Patience around Jake Browning is wearing thin among Cincinnati Bengals fans. Zac Taylor has always shown belief in his backup, but after a double-digit loss (24-37) to the Lions, that belief feels shaky. The frustration was visible on the sidelines. And it’s clear Browning knows exactly where he stands in this conversation.

The Paycor Stadium crowd of 66,115 saw it unfold live. Browning put up 251 yards, tossed three touchdowns, but also three brutal interceptions in the 37-24 defeat to Detroit. Afterward, he did not dodge responsibility. He summed up his own night in just four words. “I played awful today,” Browning said.

Now, this wasn’t just another start. It was his third straight since Joe Burrow went on injured reserve with a toe injury that required surgery. Each time, the scoreboard has ended the same way—a loss for Cincinnati. And while fans in the Jungle are known for their patience, they can also read a record. Three starts, zero wins.

Because of that, the questions are growing louder.

Taylor himself didn’t hide from it after the game. “After a game like that, we’re going to look at all personnel to make sure we’re doing the right thing,” the head coach said. He even admitted the quarterback spot is part of that review.

“So I won’t shy away from that, because it’s a very fair question after the amount of turnovers we’ve had, but to say that I don’t think Jake can win games for us. I believe Jake can win games, and we’ll just continue to look at everything we can personel wise.”

Even with that, Taylor isn’t shutting the door. He still has faith in Browning’s ability if the team sticks with him. Six touchdowns and eight interceptions are not the numbers Cincinnati fans want to see, but the staff has not given up completely. However, Taylor feels he is also responsible for this situation too.

Zac Taylor took the blame after Jake Browning’s struggle

The Who Dey Nation saw a nightmare start. Jake Browning’s first mistake was an overthrow to Ja’Marr Chase that was picked inside his own end zone. His second came on a floater downfield that never had a chance. Then, right after halftime, linebacker Alex Anzalone snagged another misfire over the middle. By then, Detroit had a 21-3 lead. Then another quick three-and-out, and the damage was already too heavy to undo.

Still, Zac Taylor kept Browning in. No switch to Brett Rypien. And, surprisingly, Browning responded. He led three-straight touchdown drives in the final quarter. But when you’re staring at a 28-3 hole, that kind of production falls under “garbage time.” Detroit knew it, the fans knew it, and the scoreboard never flinched. The Lions tacked on more, padding the cushion with another touchdown and a safety.

Yet Taylor didn’t dodge the responsibility afterward. He knew the errors killed their shot. “Put this on me. I gotta do a better job getting us into a rhythm. Get us in a way where we can sustain some drives. Put points on the board,” Taylor said, taking the blame squarely on himself. However, while Taylor is considering a QB change, he still has faith in Browning.

“There’re some plays he’s gonna want to have back. I’m glad he hung in there, made some plays for us down the stretch, three-straight touchdown drives at the end of the game. Sure, a lot of people want him on the bench at that point. I could hear it, and he stuck with him, and he comes back and has three straight drives for touchdowns. And that’s the Jake Browning I know. He’s resilient. He’ll stare diversity in the face, you can count on him bouncing back,” he added.

That’s full backing. But it’s also risky. Because, if Taylor waits too long to move on, the Bengals’ future might go down with him.