Evan McPherson was one of the heroes in the Cincinnati Bengals’ 19-16 playoff win over the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night. His mentality and confidence are big reasons for his success.
McPherson went 4/4 on field goals and 1/1 on extra points, making all five of his kicks in the Bengals’ win. He accounted for 13 of his team’s 19 points.
And according to Joe Burrow, McPherson knew he was going to make the biggest kick of all.
Burrow shared after the game that a few minutes before making the winning kick, McPherson told Bengals backup quarterback Brandon Allen that Cincinnati was headed to the AFC Championship Game.
Bengals QB Joe Burrow said their kicker Evan McPherson did a couple of warm up kicks before the game winner then told backup QB Brandon Allen: “Well, looks like we’re going to the AFC Championship Game.” A few moments later, he nailed a 52-yarder to win it.
Legendary ❄️
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) January 23, 2022
That kind of confidence is awesome and exactly what a kicker needs. They need to approach a big kick knowing they’re going to make it. They can’t think about the pressure or have second thoughts, because that sort of thinking often throws off one’s mechanics and leads to mistakes.
The Bengals flexed on Twitter after their big win regarding McPherson. It sure looks like they knew what they were doing.
McPherson just needs to keep that confidence and not let it go.
Photo: Jan 15, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson (2) waves to fans during warmups prior to the game against the Las Vegas Raiders in an AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
