Cincinnati Bengals

When the 2021 season began, three of the four teams in the AFC North were talked up as postseason contenders. The Baltimore Ravens had an MVP quarterback and a stout defense. The Cleveland Browns had talent (on paper) on both sides of the ball and enough hype to float a balloon into the ionosphere. There were even those who thought that the Pittsburgh Steelers could milk one more season out of Ben Roethlisberger and ride their stifling D to a postseason run.

Well, as it happens, there will indeed be a team from the AFC North representing the AFC North in Super Bowl LVI. But it's not the Steelers, who were trounced in the Wild Card Round. Or the Ravens, who were ravaged by injuries. Or the Browns, who were the Browns. No, after stunning the two-time defending conference champion Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead in overtime, the Cincinnati Bengals are in their first Super Bowl since the 1988 season.

"Who Dey" nation is celebrating for one reason and one reason only—because the Bengals have one thing that no other team in the league does.

The Cincinnati Bengals have Joe Burrow. And if the 2021 season was Burrow's coming-out party, Sunday's historic comeback was something else. It was an ascension into superstardom.

Two years ago, the Bengals were a 2-14 dumpster fire of a football team. However, the team picked a good year to be terrible—possession of the first pick in 2020 gave Cincy the rights to Burrow, who was coming off arguably the best season a collegiate quarterback has ever had. Burrow's rookie year featured bumps in the road and flashes of promise in equal measure before and ACL tear ended it in November. The Bengals finished the year 4-11-1 and entered 2021 with modest expectations.

It didn't take that long to see Burrow and the Bengals were going to exceed those expectations. On Oct. 24, Burrow threw for 416 yards and three scores in a rout of the rival Ravens to lift Cincinnati to 5-2. He went one better against the Ravens in Week 16, throwing for 525 yards and four scores in another beatdown of Baltimore. When he threw for 446 yards and four scores the following week against the same Kansas City Chiefs the Bengals faced Sunday, it brought Cincinnati the AFC North title. Burrow set new franchise records for passing yards (4,611) and touchdowns (34).

Burrow followed that by leading the Bengals to a Wild Card Round win over the Raiders, which was the franchise's first postseason victory since well before he was born. Then Burrow guided the Bengals to an upset of the top-seeded Tennessee Titans that marked Cincy's first road playoff win ever.

But as Geoff Hobson wrote for the team's website, Burrow made it clear before Sunday's game that he had his sights set higher.

"I work really hard for these moments," Burrow said. "If I worked really hard and never got to a position I'm in right now, playing in the AFC Championship Game and a chance to go to the Super Bowl, I think that would be tough for me mentally to work as hard as I do each week in the offseason to come in and go .500 every year and be a fringe playoff team. I work so hard so I can get in these moments and play well."

Now, prevailing wisdom before this game was that for all the Bengals had accomplished this season, the run would end Sunday in Kansas City. The Bengals were seven-point underdogs on the road. This writer will freely admit that he picked the Chiefs to win by double-digits. For all the Bengals had done this year (including knocking off the Chiefs in Week 17), Kansas City was just too good offensively. Too experienced.

And for a time, it appeared that was exactly what was going to happen. While the Bengals struggled offensively much of the first half, the Chiefs found the end zone on their first three possessions. Had Kansas City not botched a goal-line possession at the end of the first half, the Bengals would have trailed by at least two touchdowns at the break.

But Burrow and the Bengals didn't panic. The defense stiffened, allowing just three points in the second half. Burrow got it going through the air, finishing the game with 250 passing yards and a pair of touchdown passes. And after the Bengals picked off Patrick Mahomes and Burrow engineered a nine-play, 42-yard drive that culminated in an Evan McPherson field goal, the Bengals had slayed the AFC's Goliath to reach the franchise's third Super Bowl.

It tied the largest comeback in conference championship game history. It's also the first time in league history a No. 1 overall pick has led his team to a Super Bowl in his first two seasons.

While speaking with CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson after the game, Burrow was quick to credit the team around him.

"Our defense was unbelievable in the second half," Burrow said. "They had a great plan on the defensive side against us. … Usually when you lose a coin flip to those guys you're going home. But our defense really stepped up and made plays in the second half. And on offense we made plays when we had to. I thought our offensive line played really well all day. And we started to run the ball a little bit at the end—that's exciting. Big win for us."

In fairness, he has a point. Running back Joe Mixon was third in the league in rushing in 2021. First-round pick Ja'Marr Chase (a teammate of Burrow's at LSU) shattered the NFL's rookie receiving record this year with 1,455 yards. Free agent acquisition Trey Hendrickson piled up a career-high 14 sacks and has 2.5 in the postseason. McPherson was a phenomenal kicker as a rookie. The offensive line has—well there are five of them.

