The talk of Cincinnati has moved on from injured superstar Joe Burrow and is squarely on the shoulders of Jake Browning.
The QB had a brilliant outing in the Bengals 34-31 win over the Jaguars and the victory puts them back in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Browning went 32 from 37, with one passing touchdown and one running TD as well as throwing for 354 yards.
The 6-6 Bengals needed this win to stay in contention and with Burrow missing it looked like Cincinnati’s season was over.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor admitted he felt the pressure as the teams went into the break all square at 14-14 but that he had confidence in Browning despite the enormity of the situation.
“He just lit the world on fire,” Taylor said. “At halftime I wasn’t sure we had an incompletion, if the ball had hit the ground yet. I just thought he managed the game beautifully well. He was aggressive with some of his throws, did a great job making plays with his feet. . .. Just really proud of Jake and the job he did.”
Browning went undrafted from the class of 2019 before signing a much-needed last gasp contract with the Vikings. He spent two uneventful years in Minnesota before making the switch to the Bengals in 2021.
He won the backup QB position to Burrow in the preseason from Trevor Siemian, and Cincinnati will be well pleased by his winning performance.
The Bengals next face the Colts in week 14.
