Browning Named AFC Offensive Player Of The Week
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning had a breakthrough moment in a 34-31 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football, throwing for 354 yards and a touchdown in the upset win, plus running for a score and completing close to 87 percent of his passes
In just his second NFL start, the former University of Washington standout was named as the AFC's Offensive Player of the Week.
After losing starting quarterback Joe Burrow for the season to a wrist injury, coach Zac Taylor turned to Browning as the replacement for the remainder of the year.
Browning, who has been with the Bengals since the start of the 2021 season, has developed a solid chemistry with All-Pro wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who was his favorite target in the win.
Chase caught 11 passes from Browning for 149 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown strike in the third quarter, and after the game he had praise for the UW's all-time leading passer.
"He played great football and I was in his ear all day to keep him going and keep his confidence up," Chase told ESPN's Scott Van Pelt. "I was letting him know that he was doing great today, he got the ball moving down the field and played a great game."
Browning had not appeared in a regular season game before this year, even after joining the NFL way back in 2019 and now has the Bengals within reach of a playoff spot.
Cincinnati is sitting at 6-6 on the season with the Indianapolis Colts next on the schedule. Once again, the Bengals will rely heavily on Browning to stay in the hunt for a wild-card spot in the strongest division in football.
Every other team in the AFC North currently holds a playoff spot, but if Browning can continue to play well, the Bengals should be in the mix for one of the conference's three wild-card bids.
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