Jake Browning on Bengals' Win Over Vikings
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00:00 reactions to that game
00:01 now that you've had a couple minutes to decompress?
00:04 I feel like I need a beer,
00:05 but I'm right off of a cramping incident,
00:08 so I'm probably going to pass on that.
00:10 But, yeah, that was a roller coaster.
00:14 Obviously, the overtime was similar to Jacksonville,
00:19 but Jacksonville, we're always kind of right even with them.
00:23 This one, we got down and didn't play great in the first half,
00:27 and then kind of threw the pick in the second half
00:31 and kind of rallied from there.
00:34 So there were some big-time plays being made.
00:37 A couple shout-outs, first of all, to Drew Sample,
00:41 who played with a stomach virus and was feeling terrible,
00:46 and we needed him really badly because these guys blitz a lot,
00:48 and he's incredible in protection.
00:51 Another one to Joe Mixon.
00:53 You know, no running back wants to sit there
00:55 and just be in protection all day long,
00:57 but that was kind of the best chance
01:00 to put up some points and all that.
01:02 He did a great job.
01:03 And then our line, starting with Ted Karras,
01:05 just the communication, you know,
01:08 there was very few protection calls I even needed to make.
01:13 I can't even talk. I'm so tired.
01:16 Because he directed the whole show,
01:17 and it was a very exotic scheme,
01:20 and so I just want to point out those three guys.
01:24 Your reaction to P against touchdown pitch?
01:27 Yeah, I would have included him, too,
01:29 but I think everybody knows that one's kind of obvious.
01:32 I was hot.
01:33 They brought a Fonzie pressure, I believe,
01:36 and I just had to drift and give someone a chance with it.
01:40 And I always feel good just throwing the ball up to T.
01:43 There was a couple times this game
01:44 where you just kind of throw it up to him,
01:46 and good things seemed to happen,
01:48 or we were really close on a couple times.
01:52 And I'll just continue to keep throwing the ball up to him
01:54 when those opportunities present themselves
01:56 because he's very good at it.
01:58 So that was a blitz to you to get rid of him?
02:00 Yeah. Yeah.
02:02 I mean, I haven't watched the tape or anything,
02:04 but it was a pressure
02:07 where they're bringing more than we can block,
02:10 and it beats, you know, whatever our protection call was.
02:13 So I was hot off of -- I think it was Harrison Smith
02:16 and just drifted away and threw it up.
02:18 Can you take us through that play to Tyler in the 44 yarder?
02:22 Yeah.
02:24 They -- you know, they blitz a lot.
02:27 They drop a lot.
02:28 A lot was made about the scheme.
02:29 It's a really good scheme.
02:31 But that was kind of part of it is they drop a lot of people.
02:35 So I don't know if there were three or four rushing there,
02:37 but I believe it was three.
02:39 And so there's not a lot of timing plays
02:42 that are open when they drop eight.
02:44 And so pitch -- our quarterback coach had said that --
02:49 I'm going to move that back --
02:52 that the -- I'm going to need to move around
02:55 and make some plays with my legs.
02:56 Throughout the whole week, he had kind of been saying that.
02:58 And so that's kind of where that came.
03:01 Did a good job coming back at a friendly angle.
03:03 I think T thought he was getting the ball as well.
03:07 So they kind of, you know, crossed full speed.
03:09 TB got the ball.
03:10 I think that's kind of what sprung him on the run,
03:12 is half the DBs think T's about to catch it,
03:14 and the other half, you know, think TB's doing it.
03:17 Everybody just kind of ran into each other.
03:19 And so I thought he was going to score,
03:21 but then I was glad, you know, he's -- with ball security.
03:24 I think if that was the second quarter
03:26 and not the end of the game or that situation,
03:28 he probably would have scored.
03:29 How about the third and 20-minute run, Chase?
03:32 Yeah. I mean, I think that came open
03:33 because we ran a similar play earlier in the game
03:36 where I missed Charlie Jones down the middle.
03:41 And so when you throw one of those,
03:43 and they were playing a lot of, you know, too deep
03:45 and having someone run the middle, you know,
03:48 once you throw one of those early in the game,
03:49 you got to respect it later.
03:51 And so I think that was kind of a product of that.
03:53 What was it like? I mean, was it --
03:56 What was it like up there?
03:57 I mean, you were obviously very cool, very loud,
03:59 and it was very -- just things were --
04:03 things were just, like, going a mile a minute.
04:05 Did T get balled? Did he get, you know, no flag?
04:07 I mean -- Your words, not mine.
04:10 I mean, what's going through your mind
04:12 when all this is happening?
04:15 Is it as loud as you would have ever heard?
04:16 Yeah. I mean, it was loud.
04:18 Our fans definitely, you know,
04:21 had their one more drink and came to the game.
04:23 So you definitely felt it when the defense was on there.
04:29 And then just the energy in the stadium was really good.
04:33 I'm kind of in a position where I just detach from that,
04:35 and I don't really -- I feel like the louder it gets,
04:38 the quieter it gets just in my own head, I guess.
