CINCINNATI — The Bengals have found a groove with Jake Browning.
Browning found Chase Brown for a 54-yard screen pass touchdown and connected with Tanner Hudson on another as the Cincinnati Bengals beat the visiting Indianapolis Colts, 34-14, Sunday.
Browning, who has filled in since Joe Burrow’s season-ending wrist injury in Baltimore on Nov. 16, finished 18-of-24 for 275 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another.
The Bengals suffered another quarterback scare early in the fourth quarter. But this time, it turned out to be relatively minor.
Browning became the second Bengals quarterback to leave with a throwing hand injury mid-game when he left holding his right thumb with 14 minutes left in the fourth quarter. But minutes later it was announced that Browning was probable to return with muscle cramps in his right thumb.
Joe Mixon ran for 79 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown as the Bengals (7-6) won their second straight after a three-game losing streak and kept alive their playoff hopes heading into the final four week.
Gardner Minshew II completed 26-of-39 for 240 yards and a touchdown for the Colts (7-6), who had their four-game win streak snapped.
The Bengals found the big play on their second drive when Browning found Chase Brown on a screen pass. Brown did the rest by racing 54 yards and eluding a would-be tackler at the Indianapolis 5 before running into the end zone for the rookie’s first career touchdown. The Bengals made it 14-0 on Joe Mixon’s one-yard run with 10:18 remaining in the second quarter.
54-yard TUDDY for the rookie @chasebrown____ 👏 pic.twitter.com/ToN1Lej3qk
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 10, 2023
The Bengals were in complete control until a personal foul entirely changed the . With Colts facing third-and-14, Gardner Minshew completed a nine-yard pass. But instead of a punt, Trey Hendrickson shoved Minshew to the ground for a clear personal foul.
Instead of a three-and-out on the ensuing drive, the Colts put together 14 more plays and drove 79 yards, capped by a two-yard lob pass to tight end Mo Alie-Cox in the back of the end zone on fourth-and-1 to put the Colts on the board.
Matt Gay, who earlier missed a 38-yard field goal off the left upright, missed the extra point and Cincinnati led, 14-6.
On the next drive, Jake Browning’s second-down pass was off target and went off the hands of tight end Tanner Hudson and into the arms of Ronnie Harrison Jr. The Colts linebacker returned it 36 yards for a touchdown, giving the Colts 14 points in 25 seconds and tying the game at 14-14.
But Browning recovered to start the third quarter, directing a 75-yard drive in six plays, ending with Browning’s slant pass to Tanner Hudson for 11 yards and Hudson’s first career touchdown.
Mixon shoves Browning in for the TD! pic.twitter.com/dcCzxMdkZQ
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 10, 2023
