Cincinnati – While two struggling offenses already have made changes at quarterback, the Cincinnati Bengals are staying committed to Jake Browning.

For now.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor said he doesn’t feel the need to add competition at the position while throwing his support behind Browning despite back-to-back poor starts since replacing the injured Joe Burrow.

“I’ve got a ton of confidence in Jake,” Taylor said. “I’m unwavering in that. I’ve seen the best of Jake. I know that we can do a great job supporting him to where he can go win games for us. So, I feel extremely confident in Jake Browning.”

Browning rallied the Bengals to a 31-27 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 14 after Burrow suffered a second-quarter turf toe injury that required surgery and will keep him sidelined until at least mid-December.

But in his season starting debut at Minnesota, Browning threw for just 140 yards and two interceptions, one of which Isaiah Rodgers returned for a touchdown in a 48-10 loss in Week 3.

On Monday night, Browning didn’t turn the ball over, but he completed just 56 percent of his passes for 125 yards in a 28-3 loss to the Denver Broncos.

“It’s not an evaluation of Jake Browning. It’s evaluation of all of us on offense,” Taylor said. “We all have to do our part to put ourselves in the best position possible to go score points, and that’s me giving Jake everything he needs, giving the linemen everything they need.

“Really, first and foremost as the head coach, it’s not a reflection on one player. It’s on me,” Taylor added. “And so I’ve got to get ourselves in a better position to be able to go.”

One of the big reasons the Bengals exude so much belief in Browning is what he did in 2023 after Burrow suffered the season-ending wrist injury, going 4-3 as the starter despite having never played a meaningful snap since entering the league in 2019.

But in two-plus games this season, Browning is 54 of 84 for 506 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions.

Since slotting into the starting role in Week 3, Browning ranks 33rd out of 35 qualifying quarterbacks in ESPN’s QBR metric.

Nos. 34 and 35 on that list, Cleveland’s Joe Flacco and the New York Giants Russell Wilson, have lost their starting jobs to rookies Dillon Gabriel and Jaxson Dart, respectively.

The Bengals don’t have a rookie draft pick waiting in the wings. Browning’s backup is Brett Rypien, whom the Bengals promoted from the practice squad after Burrow’s injury. And the other quarterbacks on the roster are Mike White and Sean Clifford, whom they signed off the street two weeks ago.

But with just 13 points and 330 yards combined in the past two games, the Bengals cannot continue to start Browning if those numbers don’t improve.

Whether the replacement would be one of the three quarterbacks in the building or come by signing one off another team’s practice squad or via a trade is something director of player personnel Duke Tobin and the Cincinnati front office will have to consider.

“With every position, we’re always assessing,” Taylor said. “That’s Duke’s job. That’s the personnel department. They do a great job of that, presenting us options when Joe went down of other guys we can bring in the room, as well. So we’ll thoroughly exhaust that.”

Despite the ugly losses the past two weeks, the Bengals are 2-2 and one game out of first place in the AFC North and seeded sixth in the AFC.

As bleak as the outlook is since Burrow went down, the season isn’t lost.

“None of us are playing well enough, none of us are coaching well enough,” offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. “It seems like the boring answer, but it is true. We’ve got to do everything around Jake to help him, and then we need Jake’s best. We’ve seen Jake and what he can do when he is playing at his best, and we’ve got to get him there.”

Ravens QB Jackson misses practice

Owings Mills, Md. – Now the Baltimore Ravens have to face the most daunting of challenges – the possibility of playing without quarterback Lamar Jackson.

The two-time MVP did not practice Wednesday, three days after he left a loss at Kansas City with a hamstring injury. By the time that game ended, all four of Baltimore’s first-team All-Pros from last season were injured. The Ravens host Houston on Sunday.

“We’ll kind of take it day by day through the week,” coach John Harbaugh said. “It’s really all those guys. We could sit here and you could ask me about every single guy, and it’s a fairly long list. Who’s got time for that?”

