But, backup quarterback Jake Browning said he doesn’t take exception to doubts this team can make the playoffs. He’s just toiling away, preparing to lead a 2-0 team Sunday in his first start since 2023, as the Bengals play the Minnesota Vikings on the road.
“It’s show business,” Browning said Wednesday. “You start listening to all of that, you’re going to ride a roller coaster. I’m pretty focused on getting ready for Minnesota, the scheme, and trying to focus on that more than how everyone feels about us at the moment.”
Browning has always had to lean on an inner belief in himself – what he calls “delusional confidence” – as an undrafted player coming out of the University of Washington in 2019. He spent his first two seasons on Minnesota’s practice squad, joined Cincinnati’s practice squad in 2021 and did that same grind for two years before beating out Trevor Siemian for the No. 2 quarterback job during the 2023 preseason.
When Browning finally got his first opportunity to play in a game that counted, it had been four-and-a-half years since his last one. He stepped into action in Week 11 that year when Burrow suffered his season-ending wrist injury, and Browning went 4-3 with four wins over the last six games to keep Cincinnati relevant until the end.
“I think it’s unique,” Browning said. “My welcome to the NFL was undrafted and four years on P-squad and there’s not really anyone in the building that’s like, ‘This is my guy, I need to make this work because I stamped this guy.’ It’s like, ‘Yeah, if this guy doesn’t work out, I’ll just grab another one.’ If you look around the league, there’s not a lot of guys that are undrafted that kind of have the same path. I think it’s unique, but at the end of the day, it’s ‘what have you done for me lately.’ You need to go play well and I’m pretty focused on that.”
Browning led the Bengals to a comeback win Sunday after replacing Burrow in the second quarter, overcoming a three-interception performance to cap a 92-yard drive with a quarterback sneak into the end zone for a 31-27 victory over Jacksonville.
His success in 2023, coupled with the hard work his peers see him put in daily, gives the Bengals confidence they can still win games with Browning at quarterback.
“There were unknowns two years ago,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “You hadn’t seen him play in a, I say, real game, a regular-season game. You never know. We’ve seen Jake do it first-hand. He gives us a great opportunity to go on a run here. There’s a lot of trust he’s able to do that.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Taylor said Browning’s preparation to be ready for the moment also has a lot to do with the confidence the team has in him. Browning said he convinced himself to be “extremely confident” in 2023 when he was thrown in, and if he didn’t do that, he “probably would have been toast a long time ago.”
Browning completed 70.4 percent of his passes in 2023 and helped Cincinnati win three straight games to remain in the playoff conversation until a narrow loss at Kansas City in Week 17. He showed enough in that time to potentially earn an opportunity elsewhere as a starter, but the Bengals locked him into a two-year contract in April 2024.
Now, they feel like they have a proven starter ready to step in, although Browning didn’t have an opportunity to build on his 2023 success last year while Burrow played a full healthy season.
Browning only played five snaps in garbage time at the end of a pair of wins and a blowout loss to Philadelphia, but he said he feels like he is still a year-and-a-half better than what he showed in 2023.
“(In) 2023, I had no idea what it all was going to feel like or I kind of had to make some adjustments on the fly,” Browning said. “It’s a little bit different getting thrown in Week 3 versus Week 11. I’m a little bit closer to when I was last live (in preseason) as opposed to getting thrown in Week 11 when you are three or four months since I’d been in a real football game. Just the experience. Last year, I didn’t take a meaningful snap. I had a good year as far as just watching my film in practice and stuff like that. I feel like I made some improvements that I needed to. Excited for the opportunity to play.”
Browning has familiarity with the system, weapons like Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Mike Gesicki at his disposal, and an ability to step into the same playbook as Burrow with minimal changes.
Taylor and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said the game plan stays pretty much the same with Browning as it would with Burrow, and Browning brings similar qualities in terms of intelligence and throwing ability.
Pitcher has no doubts Browning can utilize the talent around him and win games for Cincinnati.
“Joe’s a rare processor,” Pitcher said. “There are things that Joe sees and does that you’d be hard-pressed to find anybody else that can do the things that he does. And so I don’t want to come off as callous that we’re not going to have him because it’s a big deal. I love the guy. He opens up countless doors for you offensively. But Jake, that’s a strength in Jake’s too, maybe in a different way. And it is our job to make sure we tailor the approach to really bring out those strengths that Jake has. … I mean, he’s been a gifted thrower of the football for his whole life and that’s no different now.”
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