Postgame Observations: Evan McPherson Kicks Bengals Past Titans 19-16

Cincinnati is going to the AFC Championship Game

Author:
James Rapien
Publish date:
Jan 22, 2022 7:31 PM EST

NASHVILLE — The Bengals are going to the AFC Championship Game.

Evan McPherson kicked a 52-yard field goal as time expired to secure the 19-16 win.

It was ugly at times, but Joe Burrow and company got the job done.

McPherson made all four of his field goal attempts, including two kicks from 50+ yards.

Here are some of our initial observations from the game.

Turnovers

The Bengals forced three turnovers, including Logan Wilson's interception with 20 seconds left in regulation.

Cincinnati's defense came up big all game long, but there wasn't a bigger play than that one.

Protecting Burrow

Burrow was sacked nine times on Saturday night, which is a new Titans' playoff record. He was also hit 13 times.

The offense struggled to protect Burrow and couldn't get any push in the running game, which led to plenty of Kevin Huber punts.

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Blown Lead

The Bengals had a 16-6 lead early in the third quarter following Joe Mixon's touchdown run. Cincinnati had all of the momentum, but Tennessee answered with multiple big plays on offense and an improbable interception on defense to tie the game at 16 entering the fourth quarter.

First, A.J. Brown caught a 40-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill on a drive that ended with a field goal. Then, Amani Hooker made a diving interception at the Bengals' 42-yard line.

Tannehill threw a perfect 33-yard touchdown pass to Brown two plays later to tie the game.

Big Stops

The Bengals' defense stepped up multiple times on Saturday night. They tackled Derrick Henry for a two-yard loss on fourth-and-1 midway through the fourth quarter. The game was tied at 16 and the Titans could've attempted a long field goal. They opted to go for it instead.

Markus Bailey and Wilson knifed into the backfield and took down Henry.

It wasn't the only time they got a key stop.Linebacker Clay Johnston tackled Henry just short of the goal line after Tennessee opted to go for a 2-point conversation in the first half.

Up Next

The Bengals will play the winner of Sunday's Chiefs-Bills game on Sunday, Jan. 20.

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