All season long, Bengals tight end C.J. Uzomah has repeated the same message for Cincinnati’s 2021-22 outlook: Why not us?
Uzomah first repeated the phrase publicly on Aug. 2 during training camp, and has leaned on that mindset in the months leading up to the Bengals’ thrilling 19–16 win over the Titans to give the franchise its first-ever road playoff win. After the win, Uzomah had a different message for Bengals fans:
“We changed it from ‘Why not us?’ to ‘It is us!’” Uzomah said. “We’re those boys, baby! Next round, trying to win us a championship—we’re not done.”
The Bengals held a 16–6 lead late in the third quarter before the Titans struck quickly, tying the score in under two minutes of game time. A slog of a fourth quarter saw neither offense break through until Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill was intercepted by Logan Wilson at midfield. Cincinnati advanced to the Tennessee 34-yard line, setting up a walk-off 52-yard field goal by Evan McPherson.
Uzomah had 71 receiving yards on a team-high seven receptions on Saturday, a strong follow-up to his six-catch, 64-yard game against the Raiders in the wild-card round.
With the Bengals one win away from their first Super Bowl appearance in over three decades, Uzomah’s new motto has a chance to catch on like his old one already has.
“I remember saying it, and it has kind of caught on a little bit and taken over,” Uzomah said. “It’s kind of nice ... to me, all this outside noise is just that. We’ve got the pieces to make this run, so why don't we do it this year? Why not us, in this particular moment, go out, prove everyone wrong, put the city on the map right now and give them something to root for and win.”
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