CINCINNATI (AP) — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will have surgery on his injured left toe, coach Zac Taylor confirmed Monday.
“We are working through the details and timelines. We will go through the week and get all the information we can,” Taylor said during an afternoon news conference.
Taylor did not have a timeline for when Burrow will have surgery or how long the franchise quarterback might be out. The turf toe injury is expected to sideline Burrow a minimum of three months.
“I don’t know what a toe rehab looks like,” Taylor said. “I know Joe’s gonna give it everything he’s got. He’s gonna do everything he can to get onto the field.”
It is Burrow’s third major injury in his six seasons since being the top overall pick in the 2020 draft and a major blow to Cincinnati, which is off to its first 2-0 start since 2018 and has postseason aspirations after missing the playoffs the past two seasons.
Burrow left the Bengals’ locker room on crutches and wearing a boot on his left foot on Sunday after injuring his toe during the second quarter of Cincinnati’s 31-27 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Burrow was sacked by Jaguars defensive tackle Arik Armstead for a 5-yard loss at the Bengals 35-yard line with 9:02 remaining in the first half. It was the second time Burrow had been sacked in the game.
Burrow went into the sideline medical tent. He came out and walked briefly with a limp before heading to the locker room.
Guard Dalton Risner, who was beaten by Armstead on the sack, took some of the blame for Burrow’s injury when he met with reporters on Monday
“That one play has really been devastating for me because I got beat on the play,” Risner said. “I think he got tackled by two or three guys, but I know my guy was in on the tackle. It just makes your stomach hurt. … I don’t think I did a good enough job on that play to keep him safe and healthy.”
Burrow led the league last season with 4,918 passing yards and 43 TD passes.
He has been sacked 201 times in six seasons, the second most in the league since 2020. His latest injury again puts the Bengals’ front office in the spotlight for electing to give high-value contracts to wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase without properly addressing the offensive line.
“I don’t know how a turf toe injury fully happens, if you get hit or stepped on. I know that potentially he could have been clean for 99% of the game, and the one play is where this happens,” Taylor said.
“I get it. I understand where people are going to come from. They’re going to be very attacking of us. Our style of play got us to a Super Bowl, two AFC championship games and two division titles, and won a lot of games for us. We’re always evaluating how we can protect our players and put them in the best position possible.”
Burrow’s injury comes at an inopportune time for the Bengals, who play at Minnesota next week to begin a stretch of five straight opponents that made the playoffs last year.
The Vikings also have an injured quarterback. Carson Wentz is expected to start after J.J. McCarthy sprained his right ankle during the second half of Minnesota’s 22-6 loss to Atlanta on Sunday night.
“We’re 2-0 and we’ve got a lot of good energy right now,” Taylor said. “There are plenty of things to clean up. We haven’t put our best foot forward or put together our best football collectively.”
Jake Browning will be the starter in Burrow’s absence. Against the Jaguars, Browning completed 21 of 32 passes for 241 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. He also scored the go-ahead touchdown with 18 seconds remaining on a 1-yard leap.
“We have a ton of confidence in Jake. He proved that (Sunday),” Taylor said. “We’re excited for Jake to go there and play. He’s earned the right to be in the spotlight.”
Brett Rypien is likely to be called up from the practice squad when Burrow gets placed on injured reserve, but Taylor said the team would look for another QB to add to the active roster or the practice squad.
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