When Patrick Mahomes hit Mecole Hardman for a three-yard touchdown pass with 5:04 left in the first half, the Kansas City Chiefs held a 21-3 lead over the Cincinnati Bengals, and it looked for all the world that Mahomes and his crew were headed to their third straight Super Bowl.
But the Bengals roared back in championship form, tying the game with 14 seconds left in the third quarter. Joe Burrow threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase, the Bengals converted the two-point try, and it was 21-21 at that point.
The key play came from Cincinnati defensive tackle B.J. Hill, whose tip interception set the Bengals up for that score.
B.J. Hill’s spectacular Big Man INT leads to Bengals tying Chiefs in AFC Championship game
The two teams traded field goals in the fourth quarter — Harrison Butker’s 44-yard field goal with time expiring sent things into overtime with a 24-24 score. When the Bengals lost the overtime coin toss, and Mahomes got the ball first… well, we were probably all thinking the game thing, right?
This game is over.
But Mahomes made two killer mistakes on his first and only overtime drive. He managed to avoid paying for the first, and he paid dearly for the second.
On the second play of overtime, Mahomes tried to hit receiver Demarcus Robinson on a slant, cornerback Eli Apple jumped the route, and had Apple held onto the ball here, this was a pick-six, and your ballgame in the other direction.
So, Mahomes wriggled his way out of that one. But on the very next play, Bengals safeties Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell bracketed receiver Tyreek Hill downfield, and the two defenders combined to make an incredible, game-clinching interception.
INTERCEPTED BY VONN BELL.
THE BENGALS CAN WIN IT WITH A FG. #NFLPlayoffs
📺: #CINvsKC on CBS
📱: https://t.co/dKNUFkxkbU pic.twitter.com/nJk7A8PqJR— NFL (@NFL) January 30, 2022
On the replay, you can see the great job Bates did of getting his hand in to deflect the ball to Bell without committing pass interference. If sacks can be split between defensive players, this was a case where the interception should have been split between Bates and Bell.
Burrow drove his team downfield, and with 9:26 left in overtime, rookie kicker Evan McPherson booted the 31-yard field goal that sent the Bengals to their first Super Bowl since the end of the 1988 season.
As for Patrick Mahomes, he now has the entire offseason to get over those throws that went the wrong way.
Mahomes on difference of 1st Half/2nd Half: “We we’re playing so well in the 1st Half and in the 2nd Half we were off a tick and that’s all it takes.”
— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) January 31, 2022
It doesn’t take much at all when you’re trying to get to the Super Bowl. Whether you’re on the right side or not.