In his first start since 2023, Browning threw two interceptions, including one for a pick-6 that set the tone for a rough day for the Bengals in a 48-10 loss at Minnesota on Sunday.
Unlike his first game, when Browning replaced injured Joe Burrow in the second quarter of the Week 2 win over Jacksonville, the team was unable to overcome miscues, and ball carriers added three lost fumbles to let the game spin out of control.
Browning has thrown five interceptions in less than seven quarters of football this season and seeks to bounce back on Monday Night Football when the Bengals play the Denver Broncos on the road.
“For me it’s just sitting in it for a little bit, where you’re like, ‘OK, I need to have the takeaways to improve from this and be able to look back a couple weeks from now and say good thing that happened, I’ve made the changes I need to in my game, made the changes we need to as an offense and as a team,’” Browning said. “You get back into your routine and kind of lean on people around you for some support, and then you kind of just have to move on. … I think that’s the hardest part, is not letting it linger.”
Browning said his biggest takeaway from the film was that he needs to figure out how to “survive the down.”
Despite the turnovers, Browning still completed almost 70 percent of his passes Sunday. He said there has still been a lot of good, but the bad plays have been “detrimental to the team” and that can’t happen.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“My incompletions need to be incompletions,” Browning said. “They can’t be picks. You complete 70 percent of your passes, and if I can walk away from the game saying, ‘I completed 70 percent of my passes and those two picks I found a way to either check it down or throw it away,’ then you’re walking away like -- obviously I’m not happy with the end result, but at least I didn’t put us in a bad situation.”
Browning relishes a chance to bounce back on the Monday Night stage, though he tries to treat it like a normal game.
His first win as an NFL starting quarterback in 2023 came on Monday Night Football when he completed 32 of 37 passes (86.5 percent) for 354 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bengals to an overtime win at Jacksonville. That was his second start.
“I remember being pretty efficient,” Browning said. “I felt like we were able to not be one-dimensional. The run game was good, we had a couple good screens that kind of helped me get into a rhythm and then was able to finish out a close game just by finding completions and keeping the ball moving forward. I’ve got a lot of good players on offense with me, so the takeaway from that is just get in their hands and be efficient.
“The best thing I did in that game was just be in the moment, find completions, stay pretty even keel, and I’m hoping to do the same Monday night.”
Denver won’t make it easy. The Broncos are tied for the lead in team sacks with 12, led by Nik Bonitto’s 3.0 sacks, and their defensive front is considered one of the best in the league.
Bonitto ranks first among all players with at least 25 pass-rush snaps in pressure rate (31.3 percent), and he’s also first in quick pressures (under 3 seconds) with 11, per Next Gen Stats. Pro Football Focus ranks him No. 1 among edge rushers in quarterback-hit rate (1 every 6.4 pass-rush opportunities) and ranks defensive tackle Zach Allen first among all interior defensive linemen in that stat (1 every 10 pass-rush opportunities).
Additionally, cornerback Pat Surtain II was ranked the NFL’s top cornerback going into this season in an ESPN survey of league executives, coaches and scouts.
Browning will need the support of his entire offense Monday.
“Everyone has to be able to do their job to make his job as easy as possible,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “Gotta do a great job protecting the football. That’s his No. 1 priority. He’s already done a great job with the plan. He’s had a couple days head start. I think he’s in a really good place there. Really good communication with him. I feel like we’re in a great spot right now.”
Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said he reminded Browning after Sunday’s game and again Monday that he can’t let past mistakes creep into his mindset and make him operate more tightly. He still needs to go play freely.
There’s a balance in being aggressive and playing smart, though. That’s what Browning has to figure out.
“Some of my aggressive throws are when we were moving the ball, too,” Browning said. “There’s multiple other ones where you’re like, ‘That’s an aggressive throw, but it was one of our only explosives of the game.’ So, trying to toe that line is difficult. You don’t want to hamstring yourself or put yourself in handcuffs so you just don’t mess up. Because then you’re not gonna play well.”
“Knowing the time and place, when you do need to be aggressive and when the risk is worth the reward. I’ve never really been somebody that throws a ton of picks, so it’s also toeing the line of not turning into ‘don’t play to not mess up.’ I think that’s part of the mental challenge of the position and not cutting it loose and not putting your team and yourself in bad situations.”
About the Author