Loveland, Ohio – Loveland Magazine is very excited to announce that we are expanding our sports social media experience to encompass Facebook, X, and even Instagram.
After you are done browsing our hard-hitting sports articles at Loveland Magazine, head on over to The Loveland Magazine Sports Desk. There, across all three platforms, we will be bringing you some more concise and up-to-the-minute updates on all of the sports teams you follow every day. Whether you’re watching a Reds or Bengals game in real-time and want to weigh in, or if you drop by the day after the game to check in on what happened and give your thoughts, you now have three more ways to get into the game and get the discussion going! We also look forward to bringing you local Loveland sports stories about all your hometown teams, including Loveland football and more.
We appreciate your ongoing support and comments, so look forward to seeing you across the social media universe!
To follow The Loveland Magazine Sports Desk on Facebook, click here.
Instagram is also a great way to post pictures of local Loveland sports, and we hope to have more content there very soon, but for now feel free to check in on our progress and give us a follow at this link.
However you get in contact with us, we are happy to have you and look forward to a lot of fun together this summer and onward.
Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?
Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?
Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.
On Monday, Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins officially ended his holdout and signed his franchise tender. He’ll now make $21.816 million fully guaranteed for the 2024 season. Higgins played in 12 games last year and caught 76 passes for 656 yards and 5 touchdowns. His season high in receiving yards came on December 23 when he had 5 receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown in a 34-11 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent much of 2023 dealing with lingering rib and hamstring injuries but hopes to put those behind him next year and show that he is indeed a top receiver in this league.
Photo courtesy of the Cincinnati Bengals on Twitter
The impact of Higgins’s signing his franchise tender in June and reporting to Bengals training camp can’t be anything but beneficial. Having a healthy Joe Burrow throwing passes and working on the critical element of timing with one of his key receivers in July instead of August is absolutely critical to doing what the Bengals have often struggled to do in years past: start the season strong.
They lost 3 out of their first 5 in both 2022 and 2023. Joe Burrow’s injury no doubt played a large role in that last year. However, having both he and Higgins healthy, in sync, and on the field ready to go for the first part of 2024 will be a welcome sight for all of Who Dey Nation.
While there was never really a significant belief that Higgins would sit out the 2024 season, there was plenty of uncertainty about just when he would sign and/or report for offseason workouts. With those questions safely behind them, the hope is that the team can focus on their work on the practice field.
Bengals Training Camp presented by Kettering Health kicks off on Wednesday, July 24. Training camp practices will take place at the Kettering Health Practice Fields located just west of Paycor Stadium. Practices will continue through August 20th. The Bengals first preseason game is on August 10th against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
What do you think about Higgins’ extension? Let us know in the comments here or on Facebook, or drop us a line at the email below!
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Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?
Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?
We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.
Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.
Loveland, Ohio – Injuries derailed so much of the promise last season for the Bengals. While the most crucial was to Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins also missed five games due to various injuries and was limited to just 42 receptions, the lowest total of his career. It was very bad timing in a contract year for a player who surely wanted to show the Bengals and the league that he was deserving of a big payday.
That leaves Higgins and the Bengals in a very unique position this offseason. The team has $53.2 million in cap space which is good for sixth-most in the NFL. There is money to spend , but also plenty of needs to fill including an impending mega-extension for Ja’Marr Chase.
This is why many Bengals pundits believe that the Franchise Tag is the most likely option with respect to Higgins’ contract status going forward. Briefly, the Franchise Tag a would allow the Bengals to retain Higgins at a salary that reflects the average of the top five players at his position or 120% of his previous salary – whichever figure is higher. There are two types of “tags” the exclusive tag, which would prevent Tee from negotiating with any other team and would fully guarantee his salary.
The other is the non-exclusive tag which allows players to negotiate with other teams even if they are tagged. If Tee reaches a deal with another team, the Bengals would retain the right to match the deal if they wish. If they choose not to match and Tee signs somewhere else the Bengals would receive a pair of first-round picks as compensation for losing him.
The average salary of the top five wide receivers would mean that if the Franchise Tag is applied to Tee his potential contract would be for one year at $20.7 million. Bengals fans may recall that this was the track taken by the team with respect to Jessie Bates who played out his year on the Franchise Tag before signing with the Atlanta Falcons last year. It wasn’t a very pretty process as Bates skipped all offseason workouts and much of training camp before finally signing his contract for the year. And just as with Higgins, there were logistical issues in offering Bates a lucrative long-term deal given the need for yet another gargantuan contract the following year for an irreplaceable star player: Joe Burrow.
