The Bengals are currently at the top spot of the podium in the AFC North division with a 2-1 record so far. Bengals’ QB1, Joe Burrow, has played a major role with some solid performances this season. But soon, he faced a significant setback due to injury in the matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 2. Jake Browning was then called up to take over the QB duties. While he had a rough season start, his fiancée has been rallying support for football.
Jake Browning’s fiancée, Stephanie Niles, who is also a co-founder of the sustainable swimwear brand ‘7th Street Swim,’ recently posted a story on Instagram. The story mentions a Time Magazine article titled “Why All Americans Should be Football Fans.” The article dates back to September 4, 2025, and is written by Todd Rogers and Audrey Feldman. Though it might be an earlier write-up, the timing of the story is the reason it came under the spotlight.
The Bengals lost their last game against the Minnesota Vikings with an embarrassing blowout of 48-10, their worst defeat in 57 years. Jake Browning couldn’t inspire much. He came out of the gridiron flat and was booed by the crowd. The story posted by her fiancée had the caption, “the hard-hitting facts.” The professor-student article from Time Magazine highlights the civic benefits of sports fandom. It argues that being a sports fan, specifically a football fan, acts as an antidote to loneliness and political distrust.
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Niles has been a football fan herself and is consistently spotted at the stadiums to support her fiancée from the stands. She often shares her pictures and videos from the stadium on social media. In 2022, she posted a snapshot of herself supporting Browning and the Bengals at the Super Bowl. “omw to witness the bengals win the Super Bowl,” she captioned her picture at the SoFi stadium just before the main event.
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Most recently, she witnessed Browning filling in for Burrow after he sustained a toe injury, a torn tendon requiring surgery. Browning led the team to a 31-27 comeback victory against the Jaguars. But then the Bengals suffered a brutal 48-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday. And Browning’s coach spoke honestly about his and the team’s struggles after the game.
Zac Taylor sends a strong message about Joe Burrow’s backup
The Bengals dropped to a horrifying loss to the Vikings, and apart from running back Jordon Mason, there weren’t any positive takeaways. This chaotic outing in Minnesota gave the Bengals coach, Zac Taylor, something to say. After the game, he jumped in to save Browning by saying, “Nobody was good. No one did (enough) to support Jake.” Things looked different for Browning from the previous game, where he took the team to a late surge win. He finished 19-for-27 for 140 yards with two interceptions and a touchdown.
The Bengals’ offensive line didn’t just fail to protect Jake Browning; it also hurt the team’s running game. So far this season, Cincinnati has only 147 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. That kind of production would be fine for one player in a single game, but it’s very concerning for the whole team after three games on 61 attempts. Chase Brown, who was expected to be the clear RB1 this year, has just 93 yards on 47 carries, averaging only two yards per run.
This shows that even though he’s struggling, the Bengals don’t seem to trust their running game overall. The rest of the team combined for just 14 rushing attempts. Injuries have made things worse. Guards Dalton Risner, Cordell Volson, and Lucas Patrick are all sidelined, and RB2 Samaje Perine hurt his thumb in the last game. That could mean rookie Tahj Brooks gets more opportunities, but it doesn’t solve the overall problem. The Bengals can’t trust their running game until Brown or Brooks proves they can break through these challenges.