The Bengals were a stop or two away from forcing overtime when Joseph Ossai made as costly a mistake as one can make.
The Cincinnati defensive end was penalized for a late hit on Patrick Mahomes as the Chiefs quarterback ran out of bounds near the Bengals’ 40-yard line with eight seconds left in the fourth quarter and the score tied 20-20.
While Mahomes picked up a first down, the Chiefs had zero timeouts remaining and would’ve had one chance for a quick play before attempting a long field goal. Instead, the 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty put the Chiefs on the Bengals’ 27-yard line, and Harrison Butker nailed a 45-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to give the Chiefs a 23-20 win in the AFC Championship game and a berth in Super Bowl 2023 against the Eagles.
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The Bengals had tied the game early in the fourth quarter after converting a fourth-and-6 at the Chiefs’ 41-yard line, when Joe Burrow connected with Ja’Marr Chase for 35 yards. Samaje Perine then rushed for a 2-yard touchdown. But the Chiefs ultimately got revenge after the Bengals topped Kansas City in last year’s AFC Championship game.
Ossai, 22, was a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Texas. The Nigeria native missed the 2021 season with a knee injury. He had 3.5 sacks during the 2022 regular season and finished Sunday’s game with five tackles, including one for a loss, and two quarterback hits.