The rest of Baltimore’s injury report was as follows: linebacker Roquan Smith (hamstring), tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle), fullback Patrick Ricard (calf), wide receiver Tez Walker (oblique) and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey (calf), Nate Wiggins (elbow) and Chidobe Awuzie (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. Safety Kyle Hamilton (groin), linebacker Kyle Van Noy (hamstring), center Tyler Linderbaum (calf), nose tackle Travis Jones (knee), defensive end Brent Urban (finger) and tackle Emery Jones (shoulder) were limited.

“You’ll see who practices and who didn’t, and we’ll be working our way through the week with guys,” Harbaugh said. “You’ll see guys back tomorrow, you’ll see guys back Friday, see guys back Sunday. We’ll get as many guys back as we can, but we’re also preparing for not having some guys back.”

If Jackson is one of those players who can’t go this weekend, the Ravens do have experienced backup quarterbacks in Cooper Rush, who started eight games for Dallas last season, and Tyler Huntley. But for a Baltimore team that is already 1-3 with plenty of problems to fix on defense, losing its most important offensive player could create an even bigger crisis.

The Ravens have lost nine of their past 11 games when Jackson did not play.

“That’s a challenge, obviously (with) the type of player and leader that Lamar is and how much he means to us,” tight end Mark Andrews said. “The beautiful thing is that we have a lot of fighters in this group and a deep organization with a ton of players that are going to step up and make plays. I just have a lot of faith and trust in the guys.”

Rush was in a similar situation last season with the Cowboys, when he had to replace Dak Prescott around midseason. Dallas managed to go 4-4 in the games Rush started, although one of them was a 34-10 loss to Houston.

Now the Ravens face both the Texans and the Los Angeles Rams before they’ll have a chance to regroup with an open date.

The 31-year-old Rush has a career passer rating of 83.6.

“He is going to know what to do, and I know he’s fired up for the opportunity to go show what he is all about,” Andrews said. “There’s a reason why he’s been in the league for nine years.”

The problem for Baltimore is that the offense hasn’t even been the most concerning side of the ball. The Ravens have allowed 133 points in four games, and the injuries to Smith, Humphrey, Wiggins and defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike – out for the season with a neck issue – have the potential to make a bad situation worse.

“There’s a whole bunch of fighters, a whole bunch of dogs in that room,” linebacker Tavius Robinson said. “Truthfully, I know how everyone’s going to respond. I know how this team’s going to respond, and I saw it today out at practice.”

Bills’ Kincaid takes refocused approach

Buffalo, N.Y. – Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid figured it took well into June for his two sore knees to feel right again.

What still lingers is the sting of disappointment Kincaid experienced in how last season ended with a loss at Kansas City in the AFC championship game.

Facing fourth-and-5 at midfield with two minutes left, Kincaid turned at the Chiefs 35 and was in position to catch Josh Allen’s off-balance desperation heave only to have the ball slip through his arms in a 32-29 loss.

“It was tough. It still (stinks) thinking about it,” the third-year player said following practice on Wednesday. “But, you know, life goes on. Moments change. It’s just how can you respond and how can you be better from that?”

It’s a question Kincaid took to heart during an offseason he spent getting physically and mentally stronger. The dividends are apparent a month into the season with Kincaid leading Buffalo with three touchdown catches, and ranking third in both receptions (14) and yards (179).

The numbers are fine, but the only statistic Kincaid is concerned with is the Bills’ AFC-leading 4-0 record as they prepare to host division rival New England (2-2) on Sunday night.

“Four and oh,” he said, before being asked to separate team from personal success. “Yep, 4-0 is all I care about.”

Kincaid’s focus on the bigger picture is one of the lessons he took after his production dipped following a celebrated rookie season. The 2023 first-round draft pick out of Utah went from 73 receptions, a franchise rookie record, and 673 yards in 16 games to closing his second season with 44 catches on 75 targets and 448 yards in 13 outings.

