The Cincinnati Bengals lost to the Detroit Lions 37-24 on Sunday, falling to 2-3 on the season. The Bengals have not won a game with Jake Browning as the starter, and the heat is turning up on head coach Zac Taylor. After Sunday's game, Taylor responded to questions about Browning's job security after another dreadful loss.
“Of course, after a game like that we’re going to look at all personnel to make sure we are doing the right thing,” Taylor said, per Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer. “I won’t shy away from that because it’s a very fair question after the amount of turnovers we had. To say that I don’t think Jake can win games for us, I believe Jake can win games for us. I do. We’ll just continue to look at everything we can personnel wise.”
Browning went 4-3 in seven starts for the 2023 Bengals, finishing just short of the playoffs. But after leading a fourth-quarter comeback against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, he has been disastrous in 2025. He has six touchdowns and seven interceptions in his 3+ games this season.
The Bengals are still in second place in the AFC North, as the Baltimore Ravens continue to stumble through their season. A quarterback who can lead their offense and get Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins more involved could save the season. Mike White and Brett Rypien are in the organization and could be the guy Taylor calls upon.
The Bengals could also make a trade with a team to acquire their backup quarterback. The New York Giants have two quarterbacks behind Jaxson Dart: Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. Could either one of those veterans rock the orange and black tiger stripes?
The Bengals have a tough game against the rested Green Bay Packers next week before a key Thursday game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7.
