Tag: Chase Brown

How Bengals head coach Zac Taylor made things easy for QB Jake Browning

The Bengals are rolling with backup quarterback Jake Browning, and that’s a tribute to how head coach Zac Taylor has made Browning comfortable with scheme.

When Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury in his team’s 34-20 Week 11 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, it certainly looked as if the 5-5 Bengals’ season was over in a competitive sense. Replacing Burrow would be Jake Browning, a 2019 undrafted free agent out of Washington who had never thrown a regular-season pass before the 2023 season.

Clearly, the onus was on head coach Zac Taylor and his staff to make things as easy as possible for Browning by tailoring things to his preferences, and that’s what they did. The changes for their new quarterback weren’t extreme, but they were meaningful.

In Weeks 1-10, per Sports Info Solutions, the Bengals ranked 23rd in dropbacks with pre-snap motion. Since then, they rank 10th. They ranked 22nd in dropbacks with play-action. Since then, they rank 16th. They ranked 30th in passing snaps under center through Week 10. Since then, they rank 16th.

One play that combined motion, play-action, and under center was Browning’s 54-yard pass to running back Chase Brown against the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday. This pass was thrown four yards behind the line of scrimmage, so this was a lot about Brown, but the design made things difficult for the Colts. The Colts were in Cover-3, and safety Julian Blackmon ran with Jamarr Chase’s jet motion across. The under-center play-action froze linebackers Ronnie Harrison and Zaire Franklin, and cornerback Darrell Baker fell down when he tried to follow Brown’s delayed flare route. Not an explosive play from Browning’s arm per se, but you can tell that the Bengals’ coaching staff have gone out of their way to make Browning comfortable.

“I don’t know if it’s really been that different,” Taylor said of the new stuff. “They’re all things we’ve done over the course of the season. Each defense we play is a big driving force for how the game is played. We haven’t called a single play that we didn’t rep all training camp and fall. These guys believe in what we’re doing and have done a great job. We’ve really called upon every resource we have on offense, and everyone has stepped up. So many guys made catches and big plays today. We’re not afraid to use everybody on the roster that’s active. We have faith that everyone can step up and do their job.”

Browning has done just that, Browning is the second player since 1950 with a completion percentage of 70% or higher and a passer rating of 95.0 or higher in each of his first three career starts, joining Chad Pennington (first four starts, Weeks 5 and 7-9 in 2002 with the Jets). Browning has completed 79.3 percent of his attempts (69 of 87), the highest completion percentage by a quarterback in his first three career starts since 1950, surpassing Pennington (77.4 percent).

“I don’t look at him as a young guy,” Taylor said of Browning. “He’s been here now for three years — that’s old in this league. He knows what makes a really good backup quarterback. It’s being able to take the reps you’re not getting mentally, and manufacturing them in practice. Dan Pitcher does a great job with that. You’d handle him differently if he was a rookie or second year guy. I feel like we have a veteran quarterback out there, just getting his first action in front of a whole stadium. This is why we’ve given him the opportunity to compete for the job, this is why he won the job and this is why he stuck around for three years.

“A lot of times the guys on the practice squad, you just switch them out after two years. But Jake had all the intangible stuff, the skills we saw that made us think he can be an effective player for us. All he’s done is continue to prove that right. He knows the season doesn’t end today. He has to continue to stack and prepare. I’m sure we have another tough defense coming in next week with Minnesota. He has controlled what he can control at this point.”

Not that Browning is capable of just checkdown stuff. He hit receiver Tee Higgins with this 26-pass against the Colts in which Browning threw with good anticipation to hit Higgins in Indianapolis’ Cover-6 gaps. Browning was in the shotgun here, but his flash fake helped open things up downfield.

And this 76-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase against the Jaguars in Week 13 shows that Browning can roll deep when Chase is the backside iso receiver.

The Bengals have a very tough matchup this Saturday against a Minnesota Vikings defense led by Brian Flores, and that defense will throw the entire playbook right at your head. But so far, Browning has proven able and capable in a system tailored to his skill set.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get further into how Browning has kept the how 7-6 Bengals in the playoff race.

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You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os,” featuring all of Week 15’s biggest NFL matchups (including Bengals-Vikings) right here:

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You can listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Fantasy Football: 12 waiver wire targets for Week 15

Here is our list waiver wire candidates to target in fantasy football this week.

We’ve reached Week 15 of the 2023 NFL season and the playoff races in both conferences are starting to heat up. Meanwhile, in fantasy football, the playoffs have already begun in most leagues.

