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Cincinnati Bengals book Super Bowl spot after Kansas City Chiefs’ ‘biggest choke job ever’

The NFL has been left stunned as one of the most remarkable turnarounds the sport has ever seen book a shock Super Bowl appearance.

Andrew McMurtryAndrew McMurtry
@AndrewMcMurtry
3 min read
January 31, 2022 - 11:26AM
The Bengals have done it. Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images/AFP
The Bengals have done it. Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images/AFP

The Cincinnati Bengals have gone from NFL also-rans to a Super Bowl side in the space of a year, making the franchises first decider in 33-years in a 27-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Bengals have never won the Super Bowl but have made it twice — in 1981 and 1988 — but on the back of second year quarterback Joe Burrow have made the big show as the first second year, No. 1 pick to ever pull it off.

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And the side ended the remarkable run of the Kansas City Chiefs, who played in the last two Super Bowls — winning in 2020 but losing to Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year — on the back of their superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The 26-year-old Mahomes, who signed a $A721m 10-year deal in 2020, was outplayed by his 25-year-old Bengals rival particularly in the second half.

The Bengals stole the match from 18-points down in the biggest comeback in Championship game history, AFC or NFC, when Evan McPherson silenced the Kansas City crowd with a 31-yard field goal.

In 2019, the franchise had the worst record in the NFL with just two wins and could only manage four last season.

To start this playoffs, they had not won a playoff game since a wildcard game in 1990.

It’s a result that no one saw coming before the season — Sports Illustrated even projected the side to finish 3-14 for the season and last in the AFC North.

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The NFL was in disbelief over the result.

The Chiefs got off to a belter of a start, leading 21- 3 early in the second.

Mahomes had a brilliant start linking with Travis Kelce for the first two touchdowns of the game.

After getting in the endzone at the end of the first drive of the game, the second touchdown was something special as Mahomes spun out of traffic and into clear air before tossing a from a potential sack 15-yard pass to Kelce to open up the lead.

But while the Chiefs had the 18-point lead, the Bengals were not going away quietly.

Although Mahomes had the ball on a string early, it took Joe Burrow a bit longer to find his rhythm.

Mahomes had more than double Burrow’s first half output at (Mahomes had 220 yards on 18 from 21, while Burrow was 101 yards on 10 from 18).

But the second year QB bounced back in the second half, cutting the difference as the Bengals launched the comeback.

A 70-yard drive ended in the endzone as a short pass to Samaje Perine saw the running back charge 43-yards to the house.

The Chiefs could have gone 21 points up but refused to kick a field goal despite being well within range at second and goal, going instead for the touchdown but getting stopped.

Joe Burrow has led the Bengals to a Super Bowl. Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images
Joe Burrow has led the Bengals to a Super Bowl. Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images

It meant it was 21-10 at halftime.

On ESPN after the game, Boomer Esiason said it was a call that changed the match.

“At the end of the first half, I think Andy Reid (Chiefs coach) made a really bad decision in going for that touchdown as opposed to kicking the field goal,” he said. “But the second half was about the Bengals defence and there is no question about that.”

The Bengals kicked a field goal followed by a 10 yard pass to Ja’Marr Chase followed by a two-point conversion to make it 21-all at the end of the third quarter.

Cincinnati then hit the lead when McPherson booted a 52- yard field goal to give the Bengals the lead.

But after Mahomes couldn’t get the go-ahead touchdown, and even left a 44-yard field goal to send the game to overtime, and Harrison Butker pulled it off.

The crowd at Arrowhead in Kansas City went wild as the Bengals called wrong on the overtime coin toss as the Chiefs chose to receive.

After the first pass attempt from Mahomes was dropped by the Bengals after the Chiefs overran it, a deep pass was picked off in the backfield by Vonn Bell.

The Bengals worked their way back up the field and were right back inside the field goal zone and McPherson claimed the victory with his 11th straight playoff field goal.

Speaking on the podium after the game, Burrow, said he grew up two and a half hours from Cincinnati.

“It’s something I’m really proud of, being from Ohio,” he said. “This is something I’ve always wanted, playing in the Super Bowl, and I couldn’t be with a better group of guys.”

Coach Zac Taylor added: “We have a special team, and we’ve overcome a lot of deficits this year, we always believed in all three of our phases. Everyone stepped up and we’re not done yet.”

Mahomes had a shocker in the second half. Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Mahomes had a shocker in the second half. Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

While the NFL world was all over Burrow for his performance, social media roasted Mahomes, who managed just 55 yards on eight from 18 in the second half.

Originally published as Cincinnati Bengals book Super Bowl spot after Kansas City Chiefs’ ‘biggest choke job ever’

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