The Bengals’ 2021 draft class is still paying off in a big way, and Evan McPherson is making sure his name stays right in the middle of that conversation.
Ja’Marr Chase gets most of the spotlight from that group, and rightfully so. But McPherson, a fifth-round pick, keeps stacking up accomplishments that are starting to define his place in franchise history. The kicker who arrived in 2021 with big-game poise has turned that into something more durable: production, consistency, and now the longest streak of made field goals by a Bengals kicker.
That record came on a 26-yard kick late in the Week 5 game against the Dolphins. Cincinnati had moved deep into Miami territory after Jonathan Allen recovered a fumble from Malik Willis, but the drive stalled.
With two minutes left, Zac Taylor sent McPherson out to put the game away. He drilled it, and the kick gave him 22 straight made field goals dating back to last season, moving him past Shayne Graham for the most in team history.
McPherson’s run has come with plenty of recognition along the way. He was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September after a perfect three-game stretch, and he has stayed clean in October despite the team going 1-1. He’s also been perfect on extra points and is 5-of-5 on 50-plus-yard field goal attempts this season.
What makes the record even more interesting is that the history-making kick was relatively routine for him compared with the heavy lifting he had already done earlier in the year. In the first three games, he had five attempts from 50 yards or more. Against the Dolphins, he had just the one field-goal try, plus the extra points.
After a difficult 2024 season that ended early because of injury, McPherson quietly rebuilt his form last year and carried that momentum into a strong preseason. So far this season, he has connected from 50, 57, and 58 yards while remaining perfect on extra points.
A lot of the attention around Cincinnati still lands on Burrow, Chase, Higgins, and the defense when it performs. But McPherson has become a major part of the Bengals’ push, and right now he looks very much like a kicker who is “feeling it.”
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Joe Burrow Made Clear Why This Bengals Win Still Feels Off
Joe Burrow didnt let the Bengals 31-24 win over the Dolphins pass as anything close to a finished product. Even with the result in hand, he framed it as a game that left too much on the table, with Cincinnati aware that a victory can still come with plenty of correction baked in. The timing matters, too, with the bye week offering a brief pause before the AFC North grind tightens up again.
Burrow also highlighted what Cincinnati got from its playmakers, especially JaMarr Chase, who kept pushing through injuries and still came up with a long touchdown grab. Still, the bigger picture around the Bengals is less about one encouraging afternoon than about how cleanly they can play once the next stretch starts, with Baltimore waiting after the break and very little margin for the kind of mistakes that lingered here. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Get Their Reset But One Problem Still Looms Before Baltimore
Cincinnati heads into its bye week with a 3-2 record after hanging on for a 31-24 win over Miami in conditions that tested just about everything a team can bring to South Florida. Joe Burrow delivered four touchdown passes and the offense found enough rhythm to outlast the Dolphins, even if Zac Taylor had plenty to point to afterward as areas that still need cleaning up before the second half of the season really takes shape.
The trip came with the kind of grind that can linger well beyond one Sunday, and Taylor made clear the Bengals felt it after the game. Penalties and other mistakes still popped up in a win that otherwise gave Cincinnati a much-needed reset, but the larger concern now is how refreshed and sharp they can look coming out of the break with Baltimore waiting next on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Standouts In Win Could Complicate Their Lineup Decisions
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Tanner Hudson stood out on the offensive side, while the defense was paced by a top effort from Boye Mafe. The bigger takeaway for the Bengals may be what those performances mean when the staff starts sorting through snap counts and roles, especially with Chase Brown and Samaje Perine working so closely side by side. When multiple reserves and rotational pieces grade well in the same game, the next lineup call gets a little harder. [Read more 🡒]