The NFL has witnessed several starting quarterbacks seeing their seasons come to an end this year due to season-ending injuries, forcing teams to rely on their backups. The Cincinnati Bengals are among those teams, having lost Joe Burrow to a torn ligament in his throwing wrist back in Week 11. Since then, the Bengals have turned to former Washington football quarterback Jake Browning, who, to the surprise of many, has kept the Bengals in playoff contention.
Jake Browning has been the biggest surprise of the 2023 NFL season
After Week 15, in Browning's four starts, he's gone 3-1 and beaten three playoff-contending teams along the way. In those four games, Browning has thrown for 1,180 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions, while rushing for two more scores, boasting an almost 76% completion percentage.
It's safe to say that no one foresaw these types of performances. Browning was cut from the Minnesota Vikings in August 2021 after initially signing with them as an undrafted free agent in April 2019 out of college. Shortly after being cut from Minnesota, the former Huskies football quarterback signed with the Bengals' practice squad. It wasn't until the third preseason game in 2023 that Browning won the backup quarterback job, competing with Trevor Siemian throughout training camp. Now, he's the starter for the Bengals with Burrow being sidelined.
But should we have seen this coming? Did the Vikings miss something back in 2021 that the Bengals later capitalized on in 2023? Or is this all just hyperbole, and Browning will eventually fizzle out like most backup quarterbacks often do? Looking at his time playing for the Washington Huskies, perhaps we should have seen some of this coming.
Jake Browning was a record-setter for Washington football
Before Michael Penix Jr. threw touchdowns for the Washington football team, there was Jake Browning setting school records.
He came to the University of Washington as a four-star prospect out of Folsom, CA, where in high school, he started his record-setting ways by throwing a national record of 91 touchdowns, totaling 229 in three seasons. He also held California records for passing yards and completions in attempts.
By the first game of the 2015 Washington football season, Browning, as a true freshman, was already the starter, and by the end of the season, he had the fifth-best season for a Huskies quarterback in passing yards with 2,955, according to The Sporting News.
His sophomore season campaign was his best, finishing sixth in the Heisman Trophy ballot, throwing for 3,430 yards and 43 touchdowns with nine interceptions, completing 62.1% of his passes. He also earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year honors that season. More importantly, he led the Huskies to a 12-2 season, their best since 2000, and their first 12-win season since 1991 when they won their last national championship. It earned the Huskies the Pac-12 Championship and a berth in their first-ever College Football Playoff, finishing at No. 4 in the country.
Though Washington football and Browning never quite reached those same heights together again, he finished his career with a 39-15 record, taking the Huskies to three straight New Year's Six bowls, and owning multiple university and collegiate records. He ranks first among Pac-12 quarterbacks with 39 wins, fourth in career passing yards (12,296), sixth in completions (958), eighth in attempts (1,484), and 16th in passing yards per attempt (8.3). Additionally, he ranks first among Washington quarterbacks in both passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Jake Browning's talent was there all along
Sometimes it's easy, believe it or not, for guys like Browning to get overlooked. Although they may set a litany of records at the college and high school levels, it can often be assumed that they were products of a system, a coach, or something else, and won't translate at the next level. While the NFL is a different beast entirely, far removed from collegiate and prep competition, Browning is now proving that he can compete at every level. What record will he set next?
Follow Us
Subscribe