There was no one more disappointed in Jake Browning’s performance on Sunday than the quarterback himself.
Normally, when a quarterback throws for 251 yards, three touchdowns and completes roughly 65% of his passes, that’s considered a solid day’s work. But when that stat line also includes three interceptions and a fumble, it tells a different story.
Browning’s miscues gave the Detroit Lions excellent field position, and they capitalized, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 37-24 in Week 5 at Paycor Stadium.
“Obviously, today I did not play well enough to win the game. There were guys on our team who played winning football -- I didn’t,” Browning told reporters after the game. “The three interceptions put our defense and our whole team in a tough spot. I don’t have an answer right now, but I need to find a way to take better care of the football, start faster, and make better decisions.
“I put us in brutal situations with bad decisions, and I need to get that figured out.”
Browning’s first interception came with 14:49 left in the second quarter when he tried to connect on a deep pass to Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Lions cornerback Amik Robertson, stepping in for the injured D.J. Reed, picked off the pass at Cincinnati’s 17-yard line.
Detroit quickly cashed in, capping a five-play drive with a three-yard touchdown pass from running back David Montgomery -- yes, you read that right -- to tight end Brock Wright, giving the Lions a 14-0 lead after a Jake Bates extra point.
“Yeah, the first (interception), it felt like Ja’Marr had outside leverage on his guy, so I tried to throw it inside based on that leverage,” Browning explained. “He beat his man, undercut the route, and got the pick. Bad decision, bad ball placement.”
Browning’s second interception came a few drives later with 6:52 left in the first half, again on a deep shot to Chase. This time, Lions safety Kerby Joseph came away with the takeaway. Those turnovers helped the Lions take a 14-3 lead into halftime.
“The defense played winning football,” Browning said. “I put them in awful spots, and for them to give up only 14 points in the first half was impressive. I kept pressing, trying to get momentum on offense. We did, but it was too late. I threw a stupid pick trying to force something that wasn’t there.”
His third interception came less than a minute into the second half. Trying to connect with tight end Mike Gesicki on a short route, Browning instead found Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone, who intercepted the pass and gave Detroit the ball at the Cincinnati 28-yard line.
Five plays later, Jared Goff hit running back Jahmyr Gibbs on a short left pass that Gibbs turned into a 20-yard touchdown, extending Detroit’s lead to 21-3 with 11:25 left in the third quarter.
“I’m forcing things that aren’t there. As a result, I completely screwed over the team,” Browning said. “It hurts. I didn’t play well enough to give us a chance to win. Coach (Zac Taylor) said he needs to put me in a better position, and I appreciate that, but this is on me. I need to stop throwing interceptions.”
Browning, who has started the past three games with quarterback Joe Burrow sidelined indefinitely, didn’t attribute the loss to Detroit’s defensive scheme.
Instead, he took full accountability.
“It was me being too aggressive, not just taking what the defense gave me,” Browning said. “You get frustrated when you’re not scoring and start pressing, and that’s how you end up throwing three picks.”
While he settled in late, connecting with Chase for two touchdowns and hitting Tee Higgins for another, it was too little too late. The Lions sealed the win with a touchdown pass from Goff to Isaac TeSlaa and a safety from linebacker Derrick Barnes with 1:49 left.
The Bengals have now lost three straight games in Burrow’s absence. Sunday’s result also marked the Lions’ first win over Cincinnati since Nov. 22, 1992.
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