The injuries certainly didn’t help. After spraining the PCL in his left knee in Week 10, Kincaid then dealt with a buildup of fluid in his right knee during the playoffs.

He acknowledged being surprised how his rookie success failed to carry over by calling it a reminder of how quickly things can change.

“If you don’t really accept that early on in your career, you’ll just kind of figure it out and you’ll learn the hard way,” he said.

Kincaid has become a quick study in football, a sport he gave up in high school before returning to it in his senior year growing up in Las Vegas. He then spent two seasons at Division III San Diego, before transferring to Utah where Kincaid capped his senior season with 890 yards receiving and eight touchdowns.

Kincaid’s refocused approach to this season hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“It’s hard to keep a winner down,” coach Sean McDermott said.

“When you’re in the arena, you’re going to have some mistakes,” he added. “And I think that’s part of being in the arena is you’re going to fall sometimes. And it’s how you get back up and how you handle yourself. And he’s a winner. And winners handle themselves accordingly.”

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady sees Kincaid playing with more confidence. It’s evident in his route-running and willingness to block downfield – further indications of Kincaid being injury free.

On Buffalo’s game-opening touchdown in a win over New Orleans on Sunday, Kincaid’s block on cornerback Isaac Yiadom created an opening on receiver Khalil Shakir’s 43-yard catch-and-run. Fittingly, it was Kincaid sealing the 31-19 win with a 28-yard touchdown catch with 7:07 left.

Brady called up the touchdown play in part to reward Kincaid for his blue-collar work.

The trust the Bills have in Kincaid was evident in Week 1. Some seven months after his drop at Kansas City, Kincaid scored Buffalo’s first touchdown of the season, capping the opening drive with a 15-yard catch in a 41-40 win over Baltimore.

“I can’t dwell on the past at all, but it definitely did feel good to go out there and score,” Kincaid said. “Coming out with the win was awesome. Yeah, that’s all that mattered.”

Colts CB Howard ends comeback

Indianapolis – Cornerback Xavien Howard is ending his comeback bid after only four games with the Indianapolis Colts.

Team officials announced after practice Wednesday that the 32-year-old, two-time league interceptions champion had been placed on the reserve/retired list. The move comes three days after he gave up seven receptions on 10 passes for 112 yards and one TD in a 27-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Howard had started each of Indy’s first four games but coach Shane Steichen acknowledged before practice that might change this week when the Colts (3-1) host the Las Vegas Raiders (1-3).

“We’ll see,” Steichen said.

Howard had only 11 tackles and one fumble recovery – against his former team, the Miami Dolphins, in a season-opening 33-8 win. But his play over the next three weeks got progressively worse. He had not played in a game between the end of the 2023 season and last month.

The Colts signed the four-time Pro Bowler in mid-August because their secondary had been depleted by injuries. They were hoping being reunited with new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, Howard’s position coach in Miami when he first came into the league, would help him round quickly into form.

Instead, Howard struggled as the Colts injury situation only got worse.

“I knew a team was going to attack me early on in the season. I’ve been off a little minute, so I knew guys want to see if I still can play and stuff like that,” Howard said after another rough outing in Week 2. “And just on this side, just taking accountability of just – I’ve just got to do my job and work on my technique.”

Indy brought back safety Trey Washington to take Howard’s spot on the 53-man roster.

Howard was a 2020 All-Pro when he led the league with 10 interceptions just two years after picking off a league-high seven passes.

The 6-foot-1, 203-pound Howard started 103 of his 104 games, logging 342 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks, 95 passes defensed and 29 interceptions – two of which he returned for scores. Howard forced four fumbles and had six fumbles recoveries.

The Baylor alum was a second-round draft pick, No. 38 overall, in 2016.

“I think again, it’s not just one guy,” Anarumo said when asked about Howard on Tuesday. “I think if you put the microscope on one person, they can – everybody can always finish maybe better here or there. I think he had some really – he had some plays where he did finish well – others that he can do better.”

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