T
he Cincinnati Bengals are in trouble two weeks into the 2025 NFL season. In week two, the Bengals beat the Jacksonville Jaguars to improve to 2-0 in a campaign that they hope ends in a Super Bowl title. But a win over the Jaguars did not come without sacrifices, as quarterback Joe Burrow sustained a turf toe injury that will keep him sidelined for at least the next three months. In his absence, the Bengals hope that their backup quarterback, Jake Browning, can keep them in the playoff hunt until Burrow returns.
Burrow’s injury has once again brought the Bengals‘ offensive line under fire. Since Burrow was drafted first overall in 2020, the Bengals have failed to provide him with a good enough offensive line to keep him from taking a lot of hits. And even though Burrow will miss most of this season– jeopardizing the Bengals Super Bowl aspirations– the franchise is not placing any blame for Burrow’s injury on the offensive line.
Bengals’ Head Coach Not Blaming the Line
For the third time in his career, Burrow is going on the injured reserve with a long-term injury, suffering a torn ACL as a rookie before suffering a wrist injury in 2023. And each and every time, the injuries came as a result of a big hit which have resulted in the offensive line taking a lot of criticism. And this time, questions are being raised as to whether or not the Bengals are doing enough in getting the right pieces to protect Burrow. Even though there is a lot of debate on the subject, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is still backing his line and has full confidence in the group moving forward.
“The line always takes all the blame for it,” Taylor said. “I’ve got confidence in those guys, and we’re going to continue to get their best going forward.”
The Bengals have invested a lot in Burrow since the beginning, not only making him the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 but also signing him to a lucrative five-year extension in 2023 that made him the highest paid player in NFL history at the time on an annual basis. Making sure that their most expensive player and the face of their franchise is protected should be the most important thing.
Can the Bengals Win with Browning?
Now that Burrow is out, the Bengals Super Bowl hopes just took a massive nosedive. Boasting one of the best offenses in the league when Burrow is healthy, the Bengals offense will now need to figure out a new identity with Browning under center. In his seventh season in the NFL, Browning has only played in 12 career games, with his largest sample size coming in 2023 when he played in nine games for the Bengals, with seven starts. In total, Browning has 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his career.
But since entering the league in 2019, Browning has developed the reputation of being one of the NFL’s most reliable backups and now that he is the signal caller in Cincinnati, he now gets a long term shot to prove exactly what he is made of.
Bengals Not Placing Blame on Joe Burrow Injury on Offensive Line