The Bengals are a good football team. But we saw a good Bengals team make the playoffs five years in a row with Andy Dalton under center. Burrow has three more playoff wins this season than Dalton had over that entire run.

The Cincinnati Bengals are in the Super Bowl because they have a quarterback who rises to the occasion instead of shrinking in the moment. They are in the Super Bowl because they have a quarterback who looks at a 21-3 deficit and says, "Time to get to work." The Bengals are in the Super Bowl because they have a quarterback who finds losing a big game to be as foreign a concept as McDonald's pizza.

Yes, it was a thing. It tasted about like you would expect.

The Cincinnati Bengals are in the Super Bowl because they have a young superstar at the game's most important position.

And with Joe Burrow under center, they may just win Super Bowl LVI.

Long live Joe Brrrrrow. The frostiest young signal-caller in the league.

The Cincinnati Bengals are headed to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1988 season after overcoming an 18-point deficit to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in Sunday's AFC Championship Game.

After the overtime victory, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow reveled in how the team stayed poised even when they trailed 21-3 in the first half.

"We had been in worse situations all year, so there was no panic from us," Burrow told Fox Sports' Kristina Pink.

SUPER BOWL BOUND‼️@JoeyB joined @Kristina_Pink after the @Bengals AFC Championship victory! pic.twitter.com/meVoRGF6KB

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 31, 2022

Burrow gave a ton of praise to the Cincinnati defense, which held the high-powered Chiefs offense to just three points after halftime. For his part, he completed 23 of 38 passes for 250 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

The Bengals' run to Super Bowl LVI is somewhat surprising. Burrow was coming off a torn ACL and MCL that limited him to 10 games in his rookie season. Cincinnati faced scrutiny for drafting wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase with the fifth overall pick last year instead of filling some holes on its offensive line.

Burrow reflected on the team's quick turnaround from being near the bottom of the league last season to becoming AFC champions this year.

"It's exciting. We worked really hard for this," he said. "From last year, going 4-12, I only won two games as a starter, having my knee injury, to bringing in these free agents and drafting Ja'Marr. Everyone worked so hard for this moment. It's awesome."

Chase broke the record for most receiving yards by a rookie in a single postseason. He also caught his first career playoff touchdown, which helped Cincinnati tie the game in the second half. Burrow expressed the utmost confidence in Chase, saying, "One-on-one, I'm going to him every time, and he's gonna make a play for me."

The Bengals await the winner of Sunday's NFC Championship Game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams.

The Cincinnati Bengals are headed back to the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was one of many who lauded the performance of Cincy quarterback Joe Burrow after one of the biggest games of the year.

But not if get a generational talent in the draft! You would have said the same about the Cavs before 2003 right? Joe B is the absolute TRUTH!! We all saw and knew it!

— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 30, 2022

💨👑 pic.twitter.com/yIpdL2X37T

— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 30, 2022

While James is a Cleveland guy, it's no surprise he wants to see Burrow do well. The Bengals quarterback started his college career at Ohio State, and James is a noted Buckeyes fan. It was also just an incredible win for Burrow and the Bengals, who overcame an 18-point deficit with an unbelievable second half.

Burrow completed 23 of 38 passes for 250 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the win. He also ran for 25 yards on five carries. Perhaps the biggest difference between the first and second halves was the play of Cincinnati's defense.

Among other notable defensive plays, the Bengals picked off Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the fourth quarter before doing so again in overtime.

It's also important to note Burrow has been incredible throughout the 2021 season. In the Wild Card Round against the Las Vegas Raiders, the 2020 first overall pick completed 70.6 percent of his passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns.

He followed that up completing 75.7 percent of his passes for 348 yards, no touchdowns and one interception against the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round.

The Bengals now await their Super Bowl opponent in either the Los Angeles Rams or San Francisco 49ers, but whoever they face, they'll undoubtedly be ready and confident with Burrow under center. 

Cornerback Eli Apple has been on the receiving end of some criticism at times in his career, but he made a monster play in Sunday's AFC Championship Game and is letting the world know about it as the Cincinnati Bengals head to the Super Bowl.

The Kansas City Chiefs had a chance to go up 28-10 at halftime of Sunday's contest, but Apple tackled the elusive Tyreek Hill at the 1-yard line on the final play before intermission to preserve a 21-10 deficit.

It also started a Cincinnati comeback that saw the defense hold Patrick Mahomes and Co. to a mere three points in the second half and overtime.

