Think the overtime Week 1 win for the Cincinnati Bengals over the Minnesota Vikings was fun? The added historical context only makes it all the better.
During the thriller that came down to the last second of the extra period, Joe Burrow pulled some heroics to get rookie kicker Evan McPherson in position for the game-winning try.
McPherson converted it, becoming the youngest kicker in history to make a game-winning field goal in overtime at just 22 years old.
The Bengals and Vikings made some history together too, as the game came down to the wire in regulation, then down to the wire again in overtime.
That’s a first, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin:
Cool little tidbit from Elias: Vikings-Bengals was the first regular-season game in NFL history with a game-tying score with 0:00 left in 4th quarter and a game-winning score with 0:00 left in OT.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) September 12, 2021
The above is just a fun little trivia nugget to keep in mind. More important is the fact the Bengals nailed the McPherson draft pick, as he easily won the job over the summer, then almost casually sunk a game-winner to help his team start 1-0.
