The Bengals went 19 straight drives without reaching the end zone over the course of Jake Browning’s first three starts, including through three quarters Sunday in a 37-24 loss to the Detroit Lions at Paycor Stadium.
They ended the drought with touchdowns on three consecutive drives in the fourth quarter to cut a 25-point deficit down to 11 twice, but the slow start – hampered by Browning’s three picks – doomed Cincinnati (2-3) in a third consecutive loss.
Ja’Marr Chase made a diving catch on Browning’s 15-yard pass on the first play of the fourth quarter and managed to keep his feet in to get the Bengals going, down 28-10. The next drive, Browning found Chase wide open deep down the left side for a 64-yard touchdown, and suddenly Cincinnati had a ray of hope, trailing 28-17 with 10:22 left.
Detroit responded with a touchdown drive of its own, and that essentially sealed it. The Lions also sacked Browning in the endzone for a safety on his last drive.
After Goff’s third touchdown pass of the day made it 35-17, Browning didn’t flinch and led the Bengals back down the field for another score, this time on a 2-yard pass to Tee Higgins to make it 35-24 with 3:02 remaining. They failed to recover the ensuing onside kick, though, and that sealed it.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The late surge from the Bengals offense came after fans had been booing them throughout the first three quarters. The negative response from the home crowd -- which was broken up by a lot of blue Lions gear spoiling the “Stripe the Jungle” effort -- began the first drive when a screen pass to Chase Brown resulted in no gain on third-and-15 after Cincinnati had moved across midfield for the first time since the opening drive Monday at Denver.
Despite two turnovers and a lot of short drives in the first two quarters, the Bengals got on the board with a 50-yard field goal to end the half and trailed just 14-3. The comeback could have started sooner, as the Bengals received the kickoff to start the second half, but Browning threw his third interception of the day on the second play from scrimmage and the Lions took advantage to build their cushion.
Browning completed 26 of 40 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns, but his three interceptions brought his total to eight over 15 quarters of football this season.
Detroit benefited from a short field on that third pick and extended its lead to 21-3 on Jahmyr Gibbs’ 20-yard touchdown reception, then forced a three-and-out on the Bengals’ next drive and drove 80 yards on seven plays to reach the endzone again. David Montgomery punched in that one from 8 yards out.
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Credit: AP
The score could have been worse in the first half, but Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson forced a fumble on a sack on the Lions’ second drive and Logan Wilson recovered at the Cincinnati 28-yard line. Detroit also twice punted near midfield when other teams might have gone for it on fourth down.
The Lions opened the game with a touchdown drive on which Goff found tight end Sam LaPorta on a 10-yard pass with defensive end Joseph Ossai in coverage. But, their only other first-half points came after Browning’s first interception, picked off by Amik Robertson to put them on the 17-yard line.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Five plays later, Montgomery took a direct snap and threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Brock Wright. Montgomery, a product of Cincinnati’s Mount Healthy High School, finished with two total touchdowns and 65 yards on 18 carries, as the Bengals allowed 118 yards rushing for the game.
Chase led Cincinnati’s receivers with 110 yards and two touchdowns on six catches, and he also had three tackles, all coming after Browning’s interceptions.
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