The upstart Bengals, led by sophomore quarterback Joe Burrow, defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in overtime on Sunday afternoon, wiping out the Chiefs’ chance to play in the Super Bowl for the third year in a row.
The Bengals will face the winner of tonight’s NFC Championship game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on Sunday, February 13.
The Chiefs took an early lead in the first quarter and looked to be heading for a defeat for the Bengals, at one point taking a 21-3 lead by the end of the second quarter.
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes was in fine form and the team’s offense played a near-perfect first half, cheered by a raucous home crowd at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
But the Chiefs would blow up a 21-3 lead. The Bengals scored a touchdown in the waning minutes of the first half, making the score 21-10, and made a strong defensive stop at the end of the half.
The Bengals opened the third quarter with two strong defensive stops against Mahomes and the Chiefs’ powerful attack, followed by a field goal to make the score 21-13. Then, on a turnover from Chiefs, the Bengals tied the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion as the third quarter drew to a close.
However, the Chiefs came back at the end of regulation and equalized the game with a Harrison Butker field goal, putting the third AFC title game in NFL history into overtime.
The Chiefs won the toss in overtime, but Mahomes was intercepted on his team’s first possession. That provided a field goal from Bengal to win the match.
The Bengals have never won a Super Bowl and it will be the first time that head coach Zac Taylor has served as head coach of a Super Bowl team. Taylor was the quarterback coach for the Los Angeles Rams when they appeared in Super Bowl LIII.