To help you get a win in Week 15, we’ve put together a list of 12 waiver wire targets to consider this week, with options at running back, wide receiver, tight end and quarterback.

One of the more notable waiver wire candidates of the week is Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White. Starting running back Josh Jacobs suffered a quad injury on Sunday, putting his availability for a Thursday Night Football showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers in doubt.

If Jacobs is not cleared to play against the Chargers on Thursday, White could be a sneaky play this week.

Each player’s rostered percentage in ESPN fantasy football leagues is listed in parentheses. Let’s get to the list!

Chase Brown shows off elite speed on 54-yard touchdown

The Bengals rookie hit one of the fastest speeds of the entire NFL season.

In the Cincinnati Bengals‘ win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 14, Jake Browning threw a short pass behind the line of scrimmage to rookie running back Chase Brown which he ran 54 yards for the touchdown to put the Bengals up 7-0 in the first quarter.

During that touchdown, Brown reached a top speed of 22.05 miles per hour according to NextGen Stats. That is the second fastest of the year in the entire NFL behind only DK Metcalf who ran 22.23 miles per hour on a touchdown, and ahead of Tyreek Hill, who is known for his elite speed and reached 22.01 miles per hour.

After offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said he wanted to start getting Brown more involved a couple weeks ago, he has started to earn even more time proving he belongs on the field with his next-level speed.

Brown finished the game with eight carries for 25 yards and three catches for 80 yards and the touchdown.

With backup quarterback Jake Browning playing so well, Brown has been another bright spot in the past two weeks in which the Bengals have proved they still have a good shot at making the playoffs.

However the rest of the season goes, Brown is showing that he deserves to have a big part in it.

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Tunnel Vision – Injuries, free agents and Sunday stars

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Lamar Jackson  316-70 3
 Desmond Ridder 347-15 2
 Jake Browning 275-7 3
 Justin Fields 223-58 2
 Joe Flacco 311-(-1) 3
Running Backs Yards TD
Ezekiel Elliott 22-68
7-72		 1
Breece Hall 10-40
8-86		 1
James Cook 10-58
5-83		 1
Rachaad White 25-102
2-33		 1
Joe Mixon 21-79
3-46		 1
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Deebo Samuel 7-149 2
Drake London 10-172 0
D.J. Moore 6-68
3-20		 2
Cooper Kupp 8-115 1
Rashee Rice 7-72 1
Tight Ends Yards TD
Evan Engram 11-95 2
David Njoku 6-91 2
Isaiah Likely 5-83 1
Hunter Henry 3-40 2
George Kittle 3-76 1
Placekickers XP FG
Greg Zuerlein 3 3
Justin Tucker 2 3
Lucan Havrisik 2 3
Evan McPherson 4 2
Brandon Aubrey 3 4
Defense Sack – TO TD
Vikings 4-3 0
Saints 4-2 1
Broncos 6-2 0
Browns 4-4 0
Bears 4-3 0

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB C.J. Stroud – Head
QB Justin Herbert – Finger
QB Jake Browning – Cramps
RB Josh Jacobs – Knee
RB Alexander Mattison
WR Mack Hollins – Ankle
WR Devin Duvernay – Back
WR Nico Collins – Calf
WR Tutu Atwell – Concussion
WR Justin Jefferson – Chest

Chasing Ambulances

QB C.J. Stroud –  Landed on his back and his head whipped back to the turf for a concussion. In the protocol now and Davis Mills will fill in this week in Tennessee if needed. The Texans have gone through a rash of injuries and Stroud is the one piece they cannot lose.

QB Justin Herbert – Fractured the index finger on his throwing hand and that may be season ending with just one month left to play in a year already gone bad. Easton Stick is the next man up. This week is a trip to face the Raiders and looks like another low-scoring affair there.

RB Josh Jacobs – He injured his knee early in the game but continued to play through it until finally giving up with six minutes left because of the pain. Speculation is that he hyperextended his knee and likely damaged ligaments and if so, he will not play on Thursday at the least. Zamir White would replace him versus the Chargers.

RB Alexander Mattison – Left the win over the Raiders with an ankle sprain which HC Kevin O’Connell later confirmed. His status for the Saturday matchup in Cincinnati will be determined after tests on Monday. Ty Chandler will take the start if needed.

WR Nico Collins – Injured his calf on the first series and was ruled out during halftime. Tank Dell was already lost for the season, so if Collins misses games he’ll be replaced by the group of Noah Brown, Robert Woods, and John Metchie, though C.J. Stroud’s status is uncertain this week as well.

