The Cincinnati Bengals’ 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday was marred by a turf toe injury for Joe Burrow that could keep the quarterback out for three months.
Burrow, 28, sustained the problem in the second quarter and left the Paycor Stadium in a walking boot while using a crutch.
“Nothing right now, to be truthful,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor replied when he was asked for an update on Burrow after his team made it two wins from two games in the new NFL season.
“I didn’t get all the information yet.”
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Joe Burrow injury: Turf toe
Turf toe is a major sprain to the area around the big toe, with NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero putting the potential timeline for Burrow’s return at mid-December.
The two-time Pro Bowl selection missed the last six games in the 2023 season with a torn wrist ligament and the last six of his 2020 rookie campaign with a knee injury.
Jake Browning replaced Burrow and threw for 241 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions as Cincinnati started with two wins for the first time in seven years.
Browning scored one of his three touchdowns with 19 seconds remaining left on the clock as the Bengals overcame a 14-7 deficit when Burrow took the sack that ended his game.
BIG TIME BROWNING!!!!!!!
📺: #JAXvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/TdlTGpFfNy
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 14, 2025
Burrow’s deputy combined with wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley for an impressive toe-tapping touchdown to tie the game up at 17 apiece in the third quarter.
Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, who had 89 scrimmage yards, took an 11-yard pass to the end zone for his first touchdown of the season to put Jacksonville 24-17 ahead.
Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase combined for 221 receiving yards and two receiving TDs, with Higgins’ third-quarter touchdown drawing the teams level yet again at 24-24.
Jacksonville would retake the lead with a field goal, but Browning led a 92-yard touchdown drive to secure his first victory since January 7 2024.
Bengals vs Jaguars: Jake Browning ‘ready’
Taylor effusively praised Browning. “We’re fortunate that we’ve got the best quarterback in the world leading the charge,” he said.
“We’re also very happy we’ve got Jake as the backup. It’s never been too big for him. He’s always known that he’s ready – he just wanted an opportunity.
“He comes in the building every day knowing that something like this could happen. His career – I don’t think it’s this extreme – but it could end if he’s not prepared and walks out there and has a really bad performance, and everybody sees that tape and says ‘OK, that’s enough of that’.
“He knows ‘I’ve got to be prepared’. It could be down a touchdown and needing to lead the team back to win. We’ve had that confidence every step of the way with Jake.
“He just went out there cool, calm and collected and ready to do his job. I feel like I saw him in here at 8.30 this morning – I don’t know if it was that early, but he’s just ready.
“When you’ve got a guy who’s ready and the team trust because they’ve seen him do it all, we put the ball in his hands at the end of the game and he went and delivered for us.”
Minnesota Vikings vs Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals visit the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday (13:00 ET / 10:00 PT / 18:00 BST) after beating opponents described by Taylor as “really well coached”.
“We stared adversity right in the eye and didn’t flinch,” he added. “They’ve got a lot of talent and speed and they make life really difficult for you.
“They’re a team who are going to be standing there at the end of the season with a shot. This is a really good win for us.”
The Vikings lost 22-6 to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
