The Cincinnati Bengals news and notes around the team have a much more upbeat vibe this week.
So it goes after beating a contender like the Jacksonville Jaguars on primetime, to the point a backup quarterback wins a weekly NFL honor.
Said backup quarterback is Jake Browning and there’s a lot of fallout from his performance, especially when it comes to looking at things like playoff seeding and 2024 NFL draft order.
Given it’s mid-week already after a Monday night game, it’s also time to take a quick look at the power rankings, where the Bengals are on the rise again for obvious reasons.
Here’s a look at the must-know Bengals news, notes and quotes for December 7.
Jake Browning wins award
Just like that, Browning’s got a weekly award on his resume due to the 300-plus-yard outburst on primetime while upsetting the Jaguars.
Jordan Palmer on Browning
Jordan Palmer, believe it or not, predicted this from Browning. He happens to work with both Joe Burrow and Browning, so maybe everyone should’ve listened.
Thank the Vikings
Without the Vikings — and some seriously good luck — the Bengals never get Browning and Monday night never happens.
NFL draft order update
The Bengals were closing in on a top-10 pick given their skid before Monday night. Now…not so much.
Bengals climb two spots in power rankings -- NFL.com
Big praise for Zac Taylor when looking at how the Bengals excelled: “Maybe this is what happens when you hang out around Joe Burrow, but when did Jake Browning become a stone-cold killer? Time and time again Monday night, while Browning was dicing up the Jaguars, I kept thinking how relaxed the guy looked. I was ready to rip Zac Taylor for the disastrous Tyler Boyd trick-play turnover, which was a bad idea from the start. But it was about the one time in the second half Taylor didn’t put the ball in Browning’s hands and ask Burrow’s replacement to win the game for him.”
Bengals climb one spot -- The Athletic
Nineteenth overall isn’t terrible for a .500 team starting a backup quarterback: “Just kidding, but Jake Browning was excellent on Monday night against a decent Jacksonville defense. Browning was 32-for-37 for 354 yards and a touchdown in his second game since replacing Joe Burrow. If he keeps playing like that, the Bengals can get back into the playoff mix and also could attract something on the trade market once Burrow is healthy. Cincinnati racked up a season-high 491 yards behind Browning.”
Bengals jump five spots -- USA Today
Not a bad jump considering how small the ray of hope is right now: “Their win at Jacksonville was their first Monday night road victory since 1990, snapping a string of nine consecutive defeats in that context. More importantly, QB2 Jake Browning’s sterling performance restores a glimmer of hope … even if realists think this is still a lost campaign.”
