Afterward, in a snowy Lambeau Box, Robbie Gould kicked a 45-yard field-goal to assert a surprising comeback 13-10 win over the Inexperienced Bay Packers to advance them to the NFC Championship recreation.
The 2 groups are actually one win clear of Tremendous Bowl LVI. The Bengals will seek advice from both the Buffalo Expenses or the Kansas Town Chiefs, whilst the 49ers will shuttle to both the Los Angeles Rams or Tampa Bay Buccaneers subsequent weekend.
Coming of age
For the Bengals, the 2021 season has been a time of rising at the greatest degree.
A franchise that has had such little good fortune — final weekend’s win towards the Las Vegas Raiders used to be their first playoff win for 31 years — this can be a dream run.
At the back of second-year quarterback Joe Burrow, rookie extensive receiver Ja’Marr Chase and rookie kicker McPherson, Cincinnati have evolved one of the vital potent offenses within the league.
However dealing with the Titans — the No. 1 seed within the AFC and alluring again famous person working again Derrick Henry — profitable in Nashville regarded a tricky order for an green workforce.
Alternatively, they by no means confirmed any indicators of nerves. The Bengals lead 9-6 at halftime sooner than Joe Mixon danced his approach in to increase the result in 16-6.
A loopy short time let the Titans stage the rating with simply the fourth quarter closing. A area target, a dramatic interception of a Burrow move at the very subsequent play and a phenomenal landing throw from Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill to AJ Brown arrange a dramatic finale.
And after some stout defensive play from either side, an interception of Tannehill from Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson arrange McPherson’s seize kick to ship Cincinnati to the following spherical.
Moments later, he used to be being swarmed through his teammates after pleasing his promise.
An dissatisfied within the snow
With temperatures losing to underneath freezing and the snow falling, touring from California to Wisconsin to stand Inexperienced Bay generally is a daunting process.
And the Packers set the tone early at house, an outstanding opening power finishing in an AJ Dillion landing to provide them a lead.
Whilst the 49ers offense struggled, so did the Packers after that, with a blocked field-goal their most effective different actual likelihood to attain within the first part.
San Francisco were given their very own field-goal in a while after, sooner than the Packers answered with their very own in the second one part.
Nevertheless it used to be a mistake on particular groups which modified the momentum within the 49ers desire, a blocked punt permitting Talanoa Hufanga to select up the unfastened ball and run in a landing with lower than 5 mins closing.
After preventing Inexperienced Bay’s offense once more, the 49ers have been ready to get in place to permit Gould to kick the game-winning kick and advance to their moment NFC Championship recreation in 3 years.
Whilst it used to be jubilation for the 49ers, the defeat starts an offseason of questions on the way forward for famous person quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Inexperienced Bay.
The 37-year-old, the NFL’s reigning MVP, is tipped to win the award this season however mentioned he used to be a “little numb” after the defeat.
Final offseason used to be filled with rumors and hypothesis that once 18 years with the workforce, Rodgers sought after to transport somewhere else.
However he says he will decide about his long term having had a while to imagine it.
“I will take a while and feature conversations with other people round right here, after which take a while away and decide — clearly sooner than unfastened company or anything else will get happening that entrance. It is contemporary presently. Slightly surprising evidently. I used to be hoping to have a pleasing weekend for the NFC Championship, to benefit from the lead-up after which get started considering some issues, so I have never even let the instant in reality sink in but.”
