ClutchPoints
The Cincinnati Bengals (2-0) finally ended their notorious run of slow starts with a thrilling 31-27 win versus the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, but their hopes of ending the season strong took a huge hit. Star quarterback Joe Burrow will undergo surgery for a Grade 3 turf toe injury and miss at least three months. Jake Browning, who helped Cincy stun the Jags in Paycor Stadium, will once again fill in for the face of the franchise. He inspires more faith than most backups do.
The Bengals are vulnerable, to be certain, but they went 4-3 with Browning as the starter during the 2023-24 campaign. Cincinnati was 5-5 when he stepped in for Burrow, who suffered a season-ending wrist injury in a Nov. 16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Now, the undrafted signal-caller out of Washington gets a 2-0 safety net to fall back on just in case he and the squad run into trouble.
While many fans are reeling right now, head coach Zac Taylor is expressing a tremendous amount of faith in Browning. “I feel very confident in Jake,” he said, per ESPN’s Ben Baby. “He can help us win football games and helps us contend for all the things we want to contend for.”
Taylor is saying what he is supposed to, as few people actually believe a backup QB can guide a team with a shaky defense and shaky offensive line to a deep postseason run, but perhaps he can do enough to keep Cincinnati relevant moving forward. That is the standard right now.
Despite all the Bengals’ flaws, if they make the playoffs and Joe Burrow is active, they could be dangerous. Browning’s job is to keep that dream alive, no matter how faint it seems. He will have to be much cleaner than he was on Sunday, though. The 29-year-old threw three interceptions but managed to make enough winning plays. There might be less room for error against a formidable Minnesota Vikings defense in Week 3, so he will have to tighten up.
Overall, though, Jake Browning continues to answer the call. He is one of the best backups in the league and also has the luxury of having Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at his disposal. The Bengals will need more than just competence and dynamic playmakers, however. Fans will single out the O-Line, but Zac Taylor is stressing the importance of cohesion.
“If people are looking {at} the offensive line… it was all 11 people on the same page in that last game,” he said. per FOX19’s Charlie Goldsmith. “There were things we had to address at every position. It’s simple as that. Coaching. Receivers. Tight end… The line always takes the blame for it.”
Blame is irrelevant right now. Cincinnati needs to band together and figure out how to survive the Joe Burrow injury. A game-winning touchdown drive will ideally give this group some extra confidence heading...
