Rich Eisen perfectly nails why Bengals should be hopeful despite Joe Burrow debacle

No way around it. Most folks are writing off the 2025 iteration of the Cincinnati Bengals for the obvious reason that they might've lost Joe Burrow for the season to a turf toe injury.

Can't blame the outsiders, detractors, and flat-out Bengals haters who label Burrow injury-prone, or admonish the organization for not doing enough to protect him. I hold some of those feelings as well in the wake of this accursed gesture from the football gods.

However, legendary sports personality Rich Eisen is here to rescue us Who Dey Heads from oblivion. Eisen insists the season isn't yet over. Why is that? Mess around and find out by reading further.

Rich Eisen insists Bengals' Jake Browning is a legitimate starting NFL QB

Jake Browning is a certified D-A-W-G dawg. The Bengals have strung him along for years with minimal payment despite the fact that he proved in 2023 how capable he is as a starter. Browning led Cincinnati to a 4-3 record and ended the Jacksonville Jaguars as we once knew them with an unforgettable Monday Night Football performance that year.

Eisen hopped on the mic this otherwise fine Monday to explain just how bullish he is on Browning and his ability to lead the Bengals the rest of the way. Check out this doozy of a clip below. The quote is there, plain to see.

""I think Jake Browning is better than maybe a third of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL.""

Rich Eisen

That one-liner deserves the standalone treatment. It induced stunned reactions on The Rich Eisen Show set. Although Eisen declined to go down the list of starting NFL quarterbacks to drive home his point about Browning, the heavy lifting had been done.

Browning threw three interceptions but still did enough to march Cincinnati down the field for a game-winning drive in Week 2's 31-27 triumph over the Jaguars. Yes, a Travis Hunter pass interference penalty on 4th down kept the possession alive. I realize that. Doesn't take away from the guts Browning showed to even attempt that downfield throw in the first place.

We're talking about a man who's been overlooked, doubted, and kicked to the curb at every turn in pro football before he found a home as Burrow's backup. My opinion of Browning is on par with Eisen's — and I think he'll only get better now that he's QB1, with the benefit of all the practice reps and more game action to come.

In fact, I was shocked more teams didn't inquire about trading for Browning given how bad the 2025 draft was at the QB position. Maybe that'll prove to be a cold take in due time. Given the Bengals' continuity, plethora of weapons, and Browning's familiarity with Zac Taylor's offense, though, I don't see how he's going to have some grand regression from what he showed in 2023.

People forget that Browning actually carried a Week 17 lead into the fourth quarter at Arrowhead Stadium, when the Bengals battled the Chiefs with their playoff lives at stake. Browning has a better arm and far better mobility than he's given credit for. He completed 70.4% of his passes across those seven starts two years ago, guiding Cincinnati to a winning 4-3 record.

Eisen labeled Browning as the best backup quarterback in the NFL, too. No argument from me on that one, given that we've seen too little of the Eagles' Tanner McKee in the regular season to give him that distinction.

May I drop the mic myself in a figurative way, just like Eisen did today? In November 2023, renowned QB guru Jordan Palmer came on Eisen's show to discuss the aftermath of Joe Burrow's season-ending wrist injury — and why people should believe in Jake Browning.

How prescient Palmer's take turned out to be. I think we'll be saying the same about Eisen's latest bold-but-true statement here soon.

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