After Sunday games, coaches around the league frantically break down their own film to develop a plan of attack for their upcoming opponent. This includes evaluating their players’ performances.
So the Cincinnati beat was eager to ask Bengals head coach Zac Taylor about the status of his starting quarterback, following his mixed signals on the topic after the game. Cincinnati just finished its third straight loss under Jake Browning, who replaced the injured Joe Burrow. Browning threw three interceptions
in the first 31 minutes of their game against the Lions on Sunday, bringing Browning’s total to eight, the second-highest mark in the league.
So how did Taylor respond to the question of whether his team was going to make a change at quarterback on Monday? Another non-commitment.
Per Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, here’s how Taylor responded:
“We’ll see where it goes. Like all personnel decisions, we have to evaluate it.”
If he were going strictly off film, Taylor’s evaluation should be over by now. He’s already watched the game back. So if we’re reading between the lines here, it’s likely that the Bengals will have multiple quarterbacks give it a go during practice this week.
Beyond Browning, Cincinnati has Brett Rypien, who has recorded four touchdowns and nine interceptions in his seven-year professional career, on the 53-man roster. Behind those two quarterbacks are Mike White and Sean Clifford on the practice squad. The Bengals are only one of two NFL teams that have multiple quarterbacks on their practice squad going into Week 6.
One of Rypien’s four career starts in the NFL came against the Packers back in 2023, when the quarterback was a member of the Los Angeles Rams. Rypien went 13 of 28 for 130 yards and an interception for a passer rating of 45.2 on the day. The Rams lost that game 20-3.
The Packers probably won’t need to change up whatever game plan they have drawn up for Browning, no matter who is under center, considering the poor state of the Bengals’ run game and offensive line. So to a certain extent, whoever Cincinnati will be starting is a matter of semantics. Even if there is a switch, Green Bay will still enter the game as a two-touchdown favorite.
Update:
Taylor is now claiming that they’ll have a starter named by the time they practice on Wednesday.
