Joseph Osai played his second season at the highest level representing the NFL. It can be said that he still has the experience of a rookie and it cost him dearly in a match that could only be defined. Osai fired a punt in the closing moments of the American Conference Finals and threw a straight pass to Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs Para el Super Bowl LVII.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive ends spent the entire game pressuring a prodigious Chiefs offensive line, which on several occasions committed illegal actions to prevent defensive tackles and went unnoticed by the referees. Mahomes, on repeated plays, had to break out of his pocket before defenders got too close. Those same actions led the Kansas City QBs to carry the ball and gain yards on the ground, giving Cincinnati the advantage. The game-changing play came with 10 seconds left in the final quarter on the scoreboard.
The game was tied at 20 points each. Kansas got their last play at Cincinnati territory’s 47-yard line, with a third down and a gain of four yards. It seemed almost impossible that from that position they could score or attempt a field goal from more than 50 yards, so the game could go into overtime. It was given approx.
Mahomes got the snap, found no open receivers at the time, and came out of the bag to reach first and ten points. He managed this by running to the edge of the ground, but with his feet off the ground he was pushed backwards by Osai. The penalty was clear and the defender gave the Chiefs another 15 yards for their lapse in concentration., With no further explanation, the game was given by Osai. These types of plays are common throughout the regular season without any major concerns. However, this can hardly happen in a frenetic match where the pass is disputed in the final game. The inexperience of the defensive end consumed him in the blink of an eye. The pressure for what’s at stake, the slog of hitting one of the best passers in the league or the simple frustration that follows Joseph’s uniform.
The referee did not hesitate to start a shower of yellow handkerchiefs for the infringement. The clock, halted by Mahomes’ actions and departure, held its last breath with eight seconds remaining. The Chiefs’ QB didn’t hesitate and sent the signal to his bench so that Harrison Butker closed out the match with a 45-yard field goal, and thus it was over., While everyone was settling in for a field goal, Arrowhead Stadium celebrated that their team would once again star in the Super Bowl for the third time in the last four years. At the same time, a gray cloud found a hole on the Bengals’ bench, specifically up Joseph Osai clearly faced the consequences of his actions. The defender tried to hide his tears with his helmet and balaclava, which covered him from the cold, but his agony was imminent.
The clock struck and it was all over. The Bengals headed to their locker room and amid deathly silenceAngry screams were heard from linebacker Jermaine Pratt, who was completely gutted by his teammate’s mistake: “It is not good (Osai). This is my last fucking year (he’s a free agent). Why did he have to touch the QB?
Several minutes later, the media poured into the Bengals’ locker room, where the main focus was on Osai. Between the tears that were still attacking him, he made a statement about what happened: “It is very difficult. I’ve got to learn from this experience, I’ve got to get better… I was in chase mode trying to put pressure on him (Mahomes) to back off, get the clock ticking down. I didn’t know how far out of line we were.”
The rivalry between the two teams would span more seasons in the years to come. In itself, this duel is already taking a different path than the rest because of its star QB. By the way, this is the first matchup of four in which Mahomes defeated Joe Burrow. Both quarterbacks are committed to keeping their teams in the spotlight, so there’s no doubt they could reunite next year after the season if both maintain their roster structure. The Bengals went home while Andy Reid and his Chiefs prepared for the final challenge.
