W2L4: How Bengals Earn Their First-Ever Win In Minnesota, Chase Brown Finally Gets It Going On The Ground

Bengals (2-0) at Vikings (1-1) Sunday, Sept. 21 at U.S. Bank Stadium (FieldTurf), 1 p.m. ET, TV: CBS-WKRC Ch. 12 (Cincinnati) Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson. Radio: Dan Hoard, Dave Lapham. WEBN-FM (102.7 FM), ESPN1530

CINCINNATI – For the second time in three seasons, the Bengals will get a good chance to see what Jake Browning – not Joe Burrow – can do as their field general.

In 2023, Browning nearly led the Burrowless Bengals to the playoffs with a 4-3 mark down the stretch as their starter. Now, instead of mid-November, Browning takes over a Bengals team built for a deep playoff run and Browning will have all season to lead the Bengals through the ups and downs of an NFL campaign. And that charge, which began Sunday with a relief appearance and a 31-27 comeback win against Jacksonville, continues Sunday in the noisy U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

“It’s never been too big for him,” said head coach Zac Taylor. “He’s always known that he’s ready. He just wanted an opportunity — that’s all he wants. I think he comes in the building every day knowing that this can happen. His career could end if you’re not prepared. You walk out there and you have a bad performance, and everybody sees that tape and says, ‘OK, that’s enough of that.’ As a backup quarterback, he lives that life. He knows he has to be prepared. It could be at any moment. It could be down a touchdown and, ‘I’ve got to lead this team back to win.’ We’ve had confidence every step of the way with Jake.”

It will be Browning’s eighth career start. Browning was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Vikings in 2019 but let go after 2021. He got some revenge in 2023 when he rallied the Bengals from 17-3 down in the fourth quarter for a 27-24 win in overtime and was heard yelling after the game “they never should’ve f-ing cut me!!”

Browning is very familiar with the environment he’ll be playing in on Sunday. But it’ll be very, very different as a visiting quarterback, something the Bengals have been preparing for all week. He’ll be on the other end of the “SKOL!!!!” chants.

The Vikings, who won their opener on the road against the Bears but lost week to the Falcons on Sunday night football, 22-6, will also be making a change at quarterback, starting Carson Wentz over the injured J.J. McCarthy, out with an ankle injury.

The Bengals aim for their first 3-0 start since 2015, when they opened 8-0.

The Bengals improved to 2-0 with a dramatic 31-27 win over Jacksonville in their home opener at Paycor Stadium. Browning, who was called into action following starter Joe Burrow’s toe injury in the second quarter, led a 15- play, 92-yard drive late in the fourth that he capped off with a one-yard sneak for the go-ahead TD with 18 seconds remaining. Browning overcame three interceptions on the day, and finished 21 of 32 for 241 yards and two touchdown passes.

“You should be delusional,” said Browning. “I’d thrown three picks and was like, ‘Somehow, we still have a chance to win the game.’ So, it sounds bad, but you can’t be afraid of the fourth in that situation because you’ve got a chance to win it. The defense did a good job of forcing the turnover on downs. Like I said, just being a little delusional and keep being aggressive because the moment calls for it.”

Browning was aided by several noteworthy offensive efforts, none bigger than All-Pro receiver Ja’Marr Chase’s 14 receptions on 16 targets for 165 yards and a touchdown. His 14 catches tied for the second-most in any game of his career. Preseason standout receiver Mitchell Tinsley notched his first career catch in highlight-reel fashion, coming down with a one-handed grab for a 13-yard TD to tie the game early in the second half. Browning also connected with Tee Higgins on a 42-yard deep ball that the sixth-year pro took in for his first TD of the season.

Defensively, Bengals corner Dax Hill and safety Jordan Battle both picked off Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, marking the second straight game to open the season in which Cincinnati had multiple interceptions. Both takeaways in Week 2 led to points, with Hill’s pick in his own end zone generating an 80-yard TD drive in the first quarter, and Battle’s interception in Jacksonville territory resulting in an Evan McPherson field goal.

Burrow, who completed 7-of-13 passes for 76 yards and a TD in just over a quarter of play, was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday and had surgery on his left big toe on Friday.

Browning and the Bengals face a Vikings team that is coming off a Week 2 loss to Atlanta to move to 1-1 on the season. Cincinnati and Minnesota have treated fans to entertaining finishes in each of the last two meetings, with the Bengals earning a home overtime win in the 2021 season opener, then again beating the Vikings in OT in Week 15 of the ’23 season at Paycor Stadium, both by 27-24 scores. As a matter of fact, three of the scores in the 15-game series, which the Bengals lead, 8-7.

This is the first meeting between the two teams in Minnesota since the Vikings clinched the 2017 NFC North title with a 34-7 romp. The Bengals have never won in Minnesota in six previous tries, covering three venues: Metropolitan Stadium, the Metrodome and U.S. Bank Stadium.

Here’s what to look for:

• When the Bengals have the ball:

Jake Browning’s number one job Sunday on the road is to take care of the football. It’ll be loud and the fewer mistakes he commits and the fewer chances he gives Minnesota on a short field, the better. And obviously don’t let their defense score. The run game has been disappointing to start the season, with Chase Brown gaining just 90 yards on 34 carries for a meager 2.4 yards per carry. The Bengals are averaging just 47 yards a game on the ground through two weeks, dead last in the NFL. Could this be a get-well game? The Vikings are giving up 168.5 yards a game on the ground, 30th in the NFL. However, the Vikings defense didn’t give up much in terms of points last week against Atlanta. It was a 12-6 game until they wore down the Vikings and pulled away with 10 fourth quarter points.

• When the Vikings have the ball:

Carson Wentz gets the start for J.J. McCarthy this week. The Bengals want to put pressure on the backup since it would be big trouble if Wentz were able to get the ball out on time to targets Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and tight end T.J. Hockenson. The Bengals will be without Shemar Stewart and could be without corner Cam Taylor-Britt, which means Marco Wilson could see the field in his first action of the season. With Shemar Stewart out, the Bengals could activate Howard Cross III for the first time this Sunday.

• Bottom Line:

This is a game that the Bengals win if they play cleanly and again win the turnover battle. Facing Carson Wentz, who has a reputation for turnover the ball over and forcing some passes, that is a possibility. Obviously, Jake Browning can’t throw three interceptions again and expect to win the game on the road. But Browning showed in 2023 that he’s capable of winning big games in hostile environments, like when he led the Bengals from behind for a 34-31 win in overtime against Jacksonville. It was the only road win of his seven starts that season. This should be No. 2. As for the final score, that should be pretty easy given the history in this series, and the fact that three of Cincinnati’s eight wins have been by a 27-24 count. This time, the Bengals finally find a way to win in the land of SKOL!

Bengals 27, Vikings 24