MIAMI VALLEY — The Cincinnati Bengals will continue their playoff push in the divisional round this weekend when they travel to Nashville to face off against the top-seeded Tennessee Titans.
The Bengals snapped a 31-year playoff win drought Saturday when they defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 26-19.
Now, as the Bengals prepare to take on the Titans, fans in the Miami Valley told News Center 7′s John Bedell that they are preparing to make the drive down to Nashville to root Cincinnati on.
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Randy Stallard, a lifelong Bengals fan from Jamestown, was at Paul Brown Stadium for the game Saturday and said the atmosphere was “unreal.”
“It was the most electric atmosphere I’ve been in,” Stallard said.
Dustin Shepherd, of Miamisburg, said seeing Cincinnati secure their first playoff win in over three decades was “like a dream come true.”
“With the way that everything has fell into place and our drought, and all the losses that we’ve taken on, just to see one and witness it on TV and see the celebration that it was finally our turn to celebrate our team, it was just surreal and unbelievable for sure,” Shepherd said.
Both Stallard and Shepherd said that they decided to get tickets and plan their trips to Nashville as it became clear that the Kansas City Chiefs were going to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers and send the Bengals to Tennessee for the next round of the playoffs.
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Both men said they look forward to Saturday’s matchup and hope for another Cincinnati win and a trip to the AFC Championship game.
“I want to see them continue the ride. I think we have a good shot. I think we have a good team,” Shepherd said.
Fans not making the trip to Nashville can watch the Bengals take on the Titans at 4:30 p.m. Saturday. The game will air on WHIO-TV Channel 7.