Both Conference Championships Go Down to the Wire in the Final Playoff Games Before the Super Bowl
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images.
Many deemed last week’s wild playoff matchups some of the best postseason games in NFL history but Sunday’s games are unquestionably now contenders for that list. Both the AFC Championship game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs and the NFC’s battle between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers came down to the last few minutes, with the eventual winners overcoming a previous point deficit to be on top when the final whistle blew, tied up in a bow with crucial interceptions.
The Bengals struggled during the first half, falling behind 21-3 at one point in the second quarter. But they hung on and managed to shave Kansas City’s lead down to just 11 points before the end of the half.
The momentum stayed on Cincinnati’s side. They completely erased the opposition’s lead during regulation, and the game went to overtime. A long pass by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was intercepted by Bengals safety Vonn Bell, setting up a game-winning 31-yard field goal by their rookie kicker, Evan McPherson — the same player whose 52-yarder last week as time expired propelled the Bengals to a 19-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans and their first AFC Championship game since 1988.
The final score was Bengals 27, Chiefs 24.
The Bengals’ stunning comeback is “tied for the largest ever in a title game during the Super Bowl era,” according to ESPN.
The Rams-49ers game had a similar story of a comeback, although not quite as stark as the AFC game. After a scoreless first quarter, San Francisco pulled ahead 10 to 7 at the half, got an unanswered additional 7 points during the 3rd quarter to put them up 17-7, but then the Rams jumped back in with 13 points of their own in the 4th.
The last 3 of those points came from a Matt Gay 30-yard field goal. The Rams locked up their W with an interception by linebacker Travis Howard of a toss from 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, under pressure from Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
Final score: Rams 20, 49ers 17.
Super Bowl LVI will air on Sunday, February 13 at 6:30 pm ET on NBC.
