NFL analysts agree Bengals are blessed to have Jake Browning after Joe Burrow injury

Unfortunately for the Cincinnati Bengals, it appears that they will be without the services of Joe Burrow for an extended period of time. But, as Bengals fans already know, they are lucky to have a quality backup in Jake Browning. 

Now, the rest of the NFL world is rediscovering how fortunate the Bengals are to have Browning as Burrow’s backup. 

You will hear and read a lot about how Browning is one of the best non-starting quarterbacks in the NFL. He will receive much praise after his ice-veined performance, which helped lead Cincinnati to a 2-0 start, the first of Zac Taylor’s career as Bengals head coach. 

Such praise came immediately from analysts and former players at the conclusion of the game, which saw the Bengals defeat the Jaguars 31-27. 

Guess who's back, back again?

The last time Browning saw extended action was in 2023. He played seven games in which he went 4-3. He completed 70.4% of his passes while throwing for 1,936 yards and 11 touchdowns during that run.

He also gave us some very memorable, viral moments.

Browning had the team on the doorstep of the playoffs, but they just missed out. Still, they finished with a winning record of 9-8, which is something no one expected with Burrow sidelined with a wrist injury.

Fast forward to the 2025 season, and Browning is delivering for the Burrow-less Bengals once again. 

Against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Browning led a comeback, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. In the game, which was Jameis Winston-esque, Browning threw for 241 yards, three interceptions, and two touchdowns. 

However, Browning’s most significant exploit of his heroic performance came on Cincinnati's final drive of the game. After starting from their own 8-yard line, the Bengals, behind Browning, drove 92 yards against Jacksonville's defense. That drive culminated in a touchdown, a game-winning dive from Browning with 18 seconds to go in the fourth quarter.

The fuel that powered that comeback was delusion and aggressiveness. Check out what Browning said of his mindset on the game-winning drive.

“Just be delusional. I think I'd thrown three picks, and somehow, we still have a chance to win the game. And so, it sounds bad, but you can't be afraid of the fourth one in that situation because you have a chance to win it... Being a little delusional and just keep being aggressive, cause the moment calls for it.”

Analysts, ex-players take immediate notice of Jake Browning

In their post-game wrap-up, CBS Sports analyst and former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan spoke on Cincinnati's current quarterback situation. He noted, "The Bengals are lucky to have him. The Bengals are. 2-0. The narrative we talked about them all last year was getting off to slow starts.”

Ryan would go to talk about the difficulties of coming back from the type of injury that Burrow appears to be suffering from. On Burrow, he said the following:

”It did not look good. And I've had foot injuries, toe injuries, stuff like that. We don't know what it's going to be. They're not easy to come back from. They're very difficult to come back from.”

Matty Ice reiterated, too, that Browning is the type of backup quarterback that most NFL teams would love to have.

"But when you're a good football team and you have a stretch of three, four, five weeks where your backup has to go in and play, you hope he's a guy like Jake Browning that can come in and make plays for you and give you a chance to win those types of ball games.”

Knowing that Browning gives the Bengals a chance to win is critical for Cincinnati's hopes this season, now that we know Burrow will miss at least three months due to his injured toe.

Easy to be delusional for Jake Browning with magic floating around

It is fitting that we are discussing delusion and how lucky the Bengals are with Browning, with Ja’Marr Chase’s new Lucky Charms boxes on the shelves. Please excuse the digression.

Former NFL wide receiver, turned CBS analyst, Nate Burleson, also chimed in. In using a term often reserved for tight ends, Burleson called Browning a security blanket. He stated, “You have security in that blanket as your backup. You know that if Joe Burrow goes down, Browning can come in, and he's going to let it fly.” 

And let it fly, Browning did. But the former Washington Husky can be comfortable in doing so because of the playmakers he is surrounded by. As Burleson pointed out, “You've got some guys that are dogs, that can carry this squad.”

Browning and his eventual backup, whoever that may be, have a plethora of weapons to lean on within this offense. 

First, Browning has the best wide receiver in the NFL, Ja'Marr Chase. Chase was on the case on Sunday, showing why he is the best of the best after his 14 receptions, 165 yards, and one touchdown afternoon. 

Another veritable WR1, Tee Higgins, finished with three catches, 56 yards, and a touchdown. Jake Browning and Tee Higgins are a couple of players who would be number ones on a few other NFL teams. We are lucky they are Bengals.

And who can forget an up-and-coming phenomenon in Mitchell Tinsley, who had a star turn in the preseason and continues to turn heads in the regular season.

Cincinnati also possesses a couple of past catching tight ends in Noah Fant and Mike Gesicki, who combined for six catches for 46 yards. 

Zac Taylor's offense may also want to lean on Chase Brown, an explosive running back capable of carrying the rushing load all by himself, which he has done through two weeks of this season.

And, the team has Jake Browning. 

It is never great for a team to lose its starting quarterback, for most teams, that would be a death blow to their season. However, as Bengals fans and former players know, that is not necessarily the case when it comes to the 2025 Cincinnati Bengals. That is because they have Jake Browning as their backup. And they are lucky that is the case.

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