WR Justin Jefferson – He suffered a chest injury in the second quarter and was forced to the sideline. He was later sent to a nearby hospital. His prognosis and status should be known on Monday but the Vikes play on Saturday in the early game at the Bengals. The No. 1 pick in nearly every fantasy draft is yet another instance where the best player for a season cannot replicate their success.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

QB Desmond Ridder (ATL) – Turned in a season-high 347 yards and a score on the visiting Buccaneers that included Drake London’s ten-catch, 172-yard performance for a career-best. Granted – the Buccaneers secondary is one of the worst. But Ridder threw three completions for 57 yards and a score to Kyle Pitts.

QB Jake Browning (CIN) – He left the win over the Colts with what were described as “hand cramps” but returned to the game and ended with 275 yards and two touchdowns, plus ran in a touchdown. He may be no Joe Burrow, but he looks like a guy who needs to be more than an unseen backup.

QB Trevor Lawrence (JAC) – When he was awkwardly bent backward over his ankle last week, it looked like the season was over. But Robo-QB showed few signs of the injury and was one of the best quarterbacks for Week 14 with 257 yards and three touchdowns – though he had three interceptions.

WR Parker Washington (JAC) – The rookie replacement for Christian Kirk only managed two catches for 27 yards, but he’s started his career with a touchdown in his first two games.

RB Chase Brown (CIN) – He only ran for 25 yards on eight carries, but Brown led the Bengals’ receivers with three catches for 80 yards that included a 54-yard touchdown catch. The Bengals still ran Joe Mixon 21 times for 79 yards and a score, but Brown has looked sharp for the last two weeks. The Bengals have a potential out in Mixon’s contract next year and Brown can promote more confidence in him for the final month of the season.

RB Keaton Mitchell (BAL) – He ran for 54 yards on nine carries in the win over the Rams but the Ravens still used Gus Edwards for six rushes for 15 yards. They speak about getting Mitchell more involved and he’s impressed when given the chance. Apparently, getting him more involved is a slow process.

QB Joe Flacco (CLE) -After posting 254 yards and two scores on the Rams, the Browns waited until late in the week before naming him as the starter versus the Jaguars. Flacco ended with 311 yards and three scores for the first 300-yard game by any Browns’ quarterback this year. He was named the starter the rest of the season before he reached the locker room.

TE Isaiah Likely (BAL) –  He took over for Mark Andrews for the last two games and only managed four catches for 40 yards at the Chargers in Week 12 before their bye. Versus the Rams, Likely caught five passes for 83 yards and a touchdown – very Anderson-ish.

Huddle player of the week

Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Evan Engram  – Engram has been involved weekly for four or five catches, but now has two straight weeks as the primary receiver with at least nine catches and a touchdown in each. Engram faced the Browns who had the No. 1 defense against tight ends and caught 11 passes for 95 yards and two scores yesterday. That’s catching fire right when we need it most.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Desmond Ridder 347-15 2 QB C.J. Stroud 91 0
RB Chase Brown 8-25
3-80		 1 RB Josh Jacobs 13-34
2-16		 0
RB Jerick McKinnon 4-19
3-18		 1 RB Zack Moss 13-28
4-28		 0
WR Demarcus Robinson 3-46 1 WR Mike Evans 1-8 0
WR Josh Reynolds 3-44 1 WR Nico Collins 1-13 0
WR Quentin Johnston 3-91 0 WR A. St. Brown 3-21 0
TE Evan Engram 11-95 2 TE Sam LaPorta 2-23 0
PK Greg Zuerlein   3 XP  3 FG PK Cameron Dicker   1 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 154 Huddle Fantasy Points = 32

Now get back to work…

Jake Browning to Chase Brown for 54-yard Bengals touchdown

Jake Browning threw a TD pass to Chase Brown for the Bengals

Jake Browning continued to have the hot passing hand for the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

Coming off a great effort against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Browning led a 4-play, 92-yard drive in the first quarter of Week 14.

The scoring play was a short pass that Chase Brown turned into a 54-yard touchdown.

After the PAT, the Bengals led. 7-0.

Bengals rookie Chase Brown scores 1st NFL TD on 54-yard Jake Browning connection

The Bengals get a huge TD from the rookie.

The Cincinnati Bengals struck first in their Week 14 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.

Cincinnati’s offense did so via rookie running back Chase Brown’s first NFL touchdown, a short pass from Jake Browning he took 54 yards for the score.

After a slow drive to open the game, the offense exploited the lull with the short look to Brown, who sprinted down the field and made the last defender miss with style.

