NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Cincinnati Bengals wanted to send a message after their dramatic playoff win Saturday over the Titans. They're not underdogs anymore.
Cincinnati emphatically delivered that message with a 19-16 victory against the top-seeded Titans. Rookie Evan McPherson's 52-yard field goal as time expired sent the Bengals to their first AFC Championship Game since 1988.
Throughout the team's best postseason run in more than 30 years, the theme of "Why not us?" has been a common refrain for this season's Bengals team. Cincinnati wants that retired. Immediately.
"I'm tired of the underdog narrative," Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said after the game.