NFL fans were treated to what might prove to be one of the craziest games of the season with an overtime Week 1 contest between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon.
When it was all said and done, Pittsburgh kicker Chris Boswell sent one through the uprights on the final play of overtime to give the Steelers a 23-20 victory. But it was far from a sure thing when Boswell stepped up to the game-winning attempt given all the insanity -- and missed kicks -- which came before it.
We'll start from the beginning.
The Bengals battled back and scored a game-tying touchdown on the final play of regulation as Joe Burrow found Ja'Marr Chase for a six-yard reception. It tied it up 20-all for Cincinnati, which trailed by two touchdowns at the half, and gave the Bengals a game-winning extra point attempt.
That attempt, though, is what forced overtime as defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick burst through an open seam up front and blocked the kick. It would have granted the Bengals a season-opening win despite the Bengals turning the ball over five (!) times in regulation.
The theatrics weren't completed, though, as Bengals kicker Evan McPherson, considered on of the top kickers in the league, missed a 29-yard field goal attempt on Cincinnati's first offensive possession. A make there would have won the Bengals the game after the Cincinnati defense forced a three-and-out on the Steelers first offensive possession.
That has the be it, right? Nope. Boswell then doubled (tripled?) down on the insanity as he knocked a knuckle ball off the right upright from 55 yards. It would have granted the Steelers a walk-off win, but instead kept the game going after seven-plus minutes of overtime.
Fortunately for Boswell, he found redemption with a 53-yard field goal as the clock struck zeros.
The Bengals were a 6.5-point favorite entering the Week 1 contest as the Steelers started off the season with a win against the spread and a victory straight up.
