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The Cincinnati Bengals have been hit by a major injury early in the 2025 NFL season, with star quarterback Joe Burrow put on the injured reserve after going under the knife to address a toe injury.
With that development, Cincinnati is hoping for backup quarterback and interim starter Jake Browning to deliver the goods from under center while filling in for the former LSU Tigers star signal-caller.
But on Sunday, Browning did not inspire much hope with his performance against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Browning and the Bengals were absolutely dominated by Carson Wentz and the Vikings, with the home team coming away with an easy 48-10 victory.
The Bengals struggled to put together meaningful drives in the contest. Cincinnati kept shooting itself in the foot with turnovers. Browning went 19-for-27 for 140 passing yards and a touchdown, but he threw two interceptions and got sacked three times for a loss of 20 yards.
Any time you turn the ball over that much, you’re going to get blown out. And that’s exactly what happened,” Browning said after the Bengals’ loss, per Ben Baby of ESPN.
Running back Samaje Perine, tight end Noah Fant and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase lost three of the Bengals’ five total fumbles. All told, Cincinnati committed five turnovers to zero by the Vikings.
Cincinnati only generated 171 total yards and allowed Minnesota to come up with 325 total yards, including 169 on the ground. Running back Jordan Mason had a productive afternoon slicing through the Bengals’ stop unit for 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
The extra possessions for the Vikings from Cincinnati’s turnovers certainly helped make the job easier for Minnesota in a game that the Bengals should have learned a lot of lessons from.
“We got worked today. We’ve got to sit in it,” Browning shared, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). “You’ve got to go through those emotions of just being miserable.”
Despite the lopsided nature of their loss to the Vikings, the Bengals have no reason to push the panic button. It was only their first loss of the season after beating the Cleveland Browns and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Up ahead for the Bengals is a matchup against the Denver Broncos in Mile High City in Week 4.
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