Brown, a fifth-rounder, has increasingly seen his snap count shoot up since returning from injured reserve a few weeks back, giving the Bengals an impressive one-two punch with starter Joe Mixon:

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Joe Mixon hyped for what rookie Chase Brown brings Bengals offense

Joe Mixon loves what he’s seeing from the rookie RB.

Veteran Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is more than happy to see a younger member of the room stepping up big for the offense.

That honor goes to fourth-round rookie Chase Brown, who has seen a steady uptick in usage since returning from an injury.

Mixon says the addition of Brown to the mix can only help the offense — and that it’s something he wouldn’t mind seeing at other spots, too.

“It’s definitely cool. Chase is a young buck ready to get out there and show what he’s got,” Mixon said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He’s stepped up in a major way. As long as everybody continues to do that in whatever position there is, I think we’ll be in great shape.”

Brown turned nine carries into 61 yards (6.8 average) during the Monday night win over Jacksonville last week.

While Mixon still had 19 carries during that game, it’s a pretty good sign that the rookie’s usage could only increase as the season concludes.

And as Mixon says, that could be one of the keys to still scrapping for a longshot playoff appearance with Joe Burrow out.

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Brian Callahan wants to find out what rookie Chase Brown can do

The Bengals sound ready to see more of an exciting rookie.

The Cincinnati Bengals season is not going as planned, and Joe Mixon picked up 16 yards on eight carries in their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In the fifth round of the draft earlier this year, the Bengals took Chase Brown out of Illinois so that he could be a backup for Mixon, who has been mostly reliable over his career in Cincinnati. But with his recent struggles, offensive coordinator Brian Callahan wants to get Brown more involved in the offense according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.

“Chase had some plays in the game plan that were his that we didn’t get to,” Callahan said. “We need to find out what Chase can do for us because I don’t know. That’s the answer at this point. And we do need to find out.”

Chase had been on the injured reserve with a hamstring injury, so he has only been able to get two carries for six yards so far in his rookie season, but the Bengals are looking to try some new things after the offense had so much trouble in Week 12.

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Zac Taylor talks about getting rookie RB Chase Brown more chances

Chase Brown could get more chances soon.

Cincinnati Bengals coaches came under fire last week for getting Chase Brown back off injured reserve, then not giving him a single touch during a loss.

The topic of playing the rookie running back more is something that came up again with head coach Zac Taylor before the Monday night game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“He’s a guy we continue to talk about,” Taylor said, according to Mike Petraglia of CLNS Media. “Now we have to find a way to get guys like Chase (Brown) involved. … we see how it plays out over the next couple of weeks…. we’re trying to win games, No. 1.”

Reading between the lines a bit, it’s clear there are still some new-player things the coaches want to iron out because they conflict with giving the offense the best possible chance to help win games.

Meaning, most likely, pass-blocking at the pro level. As of now, Joe Mixon and Trayveon Williams are likely more poised in this area, as they should be.

So, the Bengals have to balance that want to keep competing while technically not eliminated from the playoffs vs. getting the explosive Brown some developmental reps.

Overall, it would appear to mean Brown won’t get a big workload in the immediate future.

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Zac Taylor explains lack of chances for rookie RB Chase Brown

Zac Taylor was asked why the Bengals didn’t try something else at running back.

During Sunday’s 16-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals offense attempted just 11 rushing plays.

Eight of those went to Joe Mixon, who gained just 16 yards, while new starting quarterback Jake Browning handled the other three.

Rookie running back Chase Brown, freshly activated from injured reserve over the weekend, didn’t get a chance.

Speaking with reporters after the game, Bengals coach Zac Taylor explained the lack of attempts and chances for Brown.

“We only have 40 plays. You’re going to look at a lot of them in the two-minute and third downs. At the end of the day, you have to look at normal-down plays from the past. We tried to do our best to keep some balance there but there wasn’t a lot of opportunities in this game,” Taylor said. “This has nothing to do with Joe Mixon. This is the entirety of the unit coming together. Don’t make this about one person. It’s not like there was missed opportunities there from what I could see. He continues to run hard and he’s given us what we needed this season.”

Considering Brown seemed in line for a bigger workload before his injury earlier this year, it was a little surprising not to see him out there. Doubly so, considering the offense desperately needs a spark from younger guys, let alone getting them some developmental reps.

Still, on a day where Ja’Marr Chase perplexingly only got six targets, the lack of chances for an explosive rookie is something to throw on the pile of necessary improvements in the coming weeks.

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