Patrick Mahomes and Co. duped, the next favorite eliminated: Thanks to a strong race to catch up, the Cincinnati Bengals defeated star quarterback Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs and entered the Super Bowl for the first time since 1988.
The surprise team won the title contender 27:24 after extra time and is now dealing with the winner of the Californian duel between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers, who meet on Monday night (ProSieben and DAZN).
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow threw two touchdown passes. In extra time, the strong kicker Evan McPherson scored the decisive field goal. Mahomes had three touchdown passes, but he made an interception in overtime that the Bengals used to win. By the end of the third quarter, the defense had already intercepted a pass from Mahomes, and Cincinnati managed to equalize a little later (21:21).
Bengals have historic chance
At the 56th Super Bowl on February 13th in Los Angeles, the Bengals now have the chance to win their first title ever. The Chiefs, on the other hand, missed the third final in a row. In the 2019 season they triumphed against the 49ers, a year later there was a smooth defeat against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers around superstar Tom Brady.
In those playoffs, Brady and his team were eliminated in the second round. On Saturday, reports suddenly erupted that the seven-time champion would retire at the age of 44 – but Brady’s father denied it a little later.
Mahomes only shines in the first half
The Chiefs convinced in the first two quarters with their highly dangerous attack. Mahomes distributed the ball well, his offensive line gave him the time he needed. The quarterback took advantage of this with touchdown passes to Tyreek Hill, Trevis Kelce and Mecole Hardman.
But after the break, little came together – and the Bengals, who had surprisingly won in the first round of the playoffs at the Tennessee Titans, took control.