04:40 But, yeah, I think that played a big factor.
04:44 There were some false starts, delay games,
04:46 some stuff for them to communicate,
04:48 and it was a fun atmosphere to play in.
04:51 Why do you think the offense was able to kind of find a gear
04:53 when you were up for kind of three quarters
04:55 and not find a rhythm?
04:57 Um, I mean, like I've said before,
05:00 it's not as bad or as good as you think on tape.
05:03 My first half was pretty bad, I thought.
05:07 And so at halftime, it was basically,
05:08 "All right, that was a bad first half.
05:10 Like, just get it back together."
05:12 Then I came out and threw a pick.
05:14 And I just basically told myself,
05:16 like, "Okay, that was a bad decision.
05:18 Just keep rallying."
05:19 And -- but I felt really good about our scheme.
05:23 Like, that is a very --
05:24 there was a lot made on the defensive scheme,
05:27 which it's tough.
05:28 Like, it is a hard scheme to deal with,
05:30 and they do a great job with so many different people
05:32 and so many different positions
05:33 and presenting a lot of different looks.
05:34 But I guess another shout-out to, you know, Brian Callahan.
05:40 First thing he told me when we came in the building --
05:43 what would that be on Tuesday --
05:44 was, "I think you're going to throw for 500 yards."
05:47 I was like, "Okay, sounds good."
05:48 But that kind of set the tone for the week.
05:51 Like, "Hey, we're going to keep attacking,
05:53 and don't let -- you know, they're an attack,
05:56 blitzing defense,
05:57 and don't let that get you into a shell.
05:59 Like, keep attacking."
06:00 And so I think we were able to keep that mindset
06:04 and finally put together some points.
06:06 When you talked about Mixon, what was his --
06:08 I mean, okay, the pass probe,
06:10 you get him that a little bit, but he also makes --
06:12 one of the plays of the game,
06:13 he's stopping the backfield on foot and one.
06:15 He scores the touch there.
06:17 Yeah. Yeah.
06:18 I mean, Joe Mixon's like a battering ram.
06:21 So I just feel like the more touches he gets,
06:23 the more -- you know, he kind of is our tone setter on offense.
06:27 He starts with the O line, but when he's able to --
06:32 you know, when they put 11 guys on the line of scrimmage
06:34 and in the box, and we're still able to run the ball,
06:37 because there's going to be one that's unblocked,
06:39 and you just got to run them over.
06:41 And he's really good at that.
06:43 He's a battering ram.
06:44 And then also to be able to hand off, like, an inside zone,
06:48 and all of a sudden he's bouncing
06:49 and running around everybody.
06:51 You know, to have a running back that can do both is huge.
06:55 Did you see the fourth down stop in the overtime period?
06:58 And what does that say about those guys
06:59 that they really didn't give up an inch on back-to-back?
07:01 Yeah. Yeah.
07:02 I mean, that's -- I think one part of that
07:05 was calling timeout right before the third down.
07:08 The first time, they tried to just get on the ball
07:09 and snap it quickly, and we called a timeout,
07:12 which, you know, lets us get set
07:15 and lets us really come off the ball, too.
07:19 And, yeah, I mean, it's impressive.
07:20 It's third and one, fourth and inches,
07:22 with the game on the line, and, I mean, that's --
07:24 everybody's going to talk about the Tyler Boyd throw and catch,
07:27 but, I mean, if they get that, they're probably kicking a field
07:30 goal and winning the game.
07:31 Jay, last month, you made it pretty clear
07:33 you tried to stay even-keeled.
07:35 Earlier this week, you spoke about the Steelers' loss
07:38 and said because you were involved in that game,
07:40 it hurt more than typical losses have.
07:43 On the flip side, as a comeback winner,
07:46 overtime's not feeling sweeter.
07:48 Yeah. Yeah.
07:50 Yeah, I'm not going to sit here and say it's not a good feeling.
07:53 It's much better than losing.
07:54 I think the emotional roller coaster is part of the game,
07:59 and part of that is just me staying even-keeled,
08:02 but there was definitely a little extra part of --
08:06 you know, just before the game, like, I remember getting cut
08:08 there the last time and just being told, like, hey,
08:11 you know, we might have a spot for you on practice squad,
08:13 but go to the hotel and wait.
08:15 And so I sat in the hotel for, like, a couple hours,
08:17 not knowing if I had a job or not,
08:19 and then just basically got a text --
08:22 or a call from my agent that, you know, they didn't even --
08:24 they didn't tell me. Like, I had been there for two years,
08:26 and, you know, I've been cut my fair share of times,
08:29 and that was probably the shittiest one.
08:31 And there was a little bit more this week.
08:35 I know I denied it, and there's some great people over there.
08:37 It's completely different --
08:38 completely different coaching staff and everything,
08:40 and I want to emphasize, like,
08:42 there are some incredible people over there,
08:43 but that one -- that one felt good.