It seems unlikely that the Bengals and Higgins will reach an agreement on any sort of extension, though it is a possibility. That leaves the Franchise Tag as the most viable option. The Bengals must tag Higgins by March 5 but the two sides can still negotiate for a longer deal. If they can’t agree by July 15 then (if put in place) the tag becomes official and Tee would be playing on the one-year contract.
That isn’t necessarily the end of the story, however. There is a question as to whether Tee Higgins would play under the tag. Though it’s rare, players have threatened to sit out an entire season rather than play under the cloud of a one-year contract. While it’s too early to predict what Higgins’ reaction might be, contract talks and the millions of dollars at issue rarely lead to simple or clean solutions.
The Bengals could apply the tag to Higgins and then trade him to another team that could then work out a longer contract, which is commonly referred to as a “tag and trade.” However, the Bengals are not known for even normal trades much less trades of players playing under the Franchise Tag.
If Tee Higgins is back for another year, no matter how that’s accomplished, it will undoubtedly be a good thing for this team. Yes, he was injured last year and had some issues with drops, but he showed that he still can be a dynamic and impactful wide receiver. You have no further to look than his 80-yard touchdown against the Steelers to see that when healthy he is a top tier wide receiver.
Tyler Boyd is gone, Charlie Jones and Andrei Iosivas are young and developing. The Bengals have no consistent threats at tight end. A healthy and productive Tee Higgins punishes teams for double teaming Ja’Marr Chase and frees him up to run deeper routes. Higgins is athletic for his size and strong enough to out muscle most corners in the NFL.
Even if it is for one year at 20 million, getting Tee Higgins on the field for this team in 2024 is an absolute priority. The window for the Bengals to win and make deep playoff runs will not stay open forever, especially as superstars like Chase (rightfully) will be paid vast sums of money, shrinking the pie for other players on this team.
While that window is open, the Bengals must do whatever is necessary to put the best players on the field. Players like Tee Higgins.
Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.
Giovanni Ricci and Terry Lynch at center court of Loveland High School
Loveland, Ohio – On Friday, January 12, between the JV and Varsity basketball games, Terry Lynch and Giovanni Ricci were inducted into the Loveland High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
The 6-3, 240 lbs Ricci plays tight-end for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, played for Western Michigan, and went to the Cotton Bowl in 2017. The 2015 Loveland High School grad was a 4-year Varsity Letterman in Football and Track and Field.
Terry Lynch ran cross country and wrestled at Loveland. The 3-year Varsity letterman in Wrestling graduated in 1983. Terry was a 2 time State placer in wrestling and 2-year Eastern Hills League Wrestling Champion.
Drew Plitt has been with the Arlington Renegades since day one, but his past success is what has brought him here to the XFL as one of the few rookie quarterbacks.
High School Football Experience
Photo by The Enquirer
Plitt went to high school in Loveland, Ohio where he played quarterback for the Tigers. His biggest achievement at Loveland was leading the school to the 2013 Division II state title which was the school’s first state championship ever. In 2015, he threw for over 1,400 yards with 15 passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in ten games. He was the team captain and was honorable mention all-district as a senior.
“Drew’s quarterback style and talent will allow him to be crazy successful there. Ball State is getting a championship, high character quarterback. Ball State loves his talent and style, his leadership and quarterback intangibles.”
Loveland Head Football Coach Fred Cranford via Cincinnati.com
Ball State Experience
Photo by Mike DiNovoUSA TODAY Sports
In his first year in college back in 2016, Plitt was redshirted for the season as a freshman. The next year in 2017, he started the season as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart. Due to injuries to the quarterback position, Plitt was forced into action and played in the last five games of the season starting three of them. He finished his first season with 430 passing yards and three touchdowns along with three interceptions. Plitt also ran for 29 yards and one touchdown in the season.
Up-dated at 8:38 AM with this Buffalo Bills Statement
The Buffalo Bills issued the following statement at 1:48 am on Damar Hamlin’s condition.
Photo by Buffalo Bills
“Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in the Buffalo Bills’ game versus the Cincinnati Bengals. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”
Hamlin’s injury took place at the 5:58 mark of the first quarter. The game was postponed by the NFL after Hamlin received medical attention on the field.
The team and all of the sports world continue to pray for his recovery. Get well soon Damar!
Statement: Cincinnati Bengals
The Bills at Bengals game has been suspended until further notice. We will provide more details as they are available.
