The next step for Jake Browning is cutting down on interceptions

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning had a historic start to his career as an NFL starter, but he’s still a first-year quarterback who’s learning to walk the fine line of being aggressive versus protecting the football.

Browning got picked off three times in Saturday’s 34-11 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he has thrown six frustrating interceptions in six games this season.

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“Two (of the interceptions against the Steelers) are what happens when you face a good pass rush and get behind in a game and try to push the ball down the field,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “They get in those zones and pick it off. We didn’t want to go into that game down 14 points and have to play that style of football. Overall as a team, we didn’t manage the game very well.”

Browning’s competitiveness, accuracy and processing ability were on display when he led the Bengals to three straight wins. But he went undrafted due to concerns about his arm strength, and his arm strength cost him the Bengals’ worst interception of the year.

After the Steelers took a 7-0 lead on Saturday, the Bengals marched down the field inside of the red zone. On 3rd and 9, Browning was under pressure and tried to throw the ball away. But he didn’t put enough on it, and his pass sailed back in bounds to Steelers safety Patrick Peterson.

“I was trying to throw it out of the back of the end zone. I don’t know. I thought I did throw it away,” Browning said. “Then the whole crowd went crazy. I didn’t even know it was picked. So stupid.”

In the middle of the second quarter, Browning tried to push the ball down the field on 1st down. But he faced pressure from the left side of the pocket. He tried to make an adjustment as he fired a throw to wide receiver Tyler Boyd, but the underthrown pass got picked off by Steelers safety Eric Rowe. The 25-yard return set up a touchdown that gave the Steelers a 21-0 lead.

Browning tried to take one more chance in the fourth quarter with the Bengals down by three scores, and his aggressive chance led to a pick for defensive end Alex Highsmith, who dropped back in coverage over the middle.

“We put (Browning) in a tough situation,” Taylor said. “With the pass rush they have, to put ourselves in a hole and have to drop back, that’s not a great way to play against those guys, that’s not a good way to support him.”

Browning’s interceptions were the most consequential plays of the game, and his turnovers have been an issue dating back to training camp.

In his first career start, a loss to the Steelers in November, Steelers safety Trenton Thompson disguised his coverage, read Browning’s eyes and cut off a short pass to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

Against the Indianapolis Colts, Browning threw a pick six before halftime when he wasn’t on the same page with tight end Tanner Hudson. Browning thought that Hudson would leak out toward the middle of the field, so he threw an off-target pass that got tipped to linebacker Ronnie Harrison.

One week later, against the Minnesota Vikings, Browning forced a throw to Hudson down the field into double coverage.

Browning’s pick to Thompson in the first matchup against the Steelers was the game-changing play, and his picks against the Colts and Vikings would have been if the Bengals had lost those games. Against the Steelers on Saturday, Browning’s turnover problem caught up to him at the worst time.

“Jake is the quarterback, so he gets front and center,” Taylor said. “I appreciate him taking ownership of that. I wasn’t good enough. There were a lot of areas that weren’t good enough to support him. That’s part of playing team football.”

After the game on Saturday, Browning said that he was frustrated with “dumb decisions.” He said, “Who knows how that affects the outcome of the game?” Browning had a better completion percentage and more passing yards than Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, but Rudolph didn’t turn the ball over.

Browning has already thrown as many interceptions through six games as quarterback Joe Burrow threw in his 10 games this season.

“I’ll say it probably 100 times,” Browning said. “I’ve got to find a way to make those three picks turn into incompletions or throwaways or checkdowns or something other than turnovers.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: The next step for Bengals quarterback Jake Browning