Thousands upon thousands of fans, including those of the Cincinnati Bengals, invaded Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium for the AFC Championship game this past weekend.
They left stunned as the Bengals upset the favored Chiefs, 27-24, in overtime.
That has earned Cincinnati its first Super Bowl berth since after the 1988 regular season.
The Bengals will travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams on Sunday, Feb. 13.
One of the masses attending the game in Kansas City was former Marysville resident and attorney Jeff Merklin.
“I had an opportunity to go to Kansas City and it was an amazing experience,” Merklin said from his home base of Uhrichsville, Ohio, during a telephone interview with the Journal-Tribune.
Merklin has been a Bengals’ fan since the inception of the franchise.
“I was a kid back then, but I can remember when the Bengals began in 1968,” he said. “Their first quarterback was a guy by the name of Dewey Warren, out of the University of Tennessee.”
Merklin has enjoyed the team’s two previous Super Bowl trips (1982 and 1989).
He has also, however, suffered through a lot of agonizing seasons.
That, he said, makes the AFC championship and Super Bowl berth all the more exciting.
Merklin said last weekend’s trip to KC made up for missing out on a 1990 World Series game between the Cincinnati Reds and Oakland Athletics.
“I had a chance to go to Game 2 of the World Series at Riverfront Stadium,” he said. “Back then, tickets were a little pricey at $200 and I didn’t go.
“I’ve always regretted that.”
The Reds swept the highly-favored A’s in four games to capture the World Series title.
Although tickets for the Bengals-Chiefs battle were $450 (upper level), Merklin is happy he made the trek out west.
“It was an electrifying experience at Arrowhead,” he said. “The fans were very loud the entire game.”
Merklin admitted he felt a little sick to his stomach when the Chiefs jumped out to a 21-3 lead in the opening half.
“I felt the Bengals’ offensive line hadn’t been very good all season,” he said. “It had been a wonderful season, but I really felt the team was still a year away from something like this.”
The Bengals made an amazing comeback during the second half before the contest went into overtime tied 24-24.
Rookie kicker Evan McPherson booted the field goal to give the Bengals the win and their first Super Bowl berth in more than 30 years.
Merklin said while the Chiefs’ fans were nice for the most part, “they treated this like a JV game.
“It was frustrating in the beginning when we got down by 18, ” he said.
Leading 21-3, Kansas City could have probably put the game away had it been able to score on its fourth drive of the day.
The Bengals, instead, made huge stops when the Chiefs failed to get into the end zone on two plays late in the first half.
Merklin said he was worried on that drive since “the Bengals always seem to give up points right before the half.
“Andy Reid (KC’s coach) should have gone for the field goal.”
Momentum clearly shifted as the Bengals’ defense clamped down on the Chiefs after the intermission.
“Kansas City wasn’t sharp during the second half,” said Merklin.
The Bengals erased an 18-point deficit — tying an AFC title game record for largest comeback — to take a late 24-21 lead on McPherson’s 52-yard field goal.
KC tied the game as time expired in regulation on a 44-yard field goal by Harrison Butker.
The Chiefs won the coin toss to begin overtime.
“That really didn’t bother me,” said Merklin.
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw an interception on the team’s first OT possession.
The Bengals then won the game on McPherson’s 31-yard field goal.
Merklin, who continues to practice law, said he’s looking forward to cheering on Cincinnati in the Super Bowl.
Will he do it in person or from an easy chair?
That remains to be seen.
Merklin said his sister could possibly make an arrangement to secure tickets through her employment, but that’s far from certain.
The least expensive ticket for the Super Bowl, according to Merklin (who formerly served as the head girls basketball coach at Triad High School), is listed at $6,533.
“That doesn’t include travel and accommodations,” he said. “A person could easily spend $11,000 going to the Super Bowl.
“I’d love to attend, but that’s way too steep.”