Cincinnati Bengals rookie kicker, Evan McPherson, kicked his team into the Super Bowl after drilling a 31-yard field goal in overtime of the AFC Championship game on Sunday afternoon.
McPherson’s successful field goal put the Bengals ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 and sent them to the Super Bowl, which will take place Feb. 13, 2022, against the Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood, Calif.
This was the second week in a row that McPherson’s leg gave the Bengals the win. This time, it snapped a Super Bowl drought that has lasted for over three decades.
McPherson (22) was the only kicker to be selected in the NFL draft last year. He played three years at the University of Florida before deciding to forgo his senior year and enter the draft.
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At the press conference following the AFC Championship game, McPherson was wearing a “God is good” t-shirt while answering questions from reporters.
McPherson’s four field goals on Sunday put him at 12 for 12 attempts this post-season, just two less than the record of 14 set by future Hall of Fame NFL kicker Adam Vinatieri.
In an Instagram post following the game, McPherson wrote, “To God be the glory!!! #whodey John 3:16” beneath an image of him pointing his fingers towards the heavens.
Before the season began, McPherson proposed to his future wife, Gracie, and posted, “I will love you forever and always Gracie Groat!! You are my soul mate and I couldn’t have pictured a better night than last night! You make everyday special and I can’t wait for you to be my WIFE!” He then wrote a reference to Mark 10:9, which says, “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
McPherson’s father, LaDon, told Bengals.com in September, “As parents, we want to take the pressure off him. We ask God to give us the pressure. Give us the tension and let him just do what he does. Give us all the anxiety.”
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Going into Sunday’s game, McPherson posted a reference to Deuteronomy 20:4, which says, “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
In almost every Instagram post, McPherson references Scripture or gives glory to God.
McPherson’s confident-but-humble attitude is infectious. Before the Bengal’s win against the Tennessee Titans two weeks ago, as McPherson was on his way to kick the game winning 52-yard field goal, he calmly told a teammate, “Looks like we’re going to the AFC Championship.”
Now they are headed to the Super Bowl, something the Bengals haven’t done since 1989 when they lost against the San Francisco 49ers 20-16.
