The Cincinnati Bengals are back in the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years, after a comeback win against the Kansas City Chiefs culminated in an overtime field goal.
The Bengals reached their last Super Bowl in 1989, losing to the San Francisco 49ers, who may well be their opponent again.
“Our defence was unbelievable in the second half,” quarterback Joe Burrow said afterwards.
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“I’m just a little speechless right now, I don’t even know what to say.”
Burrow conceded that when the coin landed in the favour of the home side to start overtime, he feared the worst.
“Usually when you lose a coin flip to those guys, you’re going home,” he said.
Instead, Mahomes had an interception dropped on second down before being picked off a play later, meaning the Bengals only needed a field goal to win.
They calmly drove up the field and gave rookie Evan McPherson a simple kick to win the game – and he duly obliged.
For the second straight week, the Bengals had marched into a higher-seeded team’s stadium and caused a boilover. Now, they’ll have a fortnight to rest up before the big game.
The fact that it was even close in the second half was remarkable – it was 21-3 in favour of the Chiefs late in the second quarter, before the Bengals completed the equal-biggest comeback in AFC Championship Game history, coming from an 18 point deficit to tie the game and then eventually lead 24-21 with a McPherson field goal.
They wouldn’t touch the ball in regulation again, as the Chiefs motored down the field, bleeding time off the clock.
A touchdown looked inevitable but instead, the Cincinnati defence held firm, and held the home side to a field goal.
The 49ers play the Los Angeles Rams later today in the NFC Championship Game.
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