CINCINNATI -- While the rest of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrated a 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, quarterback Joe Burrow started slowly making his way out of the locker room.
With a protective boot on his left foot, Burrow sat up from his seat, grabbed the crutches to his right and used those to leave Paycor Stadium. Burrow suffered a left toe injury in the first half of the win and was eventually ruled out.
After the game, Bengals coach Zac Taylor did not have more information on Burrow's status. But backup quarterback Jake Browning led the Bengals to a comeback victory, capped by his 1-yard leap over the goal line with 18 seconds left.
Even without Burrow, the Bengals found a way to open their season with two consecutive victories for the first time since 2018, the year before Taylor took over.
"They just looked each other in the eye in the second half and said, 'We're going to figure out a way to win this game,' and that's exactly what they did," Taylor said.
With 8:36 remaining in the second quarter, Burrow was sacked by Jacksonville defensive end Arik Armstead. The play resulted in Burrow being under other players who had fallen on him.
Initially, Burrow was limping as he tried to walk off the field. But after a couple of steps, he went down on the turf. Burrow had a lengthy evaluation in the blue injury tent. After several minutes, he attempted to walk back into the locker room. However, Burrow stopped roughly 15 feet short of the tunnel that leads beneath the stadium as he sought assistance from trainers to make it back inside.
Burrow was initially listed as questionable to return before he was ruled out. He never returned to the field but was in the locker room after the game.
Before the injury, Burrow was under duress often. He was pressured on one-third of his dropbacks, per Next Gen Stats, and was sacked twice. After the game, Bengals center Ted Karras wasn't celebrating after what happened to Cincinnati's star quarterback. Karras said he thought the offensive line was "horrible" in the first half.
"We were not just winning enough of our one-on-ones," Karras said. "I thought we had a decent plan to attack some of their [defensive] fronts. But obviously not decent enough in execution."
In relief, Browning was 21-of-32 passing for 241 yards, 3 total touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Despite the errors, the veteran backup took advantage of a game-winning opportunity.
After Jacksonville wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. dropped a potential first-down, Cincinnati took over with 3:42 remaining. Browning led the Bengals on a 92-yard drive that featured one fourth-down conversion. A defensive pass interference was called on Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter on another fourth down that extended the drive. Browning had a simple approach at the end of the contest.
"Be delusional," he said. "I had thrown three picks and somehow we had a chance to win the game. I can't be afraid of the fourth in that situation."
Sunday was not the first time Browning was pressed into duty because of an injury. In 2023, Browning started the final seven games of the season after Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury.
Browning's efforts helped the Bengals get their first Week 2 victory in Taylor's tenure and helped Cincinnati avoid the slow starts that have plagued its previous seasons.
Before Burrow left the locker room Sunday, he congratulated Browning on his performance. If Burrow can't play next week against the Minnesota Vikings, Browning appears more than capable of helping the Bengals win games.
"He went in there and made plays [and] took advantage of his opportunity," said wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley, who caught his first career touchdown pass Sunday. "No matter what happened out there, [Browning] has a good mindset, stayed poised and he handled it like a professional."