Bengals offense spirals without Joe Burrow, and there isn't an easy fix

Cincinnati's plan for 2025 post-Joe Burrow injury was to find out what they have in backup quarterback Jake Browning. 

As of Sunday, they appear to have a resounding answer. Browning's not it. 

With Browning making his first start in the place of Burrow on Sunday, the Bengals had one of the worst games in franchise history in a 48-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. They leave the game with considerable questions about how to move forward in a season that's suddenly spiraling.

The Bengals turned the ball over five times. They committed three in a span of four first-half snaps that allowed Minnesota's lead to balloon from 17-3 to 34-3 in the final 1:47 of the first half. When the game was over, a Bengals team that boats a winning record at 2-1 looks anything but playoff-bound. 

Sunday's loss on the heels of a 2-0 start that didn't exactly inspire confidence adds up to stunning disappointment in Cincinnati. And it begs the question: How do the Bengals find a fix as Burrow projects to miss most, if not all of the season?

Sunday spiraled out of control

The Bengals were still in Sunday's game late in the first half despite digging an early 17-3 deficit. 

They were driving in Vikings territory and would get the ball back to start the second. But things quickly spiraled for the Bengals starting with their second turnover of the day. 

Browning found tight end Noah Fant in the flat on a first-down pass from the Vikings 36-yard line on the first play after the two-minute warning. But cornerback Isaiah Rodgers stripped Fant and carried the ball 66 yards for his second defensive touchdown of the game after a pick-6 of Browning in the first quarter.

That score extended Minnesota's lead to 24-7. 

Two Cincinnati snaps later, Rodgers secured his third forced turnover of the game with a strip of Ja'Marr Chase. Minnesota's offense converted that turnover into another touchdown for a 31-7 lead. 

The bleeding didn't stop. Cincinnati got the ball back with 28 seconds remaining in the second quarter hoping simply to run out the clock on the first half. Samaje Perine fumbled on the first play of the drive, and the Vikings recovered to set up a field goal for a 34-3 halftime lead. 

Bengals misery, by the numbers

The Bengals went into the break with a tie for the largest first-half deficit in franchise history. Head coach Zac Taylor put things succinctly in a sideline interview with CBS.

"Anytime you have four turnovers in the first half, two for touchdowns, one as you’re trying to run out the clock at the end of half, it’s unacceptable," Taylor said.

The Bengals then started the second-half with a 3-and-out punt before turning the ball over for the fifth time on their second possession of the half on Browning's second interception of the day. This turnover allowed the Vikings to extend their lead to 48-3, which added up to the largest deficit in Bengals history. 

ASSOCIATED PRESS

When the game was done, the Vikings held a 5-0 advantage in forced turnovers. They outgained the Bengals, 352 yards to 171. They averaged 6.1 yards per play while limiting the Bengals to 3.8. They stifled Cincinnati's ground game while holding a 169-53 advantage in rushing yards. 

Chase Brown entered Sunday having accounted for every rush by a Bengals running back in Cincinnati's first two games of the season. He ceded ground to Perine before the game was done and finished the day with 3 yards on 10 carries. 

Perine didn't fare much better with 21 yards on four carries that featured a lost fumble. 

Do Bengals have options?

Browning, meanwhile, completed 19 of 27 passes for 140 yards (5.2 yards per attempt) with one meaningless late touchdown and two interceptions. He frequently held on to the ball too long and took three sacks for a loss of 20 yards. At no point in Sunday's game did Cincinnati's offense look competent. 

This was an offense projected as one of the best in the league with Burrow, Chase, Brown and Tee Higgins in starring roles. But it struggled before Burrow's injury and was inept on Sunday without him. And it won't be easy to find a fix. 

Sunday's loss wasn't all on Browning. But on a day in which Rodgers outscored the entire Bengals offense by himself, Browning provided little hope that he can step in to save the season.

Falcons backup and longtime NFL starter Kirk Cousins was floated as a potential target following the news of Burrow's long-term turf toe injury. But his four-year, $180 million contract alongside a reported high-asking price in Atlanta add up to significant road blocks. 

And it's not clear if he's even Atlanta's backup at this point. Cousins replaced starter Michael Penix Jr. on Sunday after Atlanta dug a 27-0 deficit against the Carolina Panthers. How Atlanta moves forward at quarterback isn't clear. But the asking price for Cousins isn't likely to drop any time soon.