A week after saying he had full confidence in Browning, Taylor’s tone has shifted after Browning threw three interceptions through the first three quarters of a 37-24 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
Browning has eight picks in 15 quarters of football since replacing injured Joe Burrow in a Week 2 win over Jacksonville. The Bengals trailed 28-3 on Sunday before the offense found any rhythm and ended a 19-drive stretch without scoring a touchdown.
“We’ll see where it goes,” Taylor said Monday when asked if he sees Browning starting Sunday at Green Bay. “You know, I think like all personnel decisions, we’ve got to evaluate it. Jake’s been very accountable for how the game went for him. I’ve got to be accountable for how the game went for me as well. And so, we’ll continue to progress here through the days.”
Taylor did his best to paint a picture of normalcy in that process, noting every Monday and Tuesday the staff discusses personnel decisions at every position. However, last week when asked about whether the Bengals would be looking at outside options to give Browning some competition, Taylor’s first response was in support of Browning before indicating the front office is always evaluating what’s out there.
After the loss Sunday, Taylor also cracked open the door of possibility the Bengals might bench Browning before circling back to his belief Browning can still win them games. Browning was 4-3 as a starter in 2023, leading the Bengals to wins in four of the last six contests.
“It’s human beings playing a complicated game, and when you find yourself in a rhythm and you have confidence and one book, one play, a good play becomes two good plays becomes four good plays,” Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said when asked what’s different now. “That’s a different feeling than what he’s feeling right now, which is probably the opposite of that, where errors are compounding a little bit, and so, I would say it’s just kind of been... it’s not just Jake. Obviously, we’re battling through it right now as an offense. And when you find yourself there, it’s hard. It feels like it’s going to take a Herculean effort sometimes, and that’s not necessarily true. It’s really just a matter of making the plays that are in front of you. So, I just think that that’s kind of where he’s at right now.”
The question is, can the Bengals afford to keep giving Browning more chances after three straight losses and a home crowd Sunday that looked more like an FC Cincinnati game with as much blue mixed in with orange. Boos sung out before the end of the first drive, as hope had already faded after Cincinnati was outscored 76-13 over the previous two games.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Options already in the building would be Browning’s backup, Brett Rypien, or practice squad quarterbacks Mike White and Sean Clifford. Taylor deflected when asked what traits are needed if the Bengals move to another quarterback.
“That’s not in my wheelhouse right now, so I’ll let somebody else answer that question,” Taylor said.
The Bengals likely would want to have their starter determined by Wednesday when the on-field preparations for Green Bay begin.
Taylor said the Bengals would leave no stone unturned as they try to figure out how to get more out of the offense, but he will retain play-calling duties. Whether that has been a discussion or not was unclear.
“I’ve kind of always gotten into that, you know, I rely on our guys on offense as well,” Taylor said. “There’s a ton of input there, and those guys do an outstanding job adjusting as the game goes, giving me the information I need. I rely on them as much as I think any play caller in the league relies on anybody else. So, I feel very comfortable. It’s a fair question. We score three points in three games in the first half. I totally understand that. But right now, it’s going to remain the same.”
The running game still hasn’t gotten to the point of production needed to help put the quarterback in better third-down situations, and the onus also remains on the offensive line creating openings for Chase Brown and Samaje Perine.
Taylor is still evaluating ways he can improve the play calling, but he said he doesn’t believe the offense has become too predictable.
“I think finding more opportunities for our playmakers to get the ball and finding ways to get them easy touches that they can lead to productivity in our offense,” Taylor said. “We haven’t been productive enough. I don’t worry about statistics right now. I care about wins. That’s all I worry about. But at the same time, I know that we’ve got to get more productivity, and that’s more opportunity from a lot of our key guys on offense to be able to get the ball in the endzone, and that’s me finding the cleanest ways to get them the ball so they can impact the game.”
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