Top Takeaways: A Jake Browning Coming Out Party
Syndication: The Enquirer
In a thrilling overtime game in Duval County, the Bengals shocked the NFL world and took down the AFC South leading Jacksonville Jaguars by a final score of 34-31. Jake Browning eviscerated the Jags’ D for 354 yards, which was more than any QB had in the NFL this week.
Here are our top takeaways from this week’s victory.
Jake Browning. That is all.
On a week where Cincinnati found itself mired in a quarterback debate, Jake Browning ignored all the calls for AJ McCarron to start and absolutely cooked. He put up a stat line that had yet to be seen prior to last night.
list of QBs with at least…
300 yards
30 attempts
10.0 YPA
80% completionsin a game this year:
Jake Browning
<end of list>
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 5, 2023
There’s no way around it: Jake Browning was absolutely on fire. He threw for 354 yards on 32 completions out of 37 pass attempts. One of those completions was a long TD to Ja’Marr Chase.
CAN'T CATCH JA'MARR CHASE 🔥🔥🔥 #WHODEY pic.twitter.com/jsAouewn1U
— Cincinnati 💔 (@CincyProblems) December 5, 2023
He also helped his own cause with 22 rushing yards and a QB sneak TD of his own. He even showcased an ability to spread the ball around by completing passes to eight different receivers, and demonstratively improved on his already decent efficiency that he showed in his two prior games. The only receiver with at least one catch and under 10 reception yards was… Jake Browning himself, who had -7 receiving yards on a pass from Ja’Marr Chase.
While Browning had his fair share of checkdowns, he was much more comfortable making big throws and zipping the ball to where it needed to go. He improved his decision making, as he was only sacked twice (as opposed to Jacksonville getting sacked four times). He recognized how big the win was, according to an interview with Lisa Salters.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve won a game,” the Washington product told the longtime ESPN reporter.
Zac Taylor couldn’t have had nicer words to say about his de facto starting QB.
“Awesome. Outstanding.” Zac Taylor on Jake Browning Monday. pic.twitter.com/ODc8xtZpCZ
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) December 5, 2023
AJ McWho?
Big things can happen when you open up the run game
It wasn’t just Jake Browning that was strong tonight. The Bengals rushing attack, which has struggled badly all season, turned on the jets against a very good Jaguars run defense.
Joe Mixon also had himself a night, logging his first multi-TD game of the year; this went along with his 68 rushing yards on 19 attempts. It wasn’t just Mixon, though. One of the Bengals’ 2023 draft picks may have finally broken out in the way fans hoped he could have broken out all season long.
I'm just here for the Chase Brown party
— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) December 5, 2023
Chase Brown had his first significant action of the year in tonight’s thrilling victory, and he made the most of his new opportunity. He had 9 rushes that went for 60 yards, including a 31 yard rush, which was the longest rush the Bengals have had all of this season.
Pass defense still needs to improve
For all the great plays that the Bengals made in their win against the Jaguars tonight, it wasn’t perfect. On defense, Cincinnati gave up 321 yards passing. It very much could’ve been more had Trevor Lawrence and Christian Kirk not suffered injuries during the game (the latter of whom suffered an injury on Lawrence’s first completion of the game).
Cincinnati has also more or less refused to acknowledge the existence of tight ends all year. With this, the Jaguars’ receiving yards leader was, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, Evan Engram.
EVAN ENGRAM HAS HIS FIRST TD OF THE SEASON 🙌
pic.twitter.com/zl5cSczprA— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) December 5, 2023
In tonight’s affair, Engram had 9 receptions on 9 targets for 82 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. The Bengals defense is a defense that, in last week’s loss to Pittsburgh, allowed tight end Pat Freiermuth to stomp all over them for 120 receiving yards.
Cincinnati can *still* compete with anybody
Even without Joe Burrow, the Bengals have the vast majority of the team that has taken them to the postseason over the last two seasons. Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd, whose passing stats we won’t address, have not only been consistent mainstays in the offense over the last few years, but they also heavily produced while Tee Higgins was absent over the last few games.
To go on the road in prime time, where the Bengals historically struggle, against the then-number one seed in the AFC and take home the win is a massive statement. With Indianapolis, Minnesota, and Pittsburgh, who are all starting backup QBs, coming up over the next few weeks, there is no reason that Cincinnati can’t get itself right back in the thicc of the playoff race.
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