Bengals WR Tyler Boyd in Super Bowl Dreams, Loaded WR Room, Aaron Donald

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The last time the Cincinnati Bengals experienced a playoff victory that could match the current run this season, only two current Bengal players are alive.

Overcoming a young team in the odds of having a chance to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1988, the Bengals are relying on leadership from the likes of Tyler Boyd, a 27 -year -old just in his own right.

Boyd, a Clairton graduate and Pitt star, is one of the unsung heroes of the Pittsburgh Steelers ’biggest rivals this season. And while he was fully committed to setting the standard for the Bengals, he never forgot those Pittsburgh origins.

With fellow Pittsburgh native and Pitt star Aaron Donald on the other side of the NFL, Donald helps lead the Los Angeles Rams to the NFC Championship game, Boyd hopes they can both make it to the Super Bowl this season – after all, the inspiration of Donald Boyd as a whole.

“That’s one of my boys, one of my closest friends,” Boyd told Cincinnati media Thursday on Zoom. “I fought with Pitt. Just to see him thrive and be the best player in the league and to see him compete for the Super Bowls and things like that, you know, I want to be in that position because I know how much he worked and how he got there.

Donald, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time (consecutive) All-Pro defensive finisher from Penn Hills, has long been one of the best players in the NFL, and Boyd has seen that. By watching and imitating Donald, Boyd finally saw that his hard work and everything he applied to the Bengals began to bear fruit. And he could no longer be excited.

“Hopefully we can win this one and we can fight them. This is what it is, hopefully, he will play well … which is really good to play against a former teammate, ”Boyd said.

However, regardless of who the Bengals will play if they beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon, Boyd just wants to get into the Super Bowl. And return the Lombardi Trophy to Cincinnati.

“That’s our standard,” Boyd said. “And we always wanted to set our standard for a Super Bowl because the reason why we are here, that’s the reason why we are practicing every day, that’s the reason why we’re competing every day and put our body out there. ”

Boyd said the Bengals set the standard high, the Super Bowl levels high, because they felt throughout the season that this Bengals team deserved that and could legitimately equal a Super Bowl title. For Boyd, a Super Bowl ring will be the result of a lifetime of work on and off the field to reach the pinnacle of success.

“I think in my life, that’s probably the biggest milestone for me,” Boyd said. “It was probably the best athletic success in my athletic career. That’s why I play; I’ve experienced so many rollercoaster rides… just like a dream. Like a dream, you woke up playing the Super Bowl, and won you and you talked to Disney World and you were with your children and family on the field. ”

Even though Boyd was young, he had six seasons in the NFL. He’s not focused on 1,000-yard seasons, he’s focused on winning. Boyd said the wide -receiving crowd – himself, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins – knew how good it was as a unit and the friendship they formed only led to success – and not jealousy.

“Some games – I mean, every person can’t remove their stones when they want to, even if it’s times when they’re likely to be open a few times and the ball isn’t coming their way, “said Boyd. “At the end of the day, we all trust Joe (Burrow) to throw it in tomorrow or he thinks he has the best chance at that particular play.”

Boyd has yet to make a big statistical impact this postseason, six catches for 43 yards and one touchdown, but his intangibles and veteran leadership are invaluable for the Bengals this season.

The Bengals and Chiefs will begin at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The game will air on CBS.

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