A stroke of good fortune two years ago led to Jake Browning’s outburst that lifted the Cincinnati Bengals over the Jacksonville Jaguars during a primetime showdown.
That potentially season-saving triumph was only made possible because of the Minnesota Vikings.
Back in 2021, the Bengals picked up Browning after he was cut by the Vikings. They liked him, of course, but the fact the Bengals happened to play the Vikings that very same week played a role, as noted by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer:
Ahead of Week 1 in 2021, Cincinnati needed a practice-squad quarterback. Browning had just been cut by the Vikings, after spending two seasons on Minnesota’s practice squad—pushed off the roster by third-round pick Kellen Mond. As the Bengals were looking at their options, the fact that Cincinnati was playing Minnesota that week was a factor in choosing Browning to fill the spot.
Browning went on to impress Bengals coaches so much that they stuck with him, developing him for multiple years and eventually expressing faith in him as the no-brainer of a choice when Joe Burrow went down this season.
Whether or not the Bengals can seize this interesting playoff seeding opportunity through more strong Browning outings is hard to say, but the story certainly has an interesting starting point if we’re only in the early stages.
