Ex-Husky Browning Replaces Injured Burrow, Plays in 2nd NFL Game
At the University of Washington, quarterback Jake Browning once used Thursdays for short walk-through practices or on the rare occasion as a travel day.
In Baltimore, however, the four-year Husky starter turned Cincinnati Bengals back-up player got a full workout on this day with the entire country watching.
With $275-million quarterback Joe Burrow injuring a wrist and going out shortly before halftime, the Bengals turned to Browning to finish up their Thursday Night Football game in Baltimore, which the Ravens won 34-20.
A fifth-year pro, Browning made his second NFL appearance by entering the game with his team trailing 14-10 but he couldn't rescue this one for Cincinnati (5-5). With his offensive line offering little protection, he was left to scramble much of the time he was out there and was sacked 3 times.
On the plus side, the 6-foot-2, 210-pound quarterback drove his team for a third-quarter field goal and threw a 2-yard TD pass to Ja'Marr Chase late in the game while Burrow, the NFL's highest-paid quarterback, was relegated to a seat on the bench.
Browning completed 8 of 14 passes for 68 yards and the lone score and rushed four times for 40 yards.
Jake Browning scrambles against Baltimore in his second NFL appearance.
Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports
In the Bengals' season opener, he had made his NFL debut with a four-play, two-series outing at Cleveland, with Burrow shut down in a 24-3 loss. He threw one incomplete pass that game.
This time, Browning was summoned with 2:20 left in the opening half after Burrow had run to the locker room to have X-rays taken of his wrist. The Bengals announced he was questionable to return. There was no immediate indication for how long Burrow will be sidelined.
At the UW, Browning was a four-year starter and record-setting passer, throwing for 12,296 yards and 94 touchdowns while starting 54 games.
He guided the Huskies to the 2016 College Football Playoffs against Alabama, the 2017 Fiesta Bowl against Penn State and the 2019 Rose Bowl against Ohio State. He was 39-15 as the first-teamer.
Browning went undrafted and signed as a free agent with the Vikings, where he spent three seasons on the practice squad. He's been with the Bengals for two seasons and serves as Burrow's back-up.
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