Evan McPherson, the kicker for the Cincinnati Bengals, has had a lucky two weeks. Last week, he kicked the game-winning field goal against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC divisional game. This week, he kicked another game-winning field goal to send the Bengals to their first Super Bowl since 1988.
After the Bengals intercepted the Kansas City Chief’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes on the first possession of overtime, Bengals QB Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense got down the field to set up the rookie McPherson for a 31-yard field goal. He sent the ball through the uprights to give the Bengals a 27-24 win and their third AFC Championship in franchise history.
The Bengals came back from a 21-3 deficit to eventually take a 24-21 lead in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs got the ball back near the end of the game and brought it downfield to the end zone, but they had to settle for a field goal as time ran out in regulation, sending the game into overtime.
Last week, the Chiefs trailed by three with 13 seconds on the clock but drove down the field to set up a game-tying field goal to send their AFC-divisional round game against the Buffalo Bills into overtime. The Chiefs won the coin toss and scored on the first overtime drive, ultimately winning the game.
It looked like this game would go the same way, but McPherson said he had faith in his defense. McPherson wore a black shirt with “God is Good” printed across the chest during the postgame press conference. McPherson said, “Our defense had been playing so good all day. It was just time for us to get our turn and get a turnover there.” On Sunday, McPherson was 4-4 with his game-winning kick and is now 12-12 in the playoffs. His 12 field goals this postseason are a Bengals team record and puts him just two behind Adam Vinatieri, who had 14 in 2006, an NFL postseason record.
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McPherson isn’t shy about sharing his faith publicly, whether it’s with his postgame attire or sharing Scripture on social media. He regularly posts pictures on Instagram, before or after games or other events, adding a Bible verse in the caption. On Sunday night after the game, he posted a photo with “To God be the glory” in the caption. He added John 3:16, which says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Before Sunday’s game, he referenced 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.” Sunday’s kick gave McPherson his fifth game-winning kick of his young NFL career after kicking one in the divisional round to defeat the Tennessee Titans. McPherson doesn’t know what’s next for the team, but he’s enjoying the ride and all the attention the team has gotten.
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