W2L4: How Bengals Take A Big Step On Their New Playoff Path

Colts (7-5) at Bengals (6-6), Sunday, Dec. 10 at Paycor Stadium (natural grass), 1 p.m. ET, TV: CBS (National), WKRC-TV Ch. 12 (Cincinnati), Tom McCarthy, James Lofton, Jay Feely, Tiffany Blackmon. Radio: Dan Hoard, Dave Lapham. 700 WLW-AM, WEBN-FM (102.7 FM), ESPN1530.

CINCINNATI — Now comes the hard part for Jake Browning.

The quarterback coming off a historically great performance on Monday night needs to step up and lead the Bengals to another win to keep his team’s playoff hopes in the category of realistic as the Colts come calling at Paycor Stadium.

Both teams are coming off clutch overtime wins and both need to record a win to keep moving forward on a path to the playoffs.

The Bengals rallied behind Browning to record a road overtime thriller, beating the Jacksonville Jaguars, 34-31, on Monday night. With the Steelers losing Thursday at home to New England, the Bengals could take a huge leap forward with a win over the Colts. They would hold tiebreakers against the Bills, Colts and Jaguars with a win.

Browning, making just his second career start after Joe Burrow’s season-ending right wrist surgery, completed 32 of 37 passes for 354 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 22 yards and another score, rallying the Bengals from deficits of 7-0, 14-7 and 28-21.

His 86.5 completion percentage marked the fifth-highest in a game in team history, and he became the tenth player in the Super Bowl era to throw for 350 or more yards while completing at least 85 percent of his passes in a regular season game.

“He just lit the world on fire,” head coach Zac Taylor said. “At halftime, I wasn’t sure if we had an incompletion, if the ball had hit the ground yet. I thought he managed the game beautifully well. He was aggressive with some of his throws.

For his efforts, Browning was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, the second Bengals quarterback honored this season. Burrow earned that award for a Week 8 win at San Francisco.

“He did a great job making plays with his feet,” Taylor said of Browning’s ability outside the pocket. “I’m really proud of Jake and the job he did, and the guys rallied around him, making plays for him and protecting him.”

“I can watch Joe (Burrow) or whoever I’ve been behind do it a million times — it’s different once it’s you,” Browning said. “I was able to reflect on what my week was like and what I needed to improve. It was my first time in a live pocket in a little while.”

Ja’Marr Chase also caught 11 passes for 149 yards with a 76-yard touchdown in the third quarter that gave Cincinnati its first lead.

Chase has now surpassed 1000 receiving yards in all three of his NFL seasons, making him the eighth player in NFL history and the second in Bengals history (A.J. Green, 2011-13) to reach that milestone in each of his first three years.

The Colts (7-5) won their fourth straight last Sunday on the road in Tennessee when they allowed an overtime field goal but responded with a touchdown for a 31-28 win over the Titans.

Quarterback Gardner Minshew II found Michael Pittman Jr. in the back of the end zone with 2:31 left in overtime to lift the Colts to the win, capping an impressive day for Minshew. The Indianapolis quarterback completed 26-of-42 passes for 312 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, the Colts will be getting a key player back from suspension this weekend when defensive tackle Grover Stewart returns from a six-game suspension for violation of the NFL performance enhancement drug policy.

The Colts allowed 4.7 yards per carry in Stewart’s absence, 28th in the NFL, a full yard more on average than with him in the lineup. The Colts compensated for it in the pass rush with a league-high 30 sacks in their last six games.

“I’m proud of the guys, man, like each and every week going out there giving their all,” Stewart said. “Being on this four-game win streak, you can’t ask for more than that.”

“It’s kind of obvious but he definitely helps our defensive line and he’s a really good player,” added head coach Shane Steichen. “He’s a big-time player that is going to help us on Sunday.”

Here’s what to look for:

• Jake Browning vs. Gus Bradley:

Browning doesn’t figure to surprise the highly-respected defensive coordinator of the Colts the way he did in Jacksonville Monday night. Bradley, who revolutionized defense in Seattle with his aggressive brand of “Cover-3” and the Legion of Boom, deploys a highly aggressive scheme with the Colts, something Zac Taylor has reference several times this week. The Cover-3 uses corners and safeties to defend the deep thirds of the field while using linebackers and remaining defensive backs to cover the underneath. In Bradley’s scheme, the linebackers are loaded up with lots of responsibilities and it will be up to Browning to pick his spots.

• Bengals run game vs. Grover Stewart, Colts DL:

Grover Stewart returns from a six-game PED suspension to bolster an Indy run defense that was giving up a full yard more per carry without him in the lineup. Can the Bengals use a change-of-pace approach against the Colts that worked well on Monday in Jacksonville, when the Bengals ran the ball 30 times? Chase Brown could be a huge key to what the Bengals want to do on the ground for the rest of the season. Joe Mixon has been running hard up the middle. And certainly while not spectacular, his two TD runs on Monday night were a good sign for the Bengals, who need to show they can run inside the 10. If they can, it makes life much easier for Browning. The legitimate threat of a run game was also noted by Browning and Orlando Brown Jr. as a reason why Ja’Marr Chase was able to get some 1-on-1 looks on the outside.

• Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins vs. Colts DBs:

Chase is playing with more of an edge and Tee Higgins is back. This was perhaps the most significant development for Browning and the Bengals pass game on Monday night. If Chase and Higgins can wreak havoc again, the Bengals ought to be able to find some big plays, even against Bradley’s Cover-3 scheme. JuJu Brent is questionable with a quad injury.

• DJ Turner, Chido Awuzie vs. Alec Pierce, Michael Pittman Jr.:

Pierce and Pittman have been true deep threats for Gardner Minshew II. Pierce, the former Bearcats star with Desmond Ridder, caught the deep ball that set up the game-winner in overtime last week to Pittman. The Colts have not shown a real ability to run the ball without Jonathan Taylor, still injured and out this weekend. Zach Moss ran it 19 times last week for just 51 yards. Pittman is fourth in the NFL with 87 catches, one more than Ja’Marr Chase.

• Bottom Line:

One win can certainly change your outlook. For the Bengals, Jake Browning’s performance combined with some clutch defensive stops at the start of the second half and in overtime has rejuvenated the locker room and the sense that if the Bengals get to the playoffs, they can do real damage. That should be enough to play inspired football against a Colts team that – like Houston – has bright days ahead with new coach Shane Steichen but is still learning. A second straight win is non-negotiable here. The Bengals are certainly capable if Browning can find Chase and Higgins and the run game can make the Indy defense pay for its aggressiveness. The Bengals enter a stretch with the Colts and Vikings at home and the Steelers on the road, all eminently winnable games. But it starts with a solid performance against the Colts at home.

Bengals 24, Colts 20