The Cincinnati Bengals won't have Joe Burrow for the foreseeable future, which is definitively a bad thing.
But the drop-off to backup QB Jake Browning might not be as steep as some are expecting.
Browning has had a historic start to his NFL career, albeit based on the only seven starts he's made in the league which were back in 2023.
The Bengals went 4-3 in those games, and most notably, Browning was incredibly accurate.
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ESPN's Ben Baby shared this stat on Friday:
"Browning has a 71.5% career completion rate as a starter, which is the third-highest mark by any signal-caller in his first seven starts since QB starts were first tracked in 1950 (minimum 200 attempts), behind Jayden Daniels (75.6%) and Chad Pennington (73.7%)."
In relief of Burrow during the Week 2 win over the Jaguars, Browning was a mixed bag.
He threw three interceptions, but he also threw a couple touchdowns and led the Bengals to the win.
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With a full week of preparation, Browning has a chance to play very well going forward, especially with the talented wide receivers he has to throw the ball to.
If Browning is on time and on target, good things will happen.
The Bengals will still miss Burrow, but Browning isn't all bad.
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