KANSAS CITY –– When Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor called quarterback Joe Burrow on the night of the 2020 NFL Draft, Taylor only waited a few seconds before he cut to the chase.
Taylor told Burrow, the quarterback who had competed for championships his entire football life, that the Bengals were making this pick with the expectation that the Bengals could make it to the Super Bowl.
It’s the type of message that could have made a different quarterback feel pressure. But with Burrow, it was a message in line with the massive expectations that have been placed on his shoulder since he was an underclassman at Athens High School.
Taylor was bold using the words “Super Bowl.” At the time, the Bengals hadn’t played in that game since the 1988 season. The Bengals were coming off a two-win year with an aging roster and few long-term pieces in place. It looked like a steep climb to the top of the AFC.
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But with Burrow, Taylor believed the impossible could happen.
And now it did. The Bengals are heading to the Super Bowl. Burrow led the Bengals to a 27-24 win over the reigning AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs.
“We’re going to the Super Bowl, and it sounds crazy to say that," Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard said. "When you say that, it’s hard to believe. But we’re here."
In overtime, the Bengals defense did what so many teams haven’t been able to do. In a sport where both teams aren’t guaranteed the ball in overtime, the Bengals needed a stop against the best offense in the NFL.
After the Chiefs opening drive in overtime, the Bengals got the biggest interception in franchise history. Safety Jessie Bates deflected a deep pass attempt by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and safety Vonn Bell picked off the pass.
When Burrow got the ball back, he hit wide receiver Tee Higgins on two passes to set up a field goal. Then rookie Evan McPherson made the second game-winner of the postseason.
It took an incredible comeback and a stop in overtime, but the Bengals topped the Chiefs to win the conference. It really happened, the Bengals are going to the Super Bowl.
“It’s a moment you’ll never be able replicate," Taylor said. "We hope to do this again, but I don’t know if it’ll ever be this special."
When the Bengals were down 18 points in the second quarter, Burrow led a touchdown drive. When the Bengals were down 8 points at the end of the third quarter, Burrow hit wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase in the back of the end-zone and then connected with rarely-used wide receiver Trent Taylor on a two-point conversion to tie the score.
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Then early in the fourth quarter, Burrow threw his first interception of the postseason. It was the type of adversity that could ruin a game for a quarterback with less experience in championship games. But it didn’t matter for Burrow.
In a tie game in the middle of the fourth quarter, Burrow just escaped two sacks to scramble for first downs. Following a first-down throw to wide receiver Tee Higgins, Evan McPherson made a 52-yard kick to give the Bengals a 24-21 lead with 6:04 left.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes finished the game at the same high level, leading Kansas City to a game-tying field goal in the last second of regulation. But then in overtime, Mahomes made a poor decision that got Burrow the ball back.
With two clutch passes and a first down run from running back Joe Mixon, McPherson ended the game.
As Mahomes didn’t make his last shot, Burrow delivered under pressure. Burrow leading the Bengals from last place to the Super Bowl is the next greatest sign of why he’s becoming one of the best quarterbacks in his generation.
Before this season, Tom Brady was the only quarterback to beat Mahomes in the playoffs. Winning at Arrowhead Stadium in the postseason is one of the most difficult challenges in the sport.
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And then a quarterback, just over a year removed from reconstructive knee surgery, carried a Bengals franchise to the division title, to the first playoff win in 31 years, the first road playoff win in franchise history and now this.
You’re not dreaming, the Cincinnati Bengals are going to the Super Bowl.
"The Bengals are here to stay," McPherson said. "We mean business."
The franchise that for so long was known for its small front office, its outdoor practice facility and its lack of postseason success is now the best team in the AFC. The Bengals have won the conference title, and even better, they look poised to start a run of moments like these as long as they have Burrow.
The quarterback who has made everything possible all season showed why he’s called “The Franchise” in the Bengals locker room. This looks like just the start of a long run of success in Bengals history.
Led by an explosive offense and a quarterback who’s entering the best in the NFL conversation, the Bengals are exactly the team that Taylor promised to Burrow on the night of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Burrow was the difference. At one point, the Bengals scored 17 unanswered points to take a 24-21 lead. The Bengals defense, which was assembled through free agency in just two offseasons, got the final stop on Mahomes to win the game against the team that had been the class of the AFC.
And then like he has done all season, McPherson made the game winner. The entire team swarmed the field as Burrow and Taylor led the Bengals to a goal that looked impossible for so long.
“It was a special moment, and I'm so happy for the city," Taylor said. "They waited for this moment, and they supported us waiting for this moment."
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