Taylor doesn’t believe there is a need to add competition for Browning, but didn’t rule out that possibility in the future.
The Bengals have been outscored 76-13 the past two weeks while the offense has floundered. Browning threw five interceptions over his first seven quarters, including three in his first action after Burrow went down in the Week 2 win over Jacksonville.
Five total turnovers plagued the team in the 48-10 loss at Minnesota in Browning’s first start the next week. On Monday, penalties sent Cincinnati into a downward spiral early, and Browning couldn’t lead the offense past midfield after the opening drive, which resulted in the only points in a 28-3 loss at Denver.
“I think with every position we’re always assessing,” Taylor said. “That’s Duke’s job. That’s the personnel department. They do a great job of that, presenting us options when Joe went down of other guys we can bring in the room, as well. So, we thoroughly exhaust that. I’ve got a ton of confidence in Jake. I’m unwavering in that. I’ve seen the best of Jake. I know that we can do a great job supporting him to where he can go win games for us. So, I feel extremely confident in Jake Browning.”
Browning led the Bengals to a 4-3 record in his first career starts in 2023 when Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury, including wins in four of the last six games. During that stretch, he completed 70.4 percent of his passes for 1,936 yards and 12 touchdowns with seven interceptions.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
None of his losses then were as bad as the two he’s been a part of this year with arguably better weapons at his disposal. He’s thrown for less than 150 yards the last two weeks.
“I think the screen game and running game kind of helped me get into a rhythm, especially early on when I had no experience,” Browning said of 2023. “I just kind of feel we did a better job in ’23, and what we need to improve this year is, staying ahead of the sticks more. In ’23, it was second-and-5 or second-and-2, not second-and-11 or second-and-12 and you’re basically playing third down twice.”
Browning said he also needs to be better knowing when to take shots and when to just take the completion underneath to get into manageable third-down situations.
Taylor insists it’s not all on Browning. The Bengals are now the first team since the 2009 Oakland Raiders with 200 or fewer offensive yards in three of their first four games.
“I think it’s not an evaluation of Jake Browning,” Taylor said. “It’s evaluation of all of us on offense. We all have to do our part to put ourselves in the best position possible to go score points, and that’s me giving Jake everything he needs, giving the linemen everything they need. Really, first and foremost as the head coach, it’s not a reflection on one player, it’s on me. And so I’ve got to get ourselves in a better position.”
According to ESPN.com, only two quarterbacks had a worse quarterback rating the last two weeks than Browning (26.5), and both of them have been benched – Giants quarterback Russell Wilson (6.5) and Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (20.1).
Browning said it’s tough to look at the film and simply evaluate his throws without thinking about the stats and end result, but he’s dedicated to putting more of himself into finding a solution, rather than making excuses, as Taylor has been challenging his players this week.
“I think for me, I’ve always been more ‘do more’ and whether the outcome is what you want it to be or not, at least you have peace of mind,” Browning said. “There’s a lot of things that go into winning football games and losing football games but a lack of effort is very controllable, and that’s kind of the focus for myself.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The intensity throughout the week gets higher coming off poor performances, Browning said, but he can’t be “somebody that’s trying to prove the world wrong with one throw” on gameday because “that’s how you end up making some dumb decisions.” His emphasis this week is staying calm and giving receivers a better chance to make plays on deep balls when it is time to take shots.
Taylor said he is optimistic about the game plan this week as the Bengals prepare for a Detroit Lions (3-1) team that will be tough to keep pace with offensively. Detroit leads the league with 34.3 points per game and ranks sixth in net offense with 365.0 yards per game. The Lions’ defense, featuring former Bengals defensive tackle DJ Reader, isn’t too shabby, either, ranking in the top half of the league in most major categories.
Being at home this week will help, Taylor said, because the Bengals can go back to using a verbal cadence that wasn’t possible on the road. Being on a silent count might have contributed to the pre-snap penalties.
Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said he still has confidence the offense can look better this week because this team knows “what good offensive football looks like” and has played it in the past. Although the Bengals seem to have lost a lot of goodwill from fans with their performance so far, past success with experienced players is still relevant but not good enough, Pitcher said.
“You don’t get credit for what last year’s team did or what last week’s team did,” Pitcher said. “Every week you are judged in this league. You trust the fact there are guys that know what it looks like and what it is going to take, so now we are going to go do it. The only way that you guys will stop asking me these questions, which you have to ask me, is for us to go do it. That’s as simple as it is.”
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