Joe Burrow reveals amazing story on Evan McPherson game-winning kick
After his team’s heart-stopping 19-16 playoff victory against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow revealed an incredible story in the post-game press conference.
He said Bengals’ rookie kicker Evan McPherson did a couple of warm up kicks before the game-winner, then turned to backup quarterback Brandon Allen and told him: “Well, looks like we’re going to the AFC Championship Game.” A few moments later, the former Florida Gators star drilled the 52-yarder to win it as time expired. Legendary!
The game-winning kick sent the Bengals to their first AFC Championship Game in 33 years.
Drilling clutch kicks is nothing new to McPherson, as he’s quickly established himself as one of the premiere kickers in the National Football League.
Check out his stats below.
In Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings, he missed one of his first kicks in that game, but he bounced back in overtime and drilled a 33-yarder as time expired.
The game-winner against Minnesota was the first walk-off kick of McPherson’s life. What did he learn after he hit the first kick when the timeout was called?
“I learned that I struck that one well and I was gonna strike the next one well,” he told Ben Baby of ESPN after the game.
The game was in Cincinnati and it was the first win of the 2021 season for the Bengals.
His college football career was pretty incredible, too.
McPherson Florida career
McPherson established himself as one of the best kickers in Florida Gator history, finishing his career in Gainesville with 302 points scored. He drilled 51 of his 60 field goal attempts at Florida, while also nailing 149 of his 150 PATs. The Alabama native led the SEC with a career field goal percentage of 85 percent. Despite only playing three seasons at Florida, McPherson ranks 35th in SEC history in career points (302).
In 2020, he showed off his excellent length for the Gators, drilling four field goals from over 50 yards, good enough for the school’s single-season record. The 55-yard bomb he nailed against Ole Miss was tied for the third-longest kick in school history. The 5-foot-11 kicker was named a Lou Groza Award semifinalist as a junior, the award given to the nation’s top kicker.
He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.