Cincinnati Bengals rookie kicker Evan McPherson hit a 31-yard field goal with 9:22 left in overtime, sending the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl for the third time in franchise history, with a 27-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
The Chiefs lost a 21-3 lead, tying the AFC title game record for largest lead lost, in falling short of a Super Bowl title for the second straight year. Kansas City started the first half dominating the Bengals, but momentum shifted on the final play of the half, with Tyreek Hill stopped at the one-yard line as time expired, leaving the Chiefs still with the lead, but Cincinnati with momentum.
After a McPherson field goal gave Cincinnati the lead midway through the fourth quarter, Patrick Mahomes drove the Chiefs inside the Bengals 10 yard line, but the drive stalled, with a sack and fumble forcing Harrison Butker to hit a game-tying 44 yard field goal as time expired. On the first possession of overtime, Mahomes was picked off by Vonn Bell on a 3rd down pass, and the Chiefs never got the football back.
Cincinnati (13-7) will play the Los Angeles Rams (15-5) in the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Sunday, February 13th. The Chiefs finish the 2021 season at 14-6. The Rams won the NFC title for the second time in four years, with three second half scoring drives and a late-game defensive stop giving Los Angeles a 20-17 win over in-state rival San Francisco. This year’s Super Bowl will mark the second year in a row that a team will play in the NFL’s championship game in their home stadium, after Tampa Bay beat Kansas City in February 2021 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.