After losing to one backup quarterback last weekend, T.J. Watt isn’t taking anyone lightly this Sunday. Not that Pittsburgh wrote off Cleveland’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who played it safe until leading a game-winning drive. The Steelers will get a mulligan in this weekend’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. They won’t face a rookie but will welcome Cincinnati Bengals QB Jake Browning to his first NFL start. He is replacing Joe Burrow, who was lost for the year due to a torn ligament in his throwing hand.
While it’s another good-looking matchup for the Steelers’ defense, Watt cautions not to assume anything.
“The quarterback who they have in place has been there, been in the system,” Watt said via 93.7 The Fan. “Been in the NFL for quite some time. A smart guy. So there’s going to be a lot of challenges. He’s still going to be able to throw the ball around the yard if he wants to.”
Prior to replacing Burrow last Thursday, Browning had thrown just one NFL pass (an incompletion, if you were wondering). In college, Browning was a long-time starter for Washington, leading the Huskies to three-straight successful seasons of at least 10 wins. He finished his career there with 94 passing touchdowns and another 16 rushing, highlighting underrated mobility he displayed in Thursday’s loss to the Ravens.
Undrafted in 2019, he signed with the Minnesota Vikings and stuck to their roster until the summer of 2021 when he was waived at final cutdowns. He signed with the Bengals’ practice squad and finished the year there, doing the same in 2022. Given a chance to compete for the backup spot behind Burrow, Browning beat out veteran Trevor Siemian. And with Burrow missing most of the summer due to a calf injury, Browning soaked up plenty of first-team reps.
Coming off the bench last week, Browning held his own. Points were hard to come by — the Bengals only notched a garbage-time touchdown to WR Ja’Marr Chase — but Browning finished the day 8-of-14 for 68 yards, a touchdown, no interceptions, and 40 yards rushing. Far from a great day but playing from behind against a tough Ravens’ defense, it was respectable. As Watt alluded to, Browning showed control at the line of scrimmage, changing plays and making checks, and playing solid football. He should benefit from a full week’s worth of reps as the starter.
The Bengals have stood by Browning, not even hinting at adding a veteran, and Browning has enough weapons in Chase, WR Tyler Boyd, and a couple of underrated tight ends like Tanner Hudson to make him dangerous. Expect the Bengals not to live in their fears and push the ball downfield, something the Browns opted not to do with Thompson-Robinson.
Still, their offense will run through RB Joe Mixon, still their bell cow back, and Watt knows stopping the run is priority number one.
“They’re going to want to establish the run,” Watt said. “If we don’t stop the run early in the game, they’re going to continue to do it.”
Cincinnati isn’t a highly efficient running team, unable to break off many big plays, but Mixon is as experienced as they come and the Bengals are well-coached. Like most AFC North matchups, this figures to be a close contest between two teams in big-time need of a victory. And if you’re wondering who Browning’s backup is, it’s likely vet A.J. McCarron, who hasn’t thrown an NFL pass since 2020. The team also signed Drew Plitt to its practice squad, and he has never appeared in a regular-season game.