From Bengals.com:
The Bengals’ Monday night game against the Bills at Paycor Stadium was postponed when Bills safety Damar Hamlin was taken from the field in critical condition.
Hamlin went down with 5:58 left in the first quarter when he tackled Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins after what appeared to be routine a 13-yard gain. He got up and then suddenly collapsed.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical staff and local paramedics. He was then transported to University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
“Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills,” Goodell said in the statement. “We will provide more information as it becomes available. The NFL has been in constant communication with the NFL Players Association, which is in agreement with postponing the game.”
A pall quickly fell over the most anticipated Monday Night Football game in recent memory that was not only taking place before a national television audience but in front of an overflow crowd thought to be the biggest crowd in Paycor history.
Hamlin, 24, is a second-year player from the University of Pittsburgh.
In a midnight media conference call, Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, said the decision to postpone the game came after the head coaches, Zac Taylor of the Bengals and Sean McDermott of the Bills, met with their teams back in the locker rooms.
“It was fluid and things were changing by the minute. The emotions you can imagine in both locker rooms,” said Vincent, who along with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith were patched into conversations with the coaches and head referee Shawn Smith.
“I commend both of those coaches. Tough situation to go back and look at 53 men in the locker room to just try and calm people down. It was obvious on the phone with them that emotions were extremely high. It was a very volatile situation and I think the coaches, they led tonight. They led their locker rooms.”
Vincent said there was no thought of resuming the game after a five-minute delay.
“Five-minute warmup never crossed my mind, personally. And I was the one,” Vincent said, “that was communicating with the Commissioner. We never, frankly, it never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play. That’s ridiculous. That’s insensitive. And that’s not a place that we should ever be in.”
Jeff Miller, NFL executive vice president of communications, public affairs & policy, said there has been no thought about how the league plans to address the unprecedented postponement when it comes to a future date. It won’t be Tuesday. The Bills planned to fly home Monday night, although the league said some of Hamlin’s teammates stayed behind to be with him.
“That’s not the consideration right now,” Miller said. “Our concern is for the player and his well-being. At the appropriate time, I’m sure that we’ll have a conversation around the next steps regarding the game.”
The Official Statement from the NFL:
Tonight’s Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game has been postponed after Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin collapsed, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced.
Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical staff and local paramedics. He was then transported to a local hospital where he is in critical condition.
Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
The NFL has been in constant communication with the NFL Players Association which is in agreement with postponing the game.
The NFL Network:
Bills safety Damar Hamlin in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest; Buffalo-Cincinnati game postponed
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, 24, suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills announced early Tuesday morning. He is currently sedated and in critical condition.
With just over six minutes remaining in the first quarter Monday night, Hamlin tackled Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins after a 13-yard catch. Hamlin got to his feet, then collapsed backward. Hamlin received CPR while on the field. According to the Bills, his heartbeat was restored on the field before he was transported in an ambulance to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for further testing and treatment.
After initially suspending play, the NFL announced the game had been postponed.
“Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills,” the NFL said in a statement on Monday. “We will provide more information as it becomes available. The NFL has been in constant communication with the NFL Players Association which is in agreement with postponing the game.”
The NFLPA said it had been in touch with both teams and the league, and is focused on Hamlin’s “health and well-being.”
Hamlin was attended to immediately by medical staff, with players from both teams surrounding him, many of them visibly emotional. After Hamlin was taken to the hospital, officials spoke with coaches from both teams. The decision was then made to suspend play, with players and coaches exiting the field to the locker room, before the game was ultimately postponed.
On a conference call with the media a couple hours after the game’s postponement, NFL executive vice president of personnel Troy Vincent said there was never any conversation about a five-minute warmup period to resume play, as was referenced during the ESPN broadcast.
“It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play,” Vincent said. “That’s ridiculous. That’s insensitive.”
Bills players were scheduled to travel back to Buffalo from Cincinnati on Monday night, with a handful of members from the organization staying back to support Hamlin, Vincent said. Members of the Bengals organization, including head coach Zac Taylor, also went to the hospital to check on Hamlin, NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe reported.
There are currently no plans to resume the Bills-Bengals game and a determination on that will be made at an appropriate time, NFL EVP of communications, public affairs and policy Jeff Miller said on the conference call. The game was halted with six minutes remaining in the first quarter and the Bengals leading, 7-3.
Since his hospitalization, there has been an outpouring of support to a community fundraiser Hamlin previously established.
