When a quarterback (signed as an undrafted free agent) is taking snaps against you in the last ten minutes, you know things have gone off the rails. That’s exactly what happened in Week 3. The Bengals played so poorly that the Vikings put Max Brosmer in the game to give Carson Wentz a breather. We all saw this coming (kind of).

Without Joe Burrow, things in Cincy are starting to look rough. Going into that Week 3 matchup against the Vikings, Jake Browning was expected to pick up right where he left off in Week 2. Instead, he came out flat, got booed by the crowd, and ended up steering the Bengals to their worst loss in 57 years. A brutal 48–10 blowout.

After the game, head coach Zac Taylor tried to make sense of it, saying Browning really didn’t have much support around him. “Nobody was good. No one did (enough) to support Jake,” the HC said. In the battle of backup quarterbacks, Browning lost atrociously as he finished the game with 19-for-27 for 140 yards, two interceptions, and a touchdown.

The 29-year-old quarterback, who was making his first start since 2023, managed to score his lone touchdown with 11:12 left in the game, bringing the Bengals to 48–10. But by then, it was too little, too late. His rough outing had already made plenty of headlines, especially after throwing an interception to Vikings’ corner Isaiah Rodgers, who returned it 87 yards for a touchdown.

Talking about help, Coach Taylor was right. Browning didn’t get much. The backs struggled, and the receivers didn’t make big plays. The rushing game was lackluster. Cincy finished with just 53 rushing yards, while the Vikings piled up 169 yards on the ground. Samaje Perine led the Bengals with only 21 yards on 4 carries. Through the air, it wasn’t much better.

They managed 118 passing yards, compared to the Vikings’ 183. Ja’Marr Chase led the way with 5 catches for 50 yards, but there was no Griddy this time against Minnesota. The defense, on the other end, didn’t fare any better. The Vikings capitalized on five turnovers, scoring 31 points off those mistakes, with 24 of them coming in the first half alone. Rodgers was the star of the show.

He became the first player in NFL history to force two fumbles and score two defensive touchdowns in a single game, returning a fumble 66 yards and an interception 87 yards for scores. The final result?  The worst loss in the Bengals’ franchise history.

Zac Taylor now has a historical issue

A 48-10 loss against the Vikings marks the worst loss in the Bengals’ franchise history. Right after that went down, Coach Taylor was supposed to address the issue, and he sure did. “That’s going to lead to a lot of historical issues,” the HC said, per The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.

Before Sunday’s loss, the Bengals had suffered a 37-point loss in four instances:

• Lost 14-51 to the Saints at home: November 11, 2018
• Lost 7-44 to the Bears at home: September 28, 1986
• Lost 0-37 to the Jets on the road: January 10, 2010
• Lost 0-37 to the Ravens on the road: September 24, 2000

With that said, it’s only the beginning of life for the Bengals without Burrow under center, and unfortunately, they’ve already made history… just not the kind they wanted. Sitting at 2–1, with Burrow out for at least three months and both the offense and defense struggling, it’ll be interesting to see how Zac Taylor and his crew bounce back in Week 4.