KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bengals owner Mike Brown said people in Cincinnati will likely be "Who Dey-ing through the night" after Sunday's AFC championship win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
"This is a proud, proud moment for the Bengals," Brown said. "I commend our players, they've done a wonderful job — our coaches were outstanding this season."
Rookie Evan McPherson kicked his second-straight game-winning field goal — this time in overtime — to send the Bengals to the Super Bowl.
Though Cincinnati struggled at the beginning of the game, the Bengals stuffed the Chiefs at the end of the first half to keep the deficit at 11 — the same deficit the Bengals came back from in their regular season win over the Chiefs. For the second time this year, Cincinnati roared back in the second half.
Despite Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes getting the ball to start overtime for the second-straight game, it was the away team that pulled out a win. Vonn Bell intercepted Mahomes, and Joe Mixon provided some important runs to set McPherson up for success.
Every Bengals win this postseason has come down to the final seconds (or in this case, overtime). Brown said all of the Cincinnati's competitors deserved to stand on that trophy presentation stage.
"We've played some close-won games, one after another," said the 86-year old son of Paul Brown, for whom the stadium in Cincinnati is named. "Every one of those teams could be where I am right now — they're deserving."
Brown has been criticized for the team's lack of success since he took over as owner in 1991. Perceived as a penny-pinching owner who blocks riverfront progress, some like Holy Grail owner Jim Moehring said this team and coaching staff have helped change that belief.
“Kenny Anderson told me once people don’t understand Mike Brown’s desire to win and how good of a human being he is," Moehring said. "And to see him getting some of that credit now publicly is what I’ve always heard privately. And I think hopefully it validates it."
Marvin Lewis expressed a similar sentiment.
After the game, Brown said going to the Super Bowl "has a nice ring to it."
"This is what we try for all our lives," Brown said.
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