Bengals punter told rookie kicker Evan McPherson 'we're going to the Super Bowl' moments before his game-winning kick

• Bengals rookie kicker Evan McPherson sent Cincinnati to the Super Bowl with overtime field goal.

• Before the kick, Bengals punter Kevin Huber told McPherson "We're going to the Super Bowl."

• McPherson made a similarly bold claim himself before a potential game-winning kick a week earlier.

Bengals rookie kicker Evan McPherson has got the goods.

The only kicker taken in the 2021 NFL Draft, McPherson has already proven himself more than worthy of the fifth-round pick that sent him to Cincinnati.

Video: Why hosting the Super Bowl isn't worth it, according to an economist

On Sunday, McPherson put the final nail in the Chiefs' coffin during the AFC Championship game, drilling a chip shot from 31 yards out to send the Bengals to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1989.

According to NBC Sports' Peter King, McPherson got a boost of confidence from punter and holder Kevin Huber just before stepping back to kick.

Per King:

"When McPherson lined up for the kick, he got a shot of adrenaline from his holder, punter Kevin Huber. Huber looked back at one of the hottest kickers in playoff history and said, 'We're going to the Super Bowl.'"

It wasn't the first time the Bengals kicking game had exuded some confidence just before a big league boot. As Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow told reporters after the team's upset win over the Titans, McPherson had called his own shot just a week earlier while taking the field for a 52-yard game-winner.

"Looks like we're going to the AFC Championship," McPherson said, just before taking the field.

When Huber told McPherson they were heading to the Super Bowl, he was in a way repeating McPherson's own mantra of moxie right back at him.

The Bengals kicking unit is oozing with confidence right now, and it's easy to understand why. McPherson is a perfect 12-for-12 on field-goal attempts, putting four balls through the uprights in each of Cincinnati's three games so far in the postseason. On the year, McPherson has hit 12 times from longer than 50 yards, an NFL record.

"Being a kicker is like being a sniper," McPherson told King after Sunday's win. "You got one shot."

So far, McPherson has been making the most of every shot he gets. And with the Bengals now through to the Super Bowl, his biggest kick may still be yet to come.

Read the original article on Insider