Never mind the recent success of Jake Browning as he quarterbacks the Bengals into Saturday’s game against the Vikings at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.

Some Vikings players aren’t at all surprised by the fact that he seems to have taken the NFL by storm. Not after what they saw out of him on July 31, 2021.

“He was balling,” fullback C.J. Ham said of his 2021 game with the Vikings. “That seemed like the Jake Browning coming-out party right there. I remember the crowd was going nuts. He was on fire.”

He had to be. He was the only quarterback the Vikings had available.

Since he was vaccinated, Browning was not considered a close contact when rookie high-draft-pick Kellen Mond tested positive for COVID leading up to the now-infamous night practice at TCO Stadium. The Vikings’ two other quarterbacks, Kirk Cousins and Nate Stanley, were considered close contacts, and thus, not allowed to participate.

Though he wouldn’t go into detail about each player’s vaccination status, former Vikings coach Mike Zimmer went out of his way to make a very specific point.

“Jake’s really smart,’’ Zimmer said at the time. “He’s vaccinated.”

The decision to get the shot gave Browning a shot to shined bright under the lights. He took every single rep, unofficially completing 26 of 37 passes in team drills. He made notable throws to receivers Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn, while captivating the 4,285 fans in attendance who were searching for a sense of normalcy in the middle of the pandemic.

As soon as the night practice ended, teammates doused Browning with bottles of water at midfield. They stopped short off carrying him back to the locker room on their shoulders.

“That was crazy,” safety Josh Metellus said. “I just remember him being dead from having to take so many reps.”

Not once did Browning think about asking for a breather. Not as an undrafted free agent still trying to make an impression on his new team.

“I didn’t want anyone to think that I didn’t want to take every single rep,” Browning said at the time. “I didn’t want to be in a situation where they were cutting practice and taking valuable reps away from other guys.”

That type of conviction has helped Browning get to this point in his career. He has continued to persevere when others might already have decided to hang up the cleats.

Not long after watching him ball out in the night practice, the Vikings decided to waive Browning, instead choosing Mond as their backup.

That paved the way for the Bengals to sign Browning to their practice squad, where he got to develop behind the scenes with Joe Burrow in the spotlight. After biding his time with the organization, Browning finally took over as the backup to Burrow this season.

As the next man up, Browning was thrust into action for the Bengals last month when Burrow suffered a wrist injury that required surgery. The past couple of games have been a godsend for Browning, as he completed 32 of 37 passes for 354 yards in an overtime win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, then followed that up by completing 18 of 24 passes for 275 yards in a blowout win over the Indianapolis Colts.

What does he have in store for his former team? Perhaps the Vikings got a preview at the night practice without even knowing it.

“I don’t think any of the guys who were here in this locker room with him are surprised by what he’s doing now,” Osborn said. “He was always preparing for this moment. He was very confident. To see him get his chance, and do well with it, is really good to see.”

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