H
eading into week three of the 2025 NFL season, the Cincinnati Bengals are making a lot of adjustments. Despite being 2-0, the Bengals undefeated start did not come without sacrifices– quarterback Joe Burrow left the team’s week two win with a toe injury. Slated to miss a minimum of three months rehabbing the injury, the Bengals will turn to backup quarterback Jake Browning to keep them in the playoff hunt while Burrow recovers.
On Friday, Sept. 19, Burrow underwent toe surgery and began his recovery process for a return later this season. However after Friday’s practice, head coach Zac Taylor spoke with the media and said that while the surgery went well, there is still no timetable for Burrow’s return to action.
Burrow’s Return
Burrow will miss a minimum of three months but he could also be out longer depending on how his recovery goes. And for a Bengals team that is looking to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022, Burrow being out is not ideal. But the most important thing is that the team does not rush his rehab, so that Burrow returns better than before– a big reason why Taylor would not provide a specific timeline for a return.
“There’s no reason to give a timeline,” Taylor said . “We don’t have a timeline. Now he’s just in recovery and we’ll go from there.”
This is the third time that Burrow has suffered an injury in his NFL career that has forced him to go on the injured reserve. During his rookie season in 2020, Burrow started 10 games for the Bengals before suffering a season-ending ACL tear. In 2023, Burrow also started 10 games but suffered a wrist injury in week 11 that ended his season early.
Making Burrow the franchise quarterback after giving him a massive five-year contract extension in 2023, the Bengals have struggled to protect the face of their team and now that he is hurt again, it is possible that a major revamp is coming to the offensive line.
Bengals’ Outlook The Rest of the Season
Winning without your starting quarterback is a tall task, and with a tough schedule, the Bengals without Burrow could be in serious trouble. Starting the season with consecutive games against the Cleveland Browns and the Jacksonville Jaguars — two teams that were in the bottom half of the league last season– the next four games are daunting for the Bengals. In week three, the Bengals face the Minnesota Vikings on the road followed by another road game against the Denver Broncos in week four– two teams that made the playoffs last season. The game against the Vikings though will be a battle of the backups– with Vikings starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy out with an injury as well.
Then in weeks five and six, the Bengals take on two of the best teams in the league in back-to-back weeks– the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers . If the Bengals can string together good performances over these next four weeks and show that they can still be competitive and win some games without Burrow, then they may in good shape while they wait for him to come back.
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