Hamlin was a sixth-round pick of the Bills in the 2021 NFL Draft. He made his first career start in Week 3 of this season after Buffalo safety Micah Hyde sustained a season-ending injury. Hamlin has remained in the starting lineup ever since.
LOS ANGELES – If it seems like Al Michaels has called everything but a presidential election, it’s because he has.
Michaels, NBC’s Miracle Man who is calling his record-tying 11th Super Bowl Sunday, puts another benediction on a team Thursday as he watches the Bengals practice at UCLA.
“I think America has been captivated by this team,” Michaels says. “Come back down 18 to Kansas City on the road. And everybody said, ‘Whoa.’”
Michaels could look across Bengals head coach Zac Taylor’s toughest practice of the week and see Pauley Pavilion, the gym where he called John Wooden’s last two seasons and 10th national championship. He also called some of the first great moments of the Big Red Machine and sees Sunday as a nice bookend to his days on the Ohio River that included a World Series.
But Michaels couldn’t call it when he sat down with Bengals rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase earlier Thursday and asked him who had the Bengals rookie postseason receiving record.
Chase said he didn’t know and Michaels pointed at his partner and said, “Him.”
“One of the great blank looks,” Cris Collinsworth says. “That’s the way it should be. This is their time.”
Collinsworth, who has almost as many Emmys (16) analyzing the NFL as Chase has postseason catches (20), says Chase is the best receiver in Bengals history even though he’s built more like a running back.
“That’s why,” Collinsworth says. “I think he’s a phenomenal athlete who just happens to play wide receiver. He plays the position like Gale Sayers would play it. You’ll probably have to tell him who Gale Sayers is.”
While we’re at it, on the 40th anniversary of the Bengals’ first Super Bowl team, isn’t Joe Burrow playing quarterback like Collinsworth played that year? A rookie taking shot after shot and getting up and setting record after record on the way to the Super Bowl. And so cool while doing it. Collinsworth had ’80s aw-shucks swag. Burrow has 2020s social media swag.
“There never has been anybody cooler than this kid,” Collinsworth says. “That’s impossible.”
What’s not impossible is that Burrow has made an All-Pro team. You just have to go to Collinsworth’s Pro Football Focus web site to find it. It’s the Pro Bowl team he put together. Burrow is his quarterback.
“He deserved it,” Collinsworth says.
Shelve the PFF grades for a sec. Collinsworth can get a little nostalgic.
“I’m like everyone else. If you can’t have fun watching these guys play football …” Collinsworth says. “They’ve got a certain energy. What’s the big deal? When I came in, I didn’t know. We were the top seed. We won the first two games at home and went to the Super Bowl. I did it in my first year. Doesn’t everybody? I get the same kind of feel with this bunch. ‘OK, we’ve won a couple of games and we’re at the Super Bowl at UCLA. We beat them in school, too, so we’ll keep winning.’ I mean, that’s just how it seems. They’re young and they’re just playing.”
That’s why Collinsworth thinks these Bengals have repeated history and taken Cincinnati by storm. No one was expecting it.
Kickoff: 3 p.m. Eastern. Television: The game will air nationally on CBS-TV. In the Bengals’ home region, it will be carried by WKRC-TV (Ch. 12) in Cincinnati, WHIO-TV (Ch. 7) in Dayton and on WKYT-TV (Ch. 27) in Lexington. Broadcasters are play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and analyst Tony Romo, with sideline reporters Tracy Wolfson, Evan Washburn and Jay Feely.
Radio: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst).
The game also will air nationally on Westwood One Radio. Broadcasters are Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Tony Boselli (analyst) and Ross Tucker (sideline reporter).
Setting the scene: The Bengals on Sunday travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the two-time defending AFC-champion Kansas City Chiefs, in what will be Cincinnati’s third-ever appearance in an AFC Championship Game. Cincinnati won both of its previous AFC Championship appearances — vs. San Diego in the 1981 season, and vs. Buffalo in the 1988 season.
The Bengals earned their spot in the NFL’s final four in thrilling fashion on Saturday, when rookie K Evan McPherson nailed a 52-yard FG as time expired in the Divisional Playoff to give Cincinnati a 19-16 win over top-seeded Tennessee.
“It feels great,” said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. “This is the expectation for these guys — it’s not too big for them.
“I know we haven’t been here before, but it sure feels like we have. You see the attitude of the team and the confidence that they have, that we’re going to find a way to win. You just can’t replace the confidence that these guys have earned in themselves.”
