Despite the Cincinnati Bengals starting 2-0 after a tight win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, fans can't help but hold their breath. Quarterback Joe Burrow left this game due to injury, thus Jake Browning was thrust into action in an all-too-familiar scene for Bengals fans.
At first glance, Burrow appeared to have avoided worst-case scenario, which was a positive sign.
Although it still doesn't look like worst-case scenario, the latest update courtesy of FOX19's Jeremy Reich is not a good one.
"Burrow is believed to have turf toe with torn ligaments," wrote Reich.
The expectation for Burrow's recovery, according to Reich, is "several weeks."
Bengals fans better buckle up for more Jake Browning for a while
Cincinnati fans have seen this story before. Burrow has missed time in past seasons and Browning has stepped into the starting role. Many times, he's looked the part as one of the league's top backup quarterbacks.
Other times, he's looked like, well ... a backup quarterback.
Against the Jaguars in Week 2, Browning threw three interceptions which did everything but hand the game over to Jacksonville. Yet, even after throwing a trio of picks, Browning was able to lead the Bengals on a fourth quarter drive to win the game. He went 9-for-10 passing on that final drive and plunged into the end zone for the winning score.
The third-year pro is a career 4-3 as a starter in Cincinnati with an impressive 70.4 percent completion, 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven picks coming back in 2023.
Unfortunately, things are not going to get easier for Browning and the Bengals. The team's next four games are against teams with top-half defenses like the Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers.
If Burrow is out several weeks, we aren't exactly sure what that could mean. Maybe it's three or four. Maybe it's more than that.
Regardless, the Bengals better get comfortable with Browning as their starting quarterback for a while. Burrow is once again down for the count and set to miss some time.