CINCINNATI – cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will undergo surgery on his injured left toe and is expected to be sidelined for approximately three months, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed Monday.
The injury occurred during the second quarter of Cincinnati’s 31-27 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, when Burrow was sacked by Jaguars defensive tackle Arik Armstead. Burrow left the locker room on crutches wearing a boot on his left foot.
This marks Burrow’s third notable injury in his six NFL seasons since being selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft. A knee injury in his 2020 rookie season cost him six games, and a wrist injury in 2023 resulted in him missing the final seven games of the season. Last year, burrow led the league with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdown passes.
The Bengals,currently 2-0 for the frist time since 2018,face a challenging stretch of games beginning next week at Minnesota,with five consecutive opponents having made the playoffs last year.
In Burrow’s absence, Jake Browning will take over as the starting quarterback. Browning completed 21 of 32 passes for 241 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions against Jacksonville, and scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard leap with 18 seconds remaining.
“He said, ‘Good job.’ He was dealing with the injury,so it was brief,” Browning said of his postgame conversation with Burrow. Browning has appeared in 13 games for Cincinnati and holds a 4-3 record as a starter during a previous stint when Burrow was sidelined.
“I know it wasn’t my best game, but we won, so Sundays are happy,” Browning stated.”But come Monday,we’ll come in and get better.”