The contest began in what turned out to be fitting fashion — with a key defensive play that swung the game’s momentum. On the very first play from scrimmage, Titans QB Ryan Tannehill faked a handoff to star RB Derrick Henry, who was playing for the first time since Halloween (foot injury), and then fired a pass over the middle that was intercepted by Bengals S Jessie Bates.
“They were in a ‘pass-alert’ formation that we talked about all week,” Bates said. “Honestly, Tannehill just stared it down, and I knew exactly what was going on. We talked about coming out fast with a sense of urgency, and it couldn’t have worked out any better.
The Bengals took over possession at the Titans’ 42-yard line, however the offense managed just a FG. Cincinnati went on to add two more FGs in a first half dominated by defense, and took a 9-6 lead into the locker room.
The Bengals received the opening kickoff of the second half and quickly jumped ahead 16-6, thanks to a nine-play, 65-yard drive that HB Joe Mixon capped with a 16-yard TD run. The Bengals have now come away with points on their first offensive drive of the second half in 14 of 19 games this season (six TDs, eight FGs). During the regular season, Cincinnati’s 56 combined points on the first possession of the second half were second-most in the NFL.
“We called ‘stretch right,’ and all of a sudden the linebackers and safety were flowing hard over the top,” Mixon said. “I put my toe in the ground, then I put my toe in the ground again, and I just (saw) the backside was like open like the Red Sea. I was fortunate enough to find daylight, and everything worked out.”
On the ensuing possession, Tennessee turned to its fifth-ranked rushing attack and marched 66 yards on just four runs to reach Cincinnati’s nine-yard line. But on the fifth play of the drive, Bengals nickel CB Mike Hilton batted a screen pass from Tannehill into the air and came down with an INT.
“We had a lot of jokes about Mike getting caught after that pick,” Bates said with a laugh. Hilton returned the INT 19 yards before being caught by Tannehill.
“We were trying to line up the order of who had the worst returns this year, and I think Mike’s pretty much at the top of that list right now (laughs). But he made a hell of a play. You jump in the air and you track the ball — I think he was almost maxed out at that point, so we can’t complain too much about that.”
After a Bengals punt, the Titans again marched downfield but mustered only a 34-yard FG that cut the margin to seven points. On the ensuing possession, a pass from QB Joe Burrow bounced off the hands of HB Samaje Perine and into the grasp of Titans S Amani Hooker. The INT was Burrow’s first since Week 13 against the L.A. Chargers, and broke a string of 209 consecutive passes (regular season plus playoffs) without a pick — the second-longest such streak in team history.
Tennessee took over possession on Cincinnati’s 27-yard line, and two plays later Tannehill found WR A.J. Brown for a 33-yard TD that knotted the game at 16. Entering the game, Cincinnati had allowed just one third-quarter TD in its previous nine contests. It was also just the fourth TD allowed by Cincinnati’s defense in the 19 combined possessions (regular season plus playoffs) immediately following a Bengals turnover.
After scoring a combined 17 points in the third quarter, neither team’s offense found much traction in the final period. Cincinnati’s first two possessions in the fourth quarter both were thwarted by third-down sacks of Burrow. The Titans ended the day with nine total sacks of Burrow, the most takedowns of a winning QB in NFL postseason history.
“He’s the toughest guy in the league,” DT D.J. Reader said of Burrow. “He’s a super tough guy, and he’s gritty. I love that about him. He doesn’t complain, he just goes out there and does his job. I really appreciate Joe.”
But the Bengals’ defense put together an impressive showing of its own. Henry was held to just 3.1 yards per carry on 20 attempts, and most notably was stopped for a two-yard loss by LB Logan Wilson on a fourth-and-one play mid-way through the fourth quarter. But while Bates, Hilton and Wilson made the highlight plays of the day, there was little question among players and coaches about the defense’s key component.
“D.J. Reader was unbelievable,” Taylor said on Sunday. “He was Superman, quite frankly.
“You see him make some plays during the game, but then you really dial in and watch the tape, and you can further understand the impact he had on the game. Overall, you can point out every single player on defense making some key plays in that game. But if you’re going to single out one guy for their performance, D.J. Reader is certainly deserving of that.”
