By Luke Essig, Sports Editor

Joe Burrow limped off the field to the blue medical tent – and eventually the locker room – in the Bengals’ home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. While originally questionable to return, Burrow never came back and has since been ruled out for up to three months due to turf toe. 

According to the Cleveland Clinic, turf toe happens when the big toe’s ligaments, tendons and soft tissues stretch or, in Burrow’s case, tear. 

Turf toe is quite common among NFL players. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy suffered it in week one, but as he did not have a full tear, he will only be out 2-5 weeks. On the other end of the spectrum, it ended the career of Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Lambert in 1985. 

Patrick Mahomes suffered turf toe in the 2021 playoffs and played in the Super Bowl, but played arguably the worst game of his career against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that night. That offseason, he had surgery, fully recovered and won the 2022 NFL MVP. As long as Burrow’s surgery goes well, he should be back on the field in December, right around when the playoffs start.

In the meantime, the Bengals are 2-0 on the season with two of the least convincing wins in the league. They beat the Cleveland Browns, who lost to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday 41-17, by one point in week one, and the Jacksonville Jaguars by three points, another team at the bottom of the NFL power rankings (and both of those wins were with Burrow). Their upcoming schedule pits them against the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens twice within the next three months. These are all potential losses even with Burrow and without him they could turn into blowouts. 

The Bengals backup quarterback is Jake Browning. He has had to fill in for Burrow before. In about two and a half quarters on Sunday, he threw for 241 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. 

When Burrow was out for the final seven games of 2023 with a wrist injury, Browning filled in and was a serviceable backup. He went 4-3 throwing for 1936 total yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Bengals, however, went 9-8, were last in the AFC North, missing the playoffs. Fans certainly do not want to see Browning at the helm for another mediocre season. 

As of Tuesday, the Bengals signed quarterbacks Mike White and Sean Clifford to the practice squad and promoted Brett Rypien from it. White has been a serviceable backup for the injury-prone Tua Tagovailoa in Miami for one season, while Clifford has only thrown one pass in his two-year career. The Bengals now have options at quarterback.

It is safe to say that after a lackluster first two weeks and now a debilitating injury to Burrow, some fans speculate there is little to nothing that could save the Bengals season. Only time will tell what the future holds for them.