Apple didn't shy away from calling Hill out after the game:

https://twitter.com/EliApple/status/1487934022890266634

Hill wasn't interested in hashing things out online:

No Twitter beef big dog just hit my line https://t.co/OxGkxTpwh3

— Ty Hill (@cheetah) January 30, 2022

Cincinnati's offense took advantage of the strong play from its defense and scored 11 points in the third quarter to tie it and eventually won the game with an Evan McPherson field goal in overtime.

Apple also had a critical pass breakup in overtime that he nearly intercepted and returned for the game-winning touchdown.

The Hill tackle was far from the only big play by the Ohio State product this postseason. He also broke up a pass from Ryan Tannehill during the divisional-round showdown against the Tennessee Titans that resulted in an interception by Logan Wilson. The turnover set up McPherson's game-winning field goal as time expired in that one.

The cornerback has notably struggled to live up to expectations during his career after the New York Giants selected him with the No. 10 overall pick of the 2016 NFL draft.

He previously played for the Giants, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers and took the time to rip the Saints and Giants online shortly after helping the Bengals defeat the Titans:

https://twitter.com/EliApple/status/1485500825854259204

When’s that giants playoff game start ? https://t.co/LBE4kZcc08

— Eli Apple (@EliApple) January 24, 2022

https://twitter.com/EliApple/status/1485460124063911937

Apple clearly isn't shy about using social media to call people out, including one of the best wide receivers in the league in Hill.

The Bengals and Chiefs play again next season, and Sunday's tackle and ensuing tweet will be a storyline in that one if Apple and Hill line up across from each other.

Joe Burrow is now one win away from sainthood in Ohio.

The Cincinnati Bengals star led his team to a 27-24 overtime upset of the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium.

Cincinnati is the AFC champion for the third time in franchise history and denied the Chiefs what would've been their third straight conference crown.

The Chiefs got the ball to open overtime, but a Vonn Bell interception of a Patrick Mahomes pass turned the tables. Cincinnati marched down the field to set up a 31-yard game-winning field goal by Evan McPherson.

Mahomes was electric in the first half, going 18-of-21 for 220 yards and three touchdowns, and the Chiefs were rolling. The Bengals exploded into life in the third quarter, turning what was shaping up to be a blowout into a dramatic affair.

Chiefs had a 95% win expectancy after going up 21-3. Now 56.8% after the Bengals tied the game. Cincy deserves a ton of credit for not shutting down after that early onslaught. Defense has been so much better.

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) January 30, 2022

A 52-yard field goal by McPherson put the Bengals ahead 24-21 with 6:07 left in the fourth quarter.

The Chiefs narrowly averted a disaster in the final seconds as Sam Hubbard sacked Mahomes and forced a fumble that was recovered by Joe Thuney. That allowed Harrison Butker to hit a game-tying 44-yard field goal to end regulation.

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Notable Performers

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs: 26-of-39, 275 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions; three carries, 19 yards

Tyreek Hill, WR, Chiefs: seven receptions, 78 yards, one touchdown

Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs: 10 receptions, 95 yards, one touchdown

Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals: 23-of-38, 250 yards, two touchdowns, one interception

Joe Mixon, RB, Bengals: 21 carries, 88 yards; three receptions, 27 yards

Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Bengals: six receptions, 54 yards, one touchdown

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These Aren't Your Parents' Cincinnati Bengals

The Chiefs were poised to effectively put away the Bengals for good when they had a 1st-and-goal at the 1-yard line with nine seconds left in the second quarter. Instead, Eli Apple tackled Tyreek Hill short of the goal line as time expired.

Needed that one. 😤

Watch on CBS pic.twitter.com/ow5LCbmk5u

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 30, 2022

That call might haunt Chiefs head coach Andy Reid for a long time.

After forcing Kansas City to punt on the opening drive of the third quarter, Cincinnati was suddenly in a position to make the home fans a little uneasy and trim its deficit to one score. That was quite the contrast to the dire state of affairs for the AFC North champions earlier in the contest.

Chiefs were up 21-10, had 1st and goal from the 1 with 9 seconds left and were getting the ball back to start the 2nd half.

Not a Bengals fan on planet earth who'd believe you if you told them they'd get the ball back with 13 mins left in the third quarter down 21-10.

— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) January 30, 2022

But a Burrow pass to Tee Higgins on third down fell incomplete, so the Bengals had to give the ball back to the Chiefs with nothing to show for it. Another trip into the red zone yielded just three points as McPherson made it a 21-13 game.

The third time was the charm after an interception by B.J. Hill set Cincinnati up at the KC 27-yard line. Burrow hit Ja'Marr Chase for a two-yard touchdown before successfully converting the two-point attempt to tie the score.

