Brandon Allen to Start at Quarterback For Bengals

Brandon Allen will start for the Bengals this week

CINCINNATI — The Bengals elevated Brandon Allen from the practice squad on Monday and it looks like he's going to make his fourth NFL start this Sunday against the Giants. 

Allen will start at quarterback against New York according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. He knows Zac Taylor's offensive system from his days in Denver and Los Angeles.

Allen made three starts for the Broncos in 2019, posting a 1-2 record. He completed 39-of-84 passes (46%), finishing with 515 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. 

The Bengals signed Allen on Aug. 1. He's been on the practice squad all season. 

Cincinnati was hoping they'd never have to turn to their backup quarterbacks. That changed when star rookie Joe Burrow went down with a season-ending knee injury in Sunday's loss to Washington. 

Second-year quarterback Ryan Finley entered the game for Burrow, but struggled, completing just 3-of-10 passes for 30 yards and one interception. 

This is a sign that the coaching staff knows it needs to win same games down the stretch. Allen has been in the league longer, even though he's made the same number of starts (3). 

The Bengals sit at 2-7-1 on the season. They're 4-21-1 under Taylor. 

This team was hoping to make a late-season push. Those expectations changed the moment Burrow went down. 

Despite the injury, the Bengals are focused on winning. 

"We are going to pick ourselves up. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves," Taylor said on Monday. "It’s the hand we are dealt and we have to find a way to regroup and get some momentum going forward. That’s all we can do. We can’t waste one second feeling sorry for ourselves and we hate it for Joe because of the work he put in to put himself in this position to lead this team, but that’s the reality of the NFL and we’re not going to miss a beat going forward."

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