The Cincinnati Bengals just saw their worst waking nightmare come true on Sunday, as Joe Burrow went down with what looked to be a left ankle or foot injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Burrow was seen entering the medical tent after taking a sack in the second quarter, and the NFL on CBS had the footage of the Bengals' face of the franchise sitting on the turf in agony.
Joe Burrow stayed down after a sack with trainers focusing on his ankle. He's headed to the medical tent. pic.twitter.com/nRwKaiK1wj
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 14, 2025
Cincinnati has a proven backup QB in Jake Browning, who took the reins in 2023 when Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury. Unfortunately for Browning, the Bengals' defense that looked so good in Week 1 is off to a rough start in their home opener.
Jacksonville marched down the field on three straight possessions. Only a Trey Hendrickson pressure that led to a Trevor Lawrence underthrown red zone interception saved Cincinnati from yielding 21 points well before the halftime break.
Joe Burrow injury is the last thing the Bengals need
As I type this, Lawrence has thrown another pick, but the bad news is, Burrow is hobbling to the locker room, presumably to get X-rays on that left leg.
Joe Burrow limps to the locker room.
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 14, 2025
Jake Browning into the game for the Bengals. pic.twitter.com/4YYqfYRJsW
Browning will have to hold down the fort until Burrow is ready to return. The Bengals can probably survive life without their elite QB and play somewhere near .500 football for about a month. Anything longer than that, however, and you can pretty much call this 2025 campaign a lost cause for Cincinnati.
Who Dey Nation will holds its collective breath until there's more information on Burrow's status. It seems unlikely that he'll return in Week 2 to try to get the Bengals their first 2-0 start during the Zac Taylor-Burrow era.
This is an absolute disaster. Browning can only do so much to overcome what looks like yet another suspect Cincinnati pass blocking unit. Can he return to the 2023 form that helped keep the Bengals in playoff contention? Hopefully we don't have long enough to find out, and Burrow comes back within the next two to three games. That seems like the best we can hope for at this point.