BURROW TO CHASE. TOUCHDOWN. #RuleTheJungle #NFLPlayoffs

📺: #CINvsKC on CBS
📱: https://t.co/dKNUFkxkbU pic.twitter.com/4oTvYaHBdM

— NFL (@NFL) January 30, 2022

It's rare that a draft pick can immediately alter a franchise's trajectory within a few seasons in the way Burrow has. The confidence he exudes is infectious for the rest of the team.

Even when the Bengals were down 18 points, nobody was counting them out for good. No longer is this a franchise that shrinks when the lights turn the brightest in the playoffs, and it all starts with Burrow.

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A Tale of 2 Halves for Kansas City

With almost three minutes off the clock in the second quarter, it was abundantly clear the Bengals were in big trouble. That's when Mahomes did this to help give the Chiefs a 14-3 lead:

Backyard football.@PatrickMahomes @TKelce

📺: #CINvsKC on CBS
📱: https://t.co/dKNUFkxkbU pic.twitter.com/kO5ujlp8i7

— NFL (@NFL) January 30, 2022

Patrick Mahomes & Travis Kelce (5-yd TD)

🔸 Time to Throw: 7.94 seconds*
🔸 Mahomes Speed: 15.44 mph
🔸 Scramble Distance: 29.6 yards

» Mahomes' longest time to throw on a TD pass of his career (including playoffs)#CINvsKC | Powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/16SjkJvPDI

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 30, 2022

How are you supposed to defend that?

Sunday's game didn't teach fans anything new about Mahomes, but it will never not be exhilarating to watch him do something no other quarterback in the league can pull off. His performance also highlighted the folly of all that early season handwringing about the Chiefs, which appeared to be justified at the time.

Imagine what this would look like if the league hadn't figured out Mahomes.

— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) January 30, 2022

Things tightened up in the second half thanks in part to some liberal application of the rules by the officiating crew.

https://twitter.com/MattLombardoNFL/status/1487907622925873154

Kansas City also struggled to adapt to how Cincinnati changed its defensive approach. The Bengals began dropping their safeties deeper, which meant Mahomes was struggling to find an open receiver when he got flushed from the pocket.

The Chiefs' Jekyll and Hyde performance was jarring for a franchise that is so battle-tested in the playoffs. They scored three points in the second half of an elimination game after finding the end zone almost at will in the first 30 minutes.

Reid and his staff will be left with a lot of questions about how things unraveled so badly.

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What's Next?

The Bengals can begin making plans for Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13 and await the winner of the NFC Championship Game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers to learn of their opponent. If the Niners pull through, then San Francisco and Cincinnati would face off in the Super Bowl for the third time.

Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase continues to add to his accolades in his first year.

During the third quarter of Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Chase surpassed Torry Holt for most receiving yards by a rookie wideout in a single postseason.

A new rookie record for receiving yards in the postseason! #RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/93eS5CeOzM

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 30, 2022

Chase, who entered the game with 225 playoff receiving yards, broke the record with a 22-yard catch in the third quarter that eventually led to a field goal. He later caught the touchdown that resulted in the game-tying two-point conversion for his first career postseason score.

BURROW TO CHASE. TOUCHDOWN. #RuleTheJungle #NFLPlayoffs

📺: #CINvsKC on CBS
📱: https://t.co/dKNUFkxkbU pic.twitter.com/4oTvYaHBdM

— NFL (@NFL) January 30, 2022

The fifth overall pick in last year's NFL draft, Chase has more than delivered in his first year. The LSU product was selected to the Pro Bowl and earned second-team All-Pro honors. He set the NFL single-game rookie receiving record with 266 yards in a Week 17 win over the Chiefs.

Chase started all 17 games this season and finished with 81 catches for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns, putting him in the driver's seat for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Chase's trajectory was somewhat surprising after he had struggled mightily in the preseason with four drops on five targets. He made headlines for pointing out differences that made the NFL ball more difficult to catch as opposed to the ball used in the NCAA. Despite facing scrutiny for his comments, he quickly put it to rest and was able to adjust by finishing the season with a drop percentage of just 8.6 percent.

Chase and the Bengals are hoping to achieve the team's first trip to the Super Bowl since 1988.

Cincinnati Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah reportedly has been diagnosed with an MCL sprain and "has got a chance" to play in the Super Bowl against the Los Angeles RAms.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the news on Monday, noting Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said the MRI on Uzomah's knee was "encouraging."

Uzomah suffered the injury early in Sunday's AFC Championship win against the Kansas City Chiefs and was later carted to the locker room.

