Jake Browning was close to perfect on Monday Night Football, completing 32-of-37 passes to lead the Cincinnati Bengals to a thrilling 34-31 overtime win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium.
The former University of Washington Huskie threw for 354 yards and a touchdown, no interceptions, and added 22 yards and a TD of his own on two carries. He played like an elite quarterback in a primetime upset, and made impressive NFL history in the process.
Browning became the first undrafted player since 1967 (Common Draft Era) to throw for 350 passing yards and complete 85 percent of his passes in a game, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Truly, both a shocking and superb Week 13 showing for the 27-year-old, his first win in the National Football League.
“I haven't played a lot of football, but it's not like I'm not used to winning,” Browning said afterwards, per ESPN's Ben Baby. “I've won a lot of games in my career. None of them have been in the NFL until today, which is obviously noteworthy. I've won a lot of football games in my life.”
Jake Browning making the most of his opportunity with Bengals
Browning played four seasons at the University of Washington, appearing in 53 games before going undrafted in 2019. He joined the Minnesota Vikings but was waived before the 2021 campaign, and landed in Ohio with the Bengals on the practice squad.
Since then, he's been elevated to the No. 2 QB slot, and with Joe Burrow done for the season, the starting job is his to lose.
“[I] learned a lot from the Pittsburgh game and was really able to focus on some of those things throughout the week of practice,” Browning reflected on his first start, a 16-10 loss to the Steelers. “I think the main thing is just having those reps and having another week of it. And we were able to put up points.”
It was a crucial win for a now 6-6 Cincinnati team on the road in Florida, snapping a three-game losing skid and giving this roster some confidence that it can make a late playoff run with four games left.
Jake Browning and the Bengals will look to replicate Monday's smashing success when the Indianapolis Colts come to Paycor Stadium in Week 14.
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