Drafting Joe Burrow as your franchise quarterback two years ago obviously helped the Bengals reach the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years.
Drafting a kicker who doesn’t miss, it turns out, helped them get there, too.
Rookie kicker Evan McPherson remains perfect through the AFC playoffs, connecting on 12 consecutive field-goal attempts — four in each of Cincinnati’s three wins — including a 31 yarder with 9:26 remaining in overtime in Sunday’s AFC Championship game to down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Kansas City.
McPherson, the Bengals’ 22-year-old fifth-round pick (149th overall) out of Florida, also had drilled a 52-yard field goal as time expired for a 19-16 road win over the top-seeded Titans last week in the divisional round.
He also made kicks of 32 and 31 yards Sunday through the first three quarters and a go-ahead 52-yarder in the fourth to help the Bengals come back from an 18-point deficit to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1988 -89 season.
