All that the Cincinnati Bengals continued to hear about in the days leading up to their AFC wild-card round clash with the Las Vegas Raiders centered on their playoff drought. Now, they can finally breathe a sigh of relief, as they took care of business with a 26-19 home playoff win.

As was the case in the regular season, the Bengals leaned on the stout connection of quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase to lead the way on offense. Chase hauled in nine receptions for 106 receiving yards, while Burrow recorded a pair of passing touchdowns.

The Bengals defense also stepped up to the occasion with a pair of takeaways off of Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has only been with the team for a mere three seasons, but he well knows on just what this win means to the fans who have stuck around with the side throughout the highs and lows over the past three decades.

“I think the city can finally exhale,” Taylor said in his post-game press conference.

The Bengals had previously won a playoff game back in the 1990 campaign when they secured a home victory over the Houston Oilers in the opening round of the postseason. After years of heartbreak and defeat, the Bengals can now celebrate a meaningful win in January.

For now, the Bengals will watch with the rest of the league on the other five games in the NFL wild-card round. They could end up meeting the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs or the Tennessee Titans in the AFC divisional round next week.