Jake Browning offense has plenty of answers as the Bengals beat the Colts

[Arkansas Bengal]

Charlie Goldsmith

Cincinnati Enquirer

 

When the Cincinnati Bengals had the chance to put the game away on Sunday, head coach Zac Taylor showed his confidence in the Bengals’ offense and went for it on 4th and 1 in the red zone. But this fourth down conversion attempt looked nothing like any other fourth down conversions the Bengals have tried all year.

 

For the first time this season, running back Joe Mixon lined up as a fullback in front of running back Chase Brown as the Bengals used an I-formation. All game on Sunday, the Bengals reached deeper into their playbook with fresh ideas, new wrinkles and answers for quarterback Jake Browning.

 

In a play straight out of Big Ten football, Mixon plunged for a first-down and set up a touchdown that put the Bengals up by 14 points. The Bengals beat the Indianapolis Colts, 34-14, at Paycor Stadium on Sunday with a game plan that looked nothing like the offense that they used with injured quarterback Joe Burrow. 

 

Taylor, offensive coordinator Brian Callahan and the Bengals’ coaching staff are rebuilding the Bengals’ offense on the fly. Browning, who briefly left the game in the fourth quarter with a cramp in his hand, played an up-and-down game against the Colts. But when the Bengals’ new starting quarterback couldn’t put the offense on his back, the Bengals had the right support around him. 

 

The game was full of plays like the fullback dive.

Browning totaled 135 passing yards in the first half, and 99 of those yards came on screen passes. As the Bengals’ coaches came up with a game plan for this week, they recognized an opportunity to take advantage of screens behind the line of scrimmage. 

The Bengals didn’t just capitalize on those chances on Sunday. They turned those screens into game-changing explosive plays.

 

In the middle of the first quarter, the Bengals gave backup running back Chase Brown his first snap of the game. Brown got his first significant opportunity of the season last week, and he ran the ball on 9 of his 11 snaps. This time, the Bengals caught the Colts off guard with a play action screen.

As Brown leaked out of the backfield, he had nothing but green grass in front of him. He hit 22 mph with the second-fastest sprint speed on a touchdown this season and gave the Bengals an early 7-0 lead.

The Bengals went back to the screen game one drive later, and Mixon powered through tackles to pick up 45 yards. That play set up a touchdown that put the Bengals up by 14 points, and Brown gained 25 more yards on a screen in the third quarter.

 

The Bengals ran into trouble when they tried a more aggressive offense. The Bengals tried to take a two-score lead during a two-minute drill heading into halftime, but Browning threw a pick six to Colts linebacker Ronnie Harrison Jr. Browning tried to hit Bengals tight end Tanner Hudson over the middle, but the throw was a few steps in front of Browning’s target. When the Bengals got the ball back and tried another two-minute drill, Browning nearly threw a second pick six. 

 

He settled back in after halftime and got the Bengals the lead back. Browning made his best two throws of the game on the first drive of the third quarter. First, he fit a throw over the middle between multiple defenders for wide receiver Tee Higgins for 26 yards. Then in the red zone, Browning showed his chemistry with tight end Tanner Hudson and hit him in stride on an 11-yard touchdown that put the Bengals up 21-14. 

 

On that drive, Browning continued to make the most of some impressive play calls. Taylor dialed up a halfback toss, two play action bootlegs and a run that Mixon bounced to the sideline for an 18-yard pickup. 

 

The Bengals’ offense didn’t have the same fireworks that it showed in Jacksonville, but Browning had plenty of answers in the pocket. 

 

Facing a Colts team that was missing its starting quarterback and its starting running back, the Bengals’ defense had a bounce back performance. After giving up 31 points in last week’s win, the Bengals’ defense addressed its two biggest flaws. The Bengals bottled up the Colts’ run game, and the Bengals didn’t allow Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew to beat them with deep throws over the top. 

 

Browning left the game early in the fourth quarter with the Bengals up by 14 points, putting A.J. McCarron in his first NFL game since 2020. In his first series, the Bengals drove down the field and made it a three-score game with a field goal. 

 

Burrow’s wrist injury was a gut punch for the Bengals’ Super Bowl aspirations, but the team’s response has been as good as for which they could have hoped. They’ve found a formula to win with Browning, and they’re getting a chance to sneak into the playoffs. 

 

 

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2023/12/10/cincinnati-bengals-offense-with-qb-jake-browning-beats-colts-afc-playoff-standings-shedule-picture/71870662007/

[dex]

 

[Arkansas Bengal]

Nick Shook's takeaways:

 

1. Jake Browning gets the job done again. Browning's magical Monday night performance wasn't a fluke. For a second straight week, Browning executed Cincinnati's offense efficiently, finishing 18 of 24 for 275 yards, two touchdowns and one interception that was the result of an off-target pass deflected into the arms of Colts safety Ronnie Harrison. Outside of the interception, Browning was excellent, and even added some chunk plays to his repertoire. His big completions in the third quarter jump-started Cincinnati's offense, allowing the Bengals to put two straight touchdowns on the board to turn a tie game into a 28-14 advantage. He even added a rushing touchdown on a sneak, capping a day that was not only satisfying, but built confidence for Bengals fans who no longer need proof to believe in this team.
2.  
3. Sloppy day dooms Colts. Throughout Sunday's game, it seemed as if every time Indianapolis did something right, a handful of errors would follow. An early 14-0 deficit didn't help, but once the Colts fought their way back into the game just before halftime, they repeatedly stumbled over their own feet. Cincinnati opened the second half with a touchdown drive, then followed it up with another scoring march, and when the Colts finally earned a stop, they muffed the punt, eliminating an opportunity to respond. As the Colts have all season, they didn't quit fighting, reaching first-and-goal before penalties pushed them as far back as the 25. That's where a pressured Gardner Minshew threw a pass that deflected upward and was picked off by Bengals defensive tackle B.J. Hill, ending yet another opportunity. With two turnovers and a single-game high nine penalties accepted against them (for 66 yards), the Colts simply hurt themselves too much to have a chance of keeping pace with the Bengals, and missed out on a prime opportunity to pull into a tie for first place in the AFC South.
4.  
5. Bengals score another key win in playoff push. The loss of Joe Burrow should have sent these Bengals into a dark winter. Instead, because the partnership between Browning and coach Zac Taylor is working so well, Cincinnati is proving to be a competitive team capable of outplaying another fellow playoff contender. The final score accurately reflected a game the Bengals dominated for the majority of four quarters, a remarkable achievement considering the fact they're without Burrow. But a strong ground game, excellent play-calling and the return of a hungry defense has reminded folks of why many projected the Bengals to win the AFC North in 2023. They might not do that, but they're quickly becoming a team most won't want to see in the postseason -- provided they maintain this level of production and get there.

 

Next Gen stat of the game: Browning completed 8 of 9 play-action passes for 174 yards and a touchdown Sunday, including a completion percentage over expected of plus-14.1.

 

NFL Research: Jake Browning owns a 79.3 completion percentage as a starter in three career starts, the highest completion percentage by any quarterback through their first three starts since 1950.
 

nfl.com

[Gary]

And you all thought I was a terrible backup.. Pshhhh.