08:46 I think right after we made the field goal to win the game,
08:48 I screamed at a camera
08:50 and said they never should have cut me.
08:53 Did you know earlier in the week that when you said it to us
08:55 that you were going to just play it down until afterwards?
08:59 Yeah. I mean, you can't say that the whole week
09:01 and then go lose.
09:03 You kind of just -- you just wait until you win,
09:04 and then don't look like an idiot.
09:06 Jake, as the starting quarterback of this team,
09:08 you guys won three straight.
09:10 What's your confidence level in leading this team
09:12 into the playoffs?
09:15 High, but I think we're going to play an important game
09:20 next week, play the Steelers,
09:22 and I played terrible against them last time,
09:24 so I'm pretty focused on that.
09:26 T talked about it was time to be the alpha
09:28 when Jamar went out.
09:30 When Jamar goes out and you're obviously tasked
09:33 with winning the game, what's going through your mind
09:35 without Jamar Chase on the field?
09:38 Yeah, I mean, Jamar's one of our best players,
09:40 has been for a couple years,
09:42 and sometimes that's just going to happen.
09:45 I mean, there's -- it's a physical game.
09:48 Stuff happens. He made an incredible catch.
09:49 I think on the play where he got hurt was he made the crazy
09:53 third and long catch over the middle
09:56 that we referenced earlier, but, I mean,
10:01 maybe T feels differently,
10:02 but I feel like they're both alphas the entire time.
10:05 Like, there's -- that's a 1A, 1B,
10:07 and I got a ton of comfort.
10:11 Maybe T doesn't feel that way, but I throw it to him
10:13 like he's going to be the alpha all the time,
10:15 and so, you know, it didn't really change my mindset.
10:19 Obviously, you want to have Jamar out there,
10:20 but, you know, Andre's done a lot of great stuff in practice,
10:23 and I got a ton of confidence,
10:25 and really, no matter who's out there,
10:27 I'm going to throw to where the coverage tells me to throw,
10:29 and it's on them to win,
10:31 and so I think once you get outside of that mindset,
10:34 that's when you start to make some bad decisions.
10:36 Given what you just said about the context for this game
10:38 and what it means for you personally,
10:39 how long do you kind of maybe savor this one
10:41 as opposed to other wins before you move on
10:43 to facing Pittsburgh next week?
10:47 I mean, it's nice to not be on a short week,
10:49 so maybe a little bit longer,
10:50 but I'll probably go to dinner with my family,
10:54 probably get that posted on Twitter again,
10:56 and then move on after that,
11:00 watch the film of it tomorrow and move on.
11:03 Your first game here when you signed on the practice
11:06 was against this club, and you beat them all the time.
11:11 Yeah.
11:12 And now you're the guy to do it.
11:14 Yeah. I mean, it feels good to win,
11:17 and I'm not sure where to take that one.
11:22 You know, you shook your head after the interception.
11:24 You shook your head all the way back to the side.
11:26 What were you like, as you threw that?
11:28 It was a dumb throw.
11:30 Why?
11:31 Well, because I threw it right to the corner,
11:33 but also because I just felt like I was --
11:36 I usually do a good job of not pressing.
11:38 I felt like I pressed there, like I was trying to make the play
11:41 to get us back in and get us rolling
11:43 when the guy underneath was open,
11:44 so I should have just thrown it there.
11:46 Jake, you just kind of talked about your raw feelings
11:48 when you got cut by the Vikings.
11:51 For T, given what he's gone through this year
11:53 from an adversity standpoint
11:55 and not getting his contract extension before the season
11:58 and the rib injury, then coming back,
11:59 then the hamstring injury,
12:01 and then just some uncharacteristic drops,
12:03 how much sweeter does it make it for him
12:06 as one of his teammates and the guy that threw him the ball
12:08 to make that type of statement play in a really important game?
12:14 Yeah, I mean, I'm a huge fan of T Higgins,
12:16 whether -- you know, whatever his situation is
12:19 with contract stuff and all that.
12:22 I've been the guy -- I've never been that guy.
12:25 Like, I've never been in that situation,
12:26 but I've been the guy that you got personal stuff going on
12:30 where you're maybe on a P-squad or for him.
12:32 Like, you know, you want a contract.
12:34 Everybody does, but I've never felt in the locker room
12:39 that he's made it about that or anything like that,
12:40 and so that speaks to his character.
12:44 Really enjoyable guy to be around,
12:45 and so I think any time you have somebody like that who's --
12:48 Obviously, it's a fortunate situation
12:50 where you're right on the cusp of that,
12:52 but maybe you feel like this close,
12:54 then it's not happening.
12:56 You know, that can mess with people,
12:57 and I haven't felt like that has messed with him at all.
12:59 He's had some unfortunate injuries,
13:00 but he's made some incredible plays,
13:02 and, I mean, I don't really care if he has some drops.
13:05 Like, if he makes crazy plays like that,
13:06 I'll just keep throwing the ball,
13:08 and, you know, good things are going to happen.