Some of those players, such as Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, D.J.
Reader, Vonn Bell and Mike Hilton, helped inject confidence and belief that is visible this postseason.
“I’m tired of the underdog narrative,” Burrow said. “We are a really good team.”
Burrow passed for 348 yards during the win. He was, by far, the superior quarterback on the field.
Chase totaled 109 receiving yards. He’s the first rookie in NFL history to record at least 100 receiving yards in multiple postseason games.
Reader had six tackles, including two tackles for loss. Bell registered six tackles and one sack. Hilton hauled in one of Cincinnati’s three interceptions.
“Defense played unbelievable and we made plays when we needed to on offense,” Burrow said. “It wasn’t always pretty but we got the job done. Like I said all year, we can win a lot of different ways. Defense came up strong today. Unbelievable.”
It wasn’t pretty, but good teams find ways to win. That’s exactly what the new-era Bengals are, and now they are on the verge of Super Bowl 56.
“This team is creating our own legacy,” McPherson said. “This Bengals team is going to be remembered forever.”