The Cincinnati Bengals were faced with a tough task in Week 13. They had to go on the road to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars to close out the week on Monday Night Football. Not many people were giving them a chance as they were as high as 10-point underdogs at some sportsbooks.
A big reason for the spread being so large was that the Bengals were turning to quarterback Jake Browning for only his second career start. Browning has been tasked with leading the offense since their starter, Joe Burrow, injured his wrist in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens and suffered a season-ending injury.
Browning was decent against the Pittsburgh Steelers in his first start, completing 19-of-27 passes for 227 yards with one touchdown and one interception. But, the team lost that game 16-10, dropping their record to 5-6.
NFL News & Rumors: Jake Browning & Cincinnati Bengals Update
In desperate need of a victory to keep pace in the AFC playoff race, Browning put together a performance most quarterbacks can only achieve in their dreams. Not only did the Bengals defeat the Jaguars in overtime, 34-31, but Browning joined an elite group of players with his performance.
The Washington product completed 32-of-37 pass attempts for 354 yards and one touchdown. He added 22 rushing yards and another score on the ground to round out his stat sheet in the upset victory.
According to NFL on CBS on X, formerly known as Twitter, Browning is only the sixth quarterback in the last 20 seasons to complete 85+ percent of his passes and throw for 350+ yards. The other five are stars Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert.
NFL News & Rumors: Jake Browning & Cincinnati Bengals Update
Putting forth that performance, against a team who was playing for first place in the AFC, is quite an achievement for Browning. While he has acknowledged that things will get tougher in the coming weeks, the Bengals are once again a team that no one wants to see late in the season.
Browning has shown more than capable of keeping the offense on track in place of Burrow. With his supporting cast of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon healthy, this offense will remain a dangerous one to play against.
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