Uzomah has been a significant factor for Cincinnati this postseason. During the team's 26-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in the Wild Card Round, he caught six passes for 64 yards and a touchdown on six targets.

The 29-year-old followed that up with seven catches for 71 yards on eight targets in an AFC divisional-round win over the Tennessee Titans.

Uzomah also put together one of his most productive seasons in the NFL during the regular season. In 16 games, he caught 49 passes for 493 yards and five touchdowns.

The 2015 fifth-round pick has been pretty durable through his seven-year career, appearing in at least 10 games five times. However, the Auburn product appeared in just two games during the 2020 campaign before suffering a torn Achilles.

If Uzomah is unable to return for the Super Bowl, the Bengals will turn to 2019 second-round pick Drew Sample. In 17 regular-season games, he caught just 11 passes for 81 yards on 15 targets. Mitchell Wilcox is also available. He caught three passes for 16 yards in 15 games this season.

That said, Burrow will likely look more toward receivers Ja'Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins to carry the load if Uzomah is out. Running back Joe Mixon is also effective in the passing game.

Cincinnati Bengals stars Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase are well prepared for an AFC Championship Game showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, one of the loudest in the NFL. 

And while many feel the Bengals should be concerned about the noise in Kansas City, Cincinnati receiver Tyler Boyd believes both Burrow and Chase, in particular, are prepared for the moment because they played together for LSU, taking the field in some of the loudest stadiums in the SEC. 

Boyd said, via ESPN's Ben Baby:

I think a lot of the guys, and specifically Joe, is ready for that because guys like him and (Ja'Marr) Chase and guys who played in the SEC played against opponents where it was hundreds of thousands of fans in the stadium.

The Bengals have prepared for the noise at Arrowhead Stadium by pumping in artificial crowd noise during practices, Baby notes. It was so loud the noise could be heard from blocks away. 

Security guard at Paul Brown stadium apologized for it being so loud, “they’re practicing.” Bengals are trying to simulate Arrowhead crowd noise at practice- here’s what it sounds like *outside* the stadium. pic.twitter.com/xb2D8kMJaC

— Michele Steele (@MicheleSteele) January 26, 2022

If they upset the Chiefs, the Bengals will reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 1989 (1988 season). 

Two days before leading the Cincinnati Bengals into the AFC Championship Game, Joe Burrow has scored his first big victory of the weekend. 

The Pro Football Writers of America announced on Friday that Burrow was named its NFL Comeback Player of the Year award for this season. 

Burrow and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott were the most likely candidates to win Comeback Player of the Year, though the PFWA doesn't specify if there were any runners-up in the category. 

Both players suffered serious leg injuries that ended their 2020 seasons prematurely. Prescott was injured in Week 5 when he suffered a compound fracture and dislocated right ankle against the New York Giants. 

Burrow tore his ACL, MCL and suffered additional damage to his PCL and meniscus in a Week 11 loss to the Washington Football Team. 

Upon returning this season, Burrow has developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and has transformed the Bengals into a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The 25-year-old threw for 4,611 yards, 34 touchdowns and led the NFL with a 70.4 completion percentage during the regular season. 

The Bengals won the AFC North this season for the first time since 2015. Their 26-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in the AFC Wild Card Game was the franchise's first playoff win in 31 years. 

Burrow has thrown for 592 yards and two touchdowns in playoff wins over the Raiders and Tennessee Titans. 

Cincinnati will play the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET in the AFC Championship Game. One more victory will send the Bengals to their first Super Bowl since 1988.    

Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow has continued to impress in his second season in the NFL, drawing comparisons to some of the best quarterbacks of all time.

"What Burrow is doing with that offensive line is impressive," a long-time NFL evaluator told Mike Sando of The Athletic. "His eyes are so quick. He sees it like Brady, Peyton, Brees at their primes. It is almost like Joe Montana, seeing it that quick and delivering it accurately."

Sando asked NFL personnel to rank Burrow, Josh Allen and Justin Herbert as the best young quarterback of the group. Burrow earned four of seven first-place votes, including from the person who likened him to Tom Brady and Peyton Manning among others.

The lofty praise might be excessive, but the 2020 No. 1 overall pick does have the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game one year after finishing 4-11-1. Burrow totaled 4,611 passing yards and 34 touchdowns in 16 games this season, leading the NFL with a 70.4 completion percentage and 8.9 yards per attempt.

His 108.3 passer rating was second in the NFL behind only MVP favorite Aaron Rodgers. 

If Burrow continues to improve, he could have a similar career to the Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers mentioned.