Bengals QB Joe Burrow gifts suite tickets to family of backup Jake Browning

Joe Burrow is a great teammate. His backup's family got to see just how great.

Jake Browning, an undrafted reserve quarterback who has been called into action for the Cincinnati Bengals after Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury in the middle of November, has kept the Bengals afloat in the playoff hunt. And when Browning made his most recent start, Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts at Paycor Stadium, Browning's family was on hand to watch him play.

That's where Burrow comes in.

Burrow gifted seats in his luxury suite to Browning's family so they could comfortably watch Browning lead the Bengals to a 20-point victory over the Colts.

"First of all, it is not my box," Browning said in a news conference after the game. "I did not buy that in the preseason; it's very expensive. So Joe Burrow was nice enough to give them some tickets so they didn't have to sit up in the cold. You know, we're all from California. I'm used to it, but they're not, so I'm sure they were much more excited in the box, but it's awesome to have them here."

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According to the NFL's game book, it was 40 degrees at kickoff, with a wind chill of 34 degrees. Browning is from Folsom, California.

Browning has been stellar for Cincinnati. He has appeared in five games, making three starts – the most recent two being Bengals victories – and has completed 75.5% of his throws for 924 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.

Browning was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after last week's overtime victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Bengals are one of six AFC teams with a 7-6 record and vying for three wild-card berths in the conference. Because of tiebreakers, Cincinnati is currently in the No. 10 seed, three spots back of the Colts.

Browning joined the Bengals before the 2021 season and has served on the team's practice squad each of the last two seasons. Previously, he had spent his first two seasons on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad, in 2019-20.