The Cincinnati Bengals embarrassed themselves in a blowout 48-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3, and it's actually unclear if a healthy Joe Burrow could've rescued him from such a demoralizing fate.
I was really bullish on Jake Browning coming into Sunday. Facing the team that waived him thrice before, who he defeated in overtime during the 2023 season. Reasonable to think Browning could've stepped up, no?
Actually, no. Or yes. What am I trying to say? Browning decidedly did not step up, but the Bengals as a team just got smoked in Minnesota. There's no other way around it, other than to say, I doubt Burrow would've let this happen if he weren't seriously injured (again).
Bengals offense has catastrophic Week 3 performance without Joe Burrow
The fact that Joe Burrow might be out for the season — or at best, back in mid-December? — due to a turf toe injury is more of a harbinger of doom than it seemed.
Browning thrived in 2023 when he was thrust into duty due to Burrow's season-ending wrist injury. He posted a 4-3 record as a starter, with an NFL-best 70.4% completion rate during that span. The dude carried a lead in the fourth quarter at Arrowhead Stadium late in the season, with the Bengals' playoff hopes on the line, too!
Whatever balling out Jake Browning did before was long forgotten on Sunday. And to be fair, it wasn't all his fault. When you lose three fumbles on offense, it's hard to win any given game. However, Browning contributed to the losing cause with a pick-six to Isaiah Rodgers.
CRIBBED.@rodgers_isaiah
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 21, 2025
📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/VRusxti1cT
In retrospect, Browning should've checked the ball down, rather than try to Burrow-style extend the play with his legs to throw what proved to be a win-costing pass.
It's OK, though. I swear. Everything's totally fine. It's not like the Bengals have a brutal gauntlet of a schedule coming up, featuring the likes of the Broncos on Monday Night Football, then the high-powered Lions offense, followed by a trip to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers.
Things are not fine at all. Browning and head coach Zac Taylor must figure out some kind of way to diversify the running game, get more production when they air it out, and, you know, not turn it over four times in a single afternoon. Otherwise, this is about to be a long 2025 season in the wake of Burrow's injury.
Let's hope that this was just a one-off, literally history-making performance from a Vikings defensive back, rather than an indictment of what Cincinnati is going to look like for the rest of the year. Because my goodness, Isaiah Rodgers, you just got us today.
Isaiah Rodgers is the 1st player in #NFL history with 2 forced fumbles, a pick 6, and a fumble return for a TD in a game. pic.twitter.com/AfGcmEaqv0
— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) September 21, 2025