The Bengals took down the Jaguars in overtime behind 354 pass yards, pass TD and rush TD by Jake Browning.
Paul Dehner Jr. and The Athletic NFL staff
December 5, 2023 at 7:46 AM EST
David Rosenblum / Getty Images
Jake Browning lifts Bengals to MNF win vs. Jaguars in OT; Trevor Lawrence injury looms large
The Cincinnati Bengals ended their losing streak at three games behind a standout showing by quarterback Jake Browning against the Jaguars on “Monday Night Football,” but it’s the status of Jacksonville’s passer that looms large.
Trevor Lawrence exited the back-and-forth affair midway through the fourth quarter with an ankle injury, throwing his helmet in frustration and requiring help to walk to the locker room as he winced in pain. He was replaced by backup C.J. Beathard and underwent X-rays shortly after exiting.
Browning — making his second start since Cincinnati lost Joe Burrow to a wrist injury — went 32-of-37 for 354 yards and zero interceptions, earning a passer rating of 115.5. The 27-year-old also rushed for one touchdown, his first in an official game since he was a senior at Washington in 2018. Chase finished with 11 receptions for 149 yards.
Lawrence, 24, was 22-of-29 passing for 258 yards and two touchdowns before exiting. Beathard completed 8 of 9 pass attempts for 61 yards in relief of Lawrence.
The AFC North-worst Bengals improved to 6-6 while the Jaguars maintained their AFC South lead at 8-4.
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How Jake Browning morphed from Joe Burrow’s backup to ‘QB1 material’ in Bengals win
Jake Browning stood in the far corner of the locker room and packed up his suitcase, his understated jeans and white button-down underneath a baseball cap.
He wasn’t emotional. He wasn’t bragging. He wasn’t strutting around. He wasn’t reliving every throw of his night with teammates.
He casually went about his business as if nothing had changed. Just another guy on the team.
Only, after Monday night, he’s not just another guy anymore. Not after The Jake Browning Game.
“QB1 material,” Ja’Marr Chase spouted.
No question. The numbers don’t even seem real.
GO FURTHER
How Jake Browning morphed from Joe Burrow’s backup to ‘QB1 material’ in Bengals win
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NFL playoff picture after Week 13: Jaguars lose Trevor Lawrence, control of AFC top seed
The Jacksonville Jaguars had a chance to seize control of the top spot in the AFC, but their 34-31 overtime loss Monday night to the Cincinnati Bengals dropped them to the No. 4 seed. Of greater concern, of course, is the health of franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who exited the game with a sprained ankle. As of this writing, the severity of the sprain is not yet known. But if Lawrence is out for any length of time, it could be tough for the Jaguars to hang on to their lead in the AFC South with the 7-5 Indianapolis Colts and the 7-5 Houston Texans right behind them.
As for the rest of the NFL, Week 13 saw plenty of movement in the playoff picture. Let’s take a look at where things stand heading into Week 14.
GO FURTHER
NFL playoff picture after Week 13: Jaguars lose Trevor Lawrence, control of AFC top seed
Trevor Lawrence suffered sprained ankle: Source
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence likely has a sprain on the ankle, according to a league source. Tests are ongoing to determine severity.
HC Doug Pederson on Lawrence: "I don't have any information yet on Trevor. We're still evaluating him."
The Jake Browning Game
FINAL: Bengals 34, Jaguars 31 (OT)
The Jake Browning Game. What a night from a guy who waited four years for his chance.
Browning: 32 of 37 for 354 yards, 1 TD passing, one rushing, game-winning drive. No turnovers.
Browning on third and fourth down tonight: 10 of 12 for 149 yards, 1 TD, 1 sack.
And now the Bengals, with that version of Browning, have real playoff hope in the wide-open AFC.
Bengals win!
The Bengals win it on a 48-yard FG by Evan McPherson in overtime. The win is Cincinnati’s first in overtime since the 2021 AFC Championship Game when the Bengals beat the Chiefs to advance to Super Bowl LVI.
Jake Browning has second best fantasy scoring day by a Bengals QB this year
To get an idea of just how well Jake Browning played tonight, consider that his 26.34 fantasy points are the second most scored by a Bengals quarterback, as Joe Burrow had only one game with more (27.62 versus San Francisco)
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Evan McPherson has had success in these spots
Bengals kicker Evan McPherson is 6-of-9 for his career on potential go-ahead/game-winning field goals in the fourth quarter or overtime.
That includes his make from 54 yards in the fourth quarter tonight.
Tie on the way?
The last tie across the NFL came in Week 13 of last season when the Giants and Commanders tied 20-20.
There have been 15 overtime games finished across the NFL since that tie.
Jaguars penalty wipes out 43-yard completion
The Jaguars thought they had a 43-yard completion from C.J Beathard to Calvin Ridley down to the Bengals’ 2-yard line, but it was nullified by an offensive holding penalty and Jacksonville was later forced to punt.
Jacksonville, which entered the game as the least-penalized team in the NFL. now has seven penalties tonight, one shy of matching their season high.
10th overtime game in NFL this season
This is the 10th overtime game in the NFL this season and first for both the Jaguars and Bengals.
Home teams are 4-5 and we’ve yet to have a tie.
Jaguars win the toss
Bengals backup QB AJ McCarron calls tails but it's heads.
Jaguars will open with the ball first.
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NFL overtime rules refresher
A quick recap of the NFL overtime rules during the regular season:
- One 10-minute period
- Coin toss determines first possession; Each team will have a chance to possess the ball unless receiving team scores a touchdown OR defense scores a touchdown or safety
- Game ends in a tie if game clock expires
- Each team gets two timeouts; all replay reviews initiated by the NFL replay center
We're tied again 31-31
With the Jaguars still finding their bearings following the Trevor Lawrence injury, backup C.J. Beathard came off the bench and led the Jaguars down the field for a game-tying, 40-yard FG by Brandon McManus.
Beathard was 4-of-5 for 46 yards and also ran for six yards on the drive.
C.J. Beathard seeking first game-winning drive in NFL
Jaguars backup C.J. Beathard, in the game for the injured Trevor Lawrence, now has a chance to lead the first fourth-quarter comeback/game-winning drive of his NFL career.
The last time Beathard led a team to a come-from-behind win in the fourth quarter, he was a senior at Iowa in 2016 when the Hawkeyes stunned then No. 2 Michigan 14-13 on Nov. 12. 2016.
Missed 57-yard field goal provided insight into Evan McPherson’s range
The Bengals learned something from Evan McPherson’s 57-yard miss earlier in the game, as it provided Zac Taylor with the needed information to determine what the field goal target range was. It probably assisted the play call that led to an 8-yard reception by Tyler Boyd to set the field goal up.
Bengals take lead on McPherson's NFL-best 11th 50-yard FG of season
Following the Jaguars’ missed FG, the Bengals make one of their own from 54 yards out to take a 31-28 lead with 2:28 to play.
Cincinnati kicker Evan McPherson has now made an NFL-high 11 field goals from 50-plus yards this season.
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Trevor Lawrence questionable to return with ankle injury
Per ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters, Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence is currently in the stadium’s X-ray room.
The team announced Lawrence is questionable to return with an ankle injury. Backup CJ Beathard, who has appeared in four games this season, is warming up on the sideline.
GO FURTHER
Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence suffers high-ankle sprain vs. Bengals
Jags miss potential go-ahead FG attempt
With the crowd stunned following the Trevor Lawrence injury, Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus misses a potential go-ahead field goal wide right.
McManus had made 18-of-19 FG attempts (94.7%) since Oct. 1 before that kick.
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