With the score knotted at 16, Tennessee took over possession just before the two-minute warning and looked to move into range for a potential game-winning FG. But Reader yet again stopped Henry for no gain, and then Tannehill threw a five-yard completion as the Titans seemed content to drain nearly all of the remaining clock. On the next play — a third-and-five with 28 seconds remaining — Bengals CB Eli Apple tipped a pass into the air, and a leaping Wilson came down with one of the most significant INTs in team history.
This week’s AFC Championship features a battle between two of the NFL’s top young players in Burrow and Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. This will be Mahomes’ fourth consecutive AFC Championship game (all at home), while Burrow last week became the first QB picked No. 1 overall to reach a conference title game within his first two seasons.
The game is also a rematch of a dramatic Jan. 2 meeting between the two teams, which ended in a 34-31 Bengals win at Paul Brown Stadium. That contest was also decided by a McPherson walk-off FG, and it clinched the AFC North division title for Cincinnati. But among Bengals fans, it is perhaps best remembered for Chase’s 266 receiving yards, which set both a Bengals single-game record and the NFL’s single-game rookie record.
“I’m tired of the underdog narrative,” Burrow said after the Titans game. “We’re a really, really good team. We’re here to make noise, and teams are going to have to pay attention to us. We’re a really good team with really good players and coaches, and we’re coming for it all.”
The AFC West champion Chiefs finished the regular season 12-5, and earned the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs. They opened postseason play with a 42-21 home win over Pittsburgh in the Wild Card Playoff. Then, in Sunday night’s Divisional Playoff against Buffalo, they scored a walk-off TD in overtime to win 42-36 at Arrowhead.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who bounced back from a left knee injury suffered in 2020 to throw for a franchise-record 34 TDs and lead the Bengals to the playoffs for the first time since 2015, is the 2021 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, chosen in voting conducted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
Burrow was on pace to break several Bengals single-season and NFL rookie passing records, along with NFL rookie passing marks before he suffered a knee injury against Washington on November 22, 2020 in his 10th game of his rookie season. He had surgery on December 2, 2020, and he embarked on a long rehab process that culminated in him taking the first snaps of Cincinnati’s 2021 training camp.
He returned to the starting lineup and led the NFL in completion percentage (70.4 percent) and yards per attempt (8.87) and was second in passer rating (108.3) in his 16 games (all starts). He completed 366 of 520 passes for 4,611 yards (sixth in the NFL) and 34 touchdowns. On December 26, Burrow set a franchise record with 525 passing yards – the fourth-highest total in NFL history – on 37 of 46 passing and four touchdowns in a 41-21 home victory over the Baltimore Ravens. He was a 2021 PFWA All-AFC selection.
Burrow is the second member of the Cincinnati franchise to receive Comeback Player of the Year honors (QB Jon Kitna in 2003) since the award was instituted in 1992.
ABOUT THE PFWA
In its 58th season in 2021, the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) is the official voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public. The PFWA is made up of accredited writers who cover the NFL and the 32 teams daily. Lindsay Jones of The Athletic is the PFWA president for the 2021-22 seasons and the organization’s 30th president. Jenny Vrentas of Sports Illustrated is the PFWA’s first vice-president, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News is the second vice-president and Mike Sando of The Athletic is the secretary-treasurer. At-large board members include USA Today’s Mike Jones, ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold, The Athletic’s Dan Pompei and ProFootballTalk.com’s Charean Williams. Follow the PFWA at ProFootballWriters.org and on Twitter at @PFWAwriters.
The Cincinnati Bengals continue their run in the AFC Playoffs facing the Tennessee Titans on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Here is everything you need to know to follow the game.
TV BROADCAST
Network: CBS
Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. ET
Play-by-Play: Ian Eagle
Analyst: Charles Davis
Sideline: Evan Washburn
Rules: Gene Steratore
Download The Official Bengals App
Stay up to date on the latest Bengals news and highlights with the Official Bengals App! Download App
ONLINE
Fans can watch Saturday’s game for FREE through the Bengals app nationwide. Fans can also live stream the game on Safari on mobile iOS devices through Bengals.com.
NOTE: iOS mobile web and app users should “Allow Location Access” (via Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Safari).
*Geographic and device restrictions apply. Local & primetime games only. Data charges may apply.
The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship stations WLW-AM (700), WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530) and WEBN-FM (102.7). The pregame show begins at 3 p.m.
Play-by-Play: Dan Hoard
Analyst: Dave Lapham
Pregame Show: Wayne Box Miller
Westwood One will also air the game nationally. Check your local listings for where the game airs in your area.
by Chris Ball
Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.
Photo by The Enquirer
