In a bittersweet turn of events, the 2-0 Cincinnati Bengals will be without their most important offensive weapon to a turf toe injury for the foreseeable future.
Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow left the first half of yesterday’s Week 2 home matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a lower leg injury after being sacked by opposing defensive lineman Arik Armstead. Reports during the game revealed that Burrow was sidelined with a turf toe injury and wouldn’t return to action.
After the matchup’s conclusion, Burrow was seen on crutches and in a walking boot. According to ESPN, images of Burrow’s toe injury were sent to foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson for clarification on if surgery is needed to treat the injury.
Early this morning, Adam Schefter revealed that the sixth-year quarterback would need surgery and is expected to miss at least three months to complete the recovery process.
Before going down, Burrow led the Bengals on a first quarter touchdown drive and finished the game 7 of 13 for 76 yards and a passing score. In his absence, Cincinnati leaned on backup Jake Browning to close the game which he eventually did with a go-ahead scoring drive with 18 seconds left that amassed 15 plays and 92 yards.
The seven-year backup completed 21 of 32 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns but also tossed three interceptions against Jacksonville in a relief effort. He previously served as the Bengals’ starter for a seven-game stretch in 2023 when Burrow went down with a season-ending injury.
During that span, Browning went 4-3 as the team’s starter while tossing 12 touchdowns to just seven interceptions.
Burrow being sidelined will slot Browning into the starting role for at least 12 games. Those games include matchups versus the NFC North, AFC North divisional rivalry games versus the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers as well as a late season road showdown against the Buffalo Bills.
Starting 2-0 early in the season allows the Bengals wiggle room to figure out the ins-and-outs of the offense with Browning until they hit their stride midway through the season. For the time being, they’ll return to the field with Browning as the starter for the team’s upcoming road matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.