After kicking the game-winning 52-yard field goal to send the Bengals to their first AFC Championship since the 1988 season, the legend of rookie kicker Evan McPherson continues to grow.
McPherson, who has made four game-winners in his first season as a professional, oozes confidence.
This was evident as he calmly drilled his 52-yarder to send Cincinnati to the conference championship and became even more apparent in the postgame press conference, where starting quarterback Joe Burrow recounted what McPherson said before taking the field for the kick.
“So he was talking to Brandon [Allen] before he was going out to kick. He gave the little warm-up swing, and he said ‘Looks like we're going to the AFC Championship,’ right before he went out there to kick it.”
McPherson was asked about whether the story was true on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday.
“Yeah, I mean I think I explained like ... confidence is the number one thing for a kicker to have in my opinion,” McPherson said. “I kinda saw it as a challenge. You know, if you say something like that, you better go out there and back it up."
While McPherson is garnering plenty of praise for his game-winning field goal to send the Titans packing, it wasn't that field goal alone that was instrumental in the Bengals advancing to the conference title game.
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McPherson made all four of his field goal attempts in the contest, including two from more than 50 yards. The rookie has been getting the job done all season, converting 28 of his 33 field goal attempts, including a perfect 13-for-13 inside of 40 yards.
The Bengals have their hands full as they head to Arrowhead Stadium this Sunday to take on the reigning conference champion Chiefs.
A win on Sunday would send the Bengals to their first Super Bowl since 1988.
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