You know what two words I never thought I’d hear during the Joe Burrow Era? Quarterback controversy! OK, we don’t really have one in Cincinnati. But the fact I can even make that joke is a huge credit to Jake Browning and his performance since taking over after Joey B went down with his wrist injury.
For the second straight game, Browning looked every bit the quality NFL hurler, throwing for 275 yards and two touchdowns and 11.5 yards per attempt as the Bengals blew out the Colts 34-14 on Sunday. They’re now 7-6, a seeming impossibility after that horrible Thursday night a few weeks back.
The game script, as usual, was key. The Bengals got up 14-0 early and took the Colts out of their preferred plan of powerfully pounding away with alliterative force. While Browning is getting all the love, deservedly so, Cincinnati’s defense at long last put together a performance worthy of its reputation, giving up just one score (the Colts also got a pick-six TD) and even that only happened because Trey Hendrickson hit Gardner Minshew late (very late, in fairness).
Trey made up for the mistake, absolutely dominating Colts tackle Bernhard Raimann to the tune of two sacks (a third was eliminated by penalty), a 33 percent pressure rate, and the putaway hit that became a B.J. Hill interception. He now has 13.5 sacks on the season and has been the closer every team seeks for its fourth-quarter pass rush, the most important element of defensive football in the modern NFL. A jarring hit by Logan Wilson on Minshew early on seemed to affect the Colts QB, and Indy went quietly into the Ohio River gloaming.
The Bengals piled up 111 yards on the ground in a balanced attack. They aren’t running it more, just running it better. In today’s NFL you pass to take the lead and run to ice the game—it’s that simple. But running remains important, especially when you can run effectively on first down. It certainly helps when Chase Brown at long last emerges into the weapon we prayed he could be when he was drafted in the fifth round last April.
I mean, the man hit 22 miles per hour on that screen pass touchdown! Forget Tyreek Hill—Brown looked like Bob Hayes out there. Even more importantly, Brown’s speed and fresh legs gave a desperately needed jolt to the run game. Even his good old fashioned 4- and 5-yard runs were created by a burst to the hole and an ability to defeat tackling angles. I know, I know, where has this been all season? It’s unfortunate the combination of inexperience and injury delayed his introduction to the offense, but it appears he made it just in time to make a difference.
As the Brown score showed, the Bengals’ screen game has risen to the fore. They’re calling them much more often, ’tis true. But more to the point, they’re executing them on a very high level. Which brings us to the play of the offensive line.
This game underscored just how important offensive line play truly is. Just a fortnight removed from perhaps their worst showing of the season against Pittsburgh, when blown assignments and teammate collisions conspired to sugar the attack’s engine, the front five played its best game of the season against the Colts. Browning had enough time to set up a barbecue and perfectly grill salmon while in the pocket on Sunday (zero sacks, just three pressures). Meanwhile, the “other guys” also blocked well (even Ja’Marr Chase), especially the tight ends; it’s no accident Irv Smith hardly played (only eight snaps) and the team moved the ball nearly at will.
Under Browning, the team has moved away from empty sets and gone under center much more often. (There’s a Jake Browning/Jackson Browne “Running on Empty” pun in here somewhere but I cannot locate it at the moment…) This is what you do when Burrow and his AI-level progressions are on the sideline, pumping his fist and looking longingly out to the field. (You know it’s killing Joe not to play.) It just goes to show that there are plenty of good quarterbacks in the NFL, ones who can be functional at least so long as the line allows them to play with comfort.
Zac Taylor and the staff talked plenty during the offseason about diversifying their attack with more play action and under-center looks. Then Burrow got hurt, missed the entire summer, and was painfully limited for the first half-dozen games. Unsurprisingly, the new stuff got kicked to the curb for the time being, waiting for Burrow to heal. When he did, the offense brought out some of those new concepts, slowly but surely—only for Burrow to go down for good just as the offense was clicking.
But the good news is those new elements work, and Browning got used to it all in training camp. That’s a huge reason why he’s been able to be so effective now that the team is his to run. It’s more of what we expected from the beginning with this Sean McVay/Mike Shanahan-influenced staff.
Burrow’s skill set demands a different, higher-level of attack, but the new schemes fit the less-talented Browning to a T. And who knows? This proof-of-concept game tape can only unlock even more good stuff with Burrow under center and not in shotgun. They certainly were shifting in that direction before the injury.
Cincinnati’s playoff odds remain just at 19 percent, thanks in large part to their horrid division and conference records. Realistically, the Bengals need to go 3-1 down the stretch; 4-0 almost guarantees a postseason berth, while 2-2 virtually eliminates them. If the team can somehow get to 10 wins, there should be an 18th game on the schedule.
The bad news is that the last four games won’t offer up middling to poor defenses like the ones Browning faced against the Jags and Colts. Indeed, the final quartet offer top 10 defenses, starting with the Vikings, who are sixth by DVOA.
Brian Flores, who once tried to come across the field and duke it out with Taylor while Flores was the Dolphins head coach, has done a yeoman job with the Minnesota defense. The Vikes don’t have many boldfaced names on that side of the ball, but you may be familiar with Ivan Pace Jr., who has gone from the Cincinnati Bearcats to playing at a Pro Bowl level as a rookie in Minneapolis. Otherwise, Flores has gotten great results without a ton of talent, as shown by shutting out the Raiders last Sunday.
Of course, Minnesota managed to win that game just 3-0! Like the Bengals, the Vikes lost starter Kirk Cousins to injury in midseason. Josh Dobbs had his moment in the sun as a replacement but has since been eclipsed, and it will be journeyman Nick Mullens starting against the Bengals Sunday. The Minnesota passing attack remains 17th overall, but most of that is residual from Cousins; the run offense is a dire 30th in the league, which is a great matchup for the Bengals. Even if Browning and the offense find the sledding tough, making the Vikings one-dimensional and forcing Mullens to beat them—even if Justin Jefferson plays; he’s questionable at the moment—is a good path to victory.
After that come critical games against backup quarterbacks at Pittsburgh and home for Cleveland, plus the annual death match (Part I) with Kansas City and their replacement-level wideouts. But first things first. Defeat Minnesota on Saturday afternoon (yes, Saturday, check your weekend plans accordingly!), get to 8-6, hope for some good results elsewhere, and we can all go from there.
And if Burrow wants to give his suite over to the Browning family once again in order to stave off the threat to his starting gig, that wouldn’t be a bad move.
Robert Weintraub heads up Bengals coverage for Cincinnati Magazine and has written for The New York Times, Grantland, Slate, and Deadspin. Follow him on Twitter at @robwein. Listen to him on Mo Egger’s show on 1530AM every Thursday at 5:20 p.m.
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