We’ve seen this one before: Cincinnati Bengals superstar quarterback Joe Burrow has a serious injury, and the road to the AFC North title is now wide open for the Baltimore Ravens.
The Bengals got the worst possible news regarding their franchise QB’s turf toe injury. Burrow will undergo surgery to repair the toe, per multiple reports, and is now likely to be sidelined until mid-December.
While the Ravens already were the favorites in the North entering the season, and even though they’re 1-1 through two weeks, it would be a massive shock if John Harbaugh’s team can’t win their sixth division title in 10 years this season.
How Joe Burrow Injury Shakes Up AFC North
Going back to the spring, the Ravens were clear favorites to win the division following free agency and the draft. Baltimore was an odds-on -140 favorite to win the North, per DraftKings Sportsbook. Cincinnati had the second-shortest odds at +190.
With news that Burrow will go under the knife, here’s where the AFC North odds stand heading into Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season, per DraftKings.
Baltimore -390
Pittsburgh +600
Cincinnati +650
Cleveland +10000
Only the Buffalo Bills, at -1000, have shorter odds than the Ravens to win their respective division. In fact, the Ravens have shorter odds to win the North than the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers do for their respective divisions, despite each being 2-0.
Now, at 2-0, they have more wins this year than in the previous six seasons combined – and yet still have a loss that overshadows it all.
That’s the other wild thing about this shift: The Ravens are actually in second place in the division, behind 2-0 Cincinnati. The Bengals struggled like hell to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 before a late Jake Browning touchdown dive gave Cincy the win.
Ravens’ Path to AFC North Title Gets Little Bit Easier
The Ravens are about to begin a seven-game streak over eight weeks that includes a Week 7 bye in which they’ll play non-division opponents. On paper, it looks like a tough stretch of football, starting with a Monday night home game against the Lions in Week followed by a late-afternoon Week 4 showdown in Kansas City. Also in that stretch are games against Houston, the Rams and on the road at Minnesota.
The schedule does open up after that, both games with Cincinnati over just a few weeks. The two teams play Thanksgiving night in Baltimore before a Dec. 14 game in Cincinnati. If the recovery timeline of three months holds true, that rematch has to be the target date for a Burrow return.
Then again, if the Bengals fall off without their former No. 1 pick under center, it could be a throwaway season in which there’s no point of rushing him back, and there’s no guarantee he’s even ready by that point.
“The range of time for healing can vary depending on factors unique to the athlete, but generally, mild-to-moderate injuries can heal within several weeks, scaling for severity from two to three weeks to six weeks or more. Surgical repair requires greater healing time, generally 12 to 14 weeks — or longer — before clearance to return to play,” ESPN’s medical expert Stefania Bell wrote.
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