As a lifelong Bengals fan I cannot put into words how happy I am right now to say this:
The Bengals are going to the Superbowl!
And while I am digesting what happened and my throat is recovering from screaming I decided to focus on one aspect of the game that I loved: the role of Buckeyes in getting the victory.
And not just any particular class of Buckeyes, we’re talking the 2015 National Championship Buckeyes.
I’m not going to focus on the NFL Defense or Offensive Players of the Year who played on that team. The legendary wide receivers. No, instead I’m going to focus on 4 players who play for Cincinnati and all made key plays in the victory today.
Let’s start with the first half. Chiefs are up 21-10 and in a position to score again before the second half when they would receive the ball.
Mahomes throws the pass to Tyreek Hill who gets tackled short and in bounds. As a result, time expired and the chiefs were unable to score. Tackle made by Eli Apple, a former Buckeye from the 2015 team.
4th quarter. The Bengals have taken the lead. Chiefs have the ball in the red zone with less than 30 seconds left. It’s third down. A field goal ties it but they’re looking to score. In comes Sam Hubbard (2015 Buckeye) for a huge strip sack (which the chiefs unfortunately recovered). This sack forces the chiefs to settle for a tying field goal.
And so the game is in overtime. The Chiefs get the ball first and per the NFL rules and most peoples expectations, this means the Chiefs will probably win. On the third pass of the OT opening drive Mahomes is intercepted by 2015 Buckeye Von Bell.
But none of these plays end up making a difference if the Bengals don’t have #9, Mr. Iceman himself under center. That’s right, in 2015, Joe Burrow was a Freshman at THE Ohio State University. Stuck behind some players named JT Barrett, Braxton Miller (who was now a WR), Dwayne Haskins and Cardale Jones.
And well, it worked out okay for him. And the Bengals are headed to the Superbowl.
Is there a better College Football team in history that can compete with the 2015 OSU Buckeyes?
Oh, and WHO DEY!
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