Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will undergo toe surgery, coach Zac Taylor said on Monday, and it will sideline him a minimum of three months, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Burrow suffered the turf toe injury in the first half of Cincinnati's game Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Images of his left toe were sent to noted foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson to be reviewed, sources told Schefter.
With Burrow sidelined for the majority of the season, the Bengals are expected to turn to backup Jake Browning as their starting quarterback.
A potential surgery date is yet to be determined, Taylor said. A timeline for the next step in the process should be finalized within the next couple of days.
"There's not a lot we can do right now for Joe other than I feel terrible for him because he put in all the work," Taylor said. "For him to have to go through this is the worst part of it. But as a football team, we just have to continue to move forward."
Following the injury, the Bengals' Super Bowl odds moved from 20-1 to 75-1 at ESPN BET. Cincinnati went from a -155 favorite to make the playoffs on Sunday to a +210 underdog to reach the postseason at the sportsbook.
Cincinnati believes the injury occurred when Burrow was sacked by Jaguars defensive end Arik Armstead with 8:36 remaining in the first half.
Throughout his comments on Monday, Taylor stood behind the team's offensive line after a game in which Burrow was pressured on five of his 13 dropbacks and was sacked twice, according to Next Gen Stats. Taylor said the injury was due to all 11 offensive players not being on the same page and not solely on the offensive line.
Cincinnati's seventh-year coach also gave a strong defense for the team's attacking play style that leans on the passing game. Taylor said those methods enabled Cincinnati to play for the Super Bowl in 2021 and make a return trip to the AFC Championship Game in 2022, as well as win two AFC North division titles.
"We're always evaluating how we can protect our players and put them in the best position possible," Taylor said. "I take accountability for that, and if people want to blame me for putting him in a position, I'm fine taking that."
Browning started seven games in 2023 when Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury. Cincinnati did not have another quarterback on its active roster as of Monday evening. Brett Rypien is on the Bengals' practice squad.
Taylor and Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher both emphasized that the team will evaluate its options to bring in a third quarterback for depth. Both also expressed confidence in Browning, who helped lead Cincinnati to a comeback win against the Jaguars. Between being on the practice squad and the active roster, Browning has spent five seasons with the Bengals.
Over the years, Browning has made a strong impression on players and coaches inside the building.
"They see what he does every day," Pitcher said. "They see his work ethic, they see how he interacts with his teammates. He's done nothing but the best thing possible for the football team from the day he's walked in this door in 2021. And those things go a long way."
Despite the injury to Burrow, Taylor said the energy and confidence in the locker room is "sky high." That stemmed from Cincinnati's chance -- despite numerous missed plays versus the Jaguars -- to improve on the team's first 2-0 start since 2018, the year before Taylor was hired. Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas said film review of the team's offensive meeting consisted entirely of bad plays that needed to be fixed.
"You need to set a tone early," Iosivas said. "[Training camp] is one thing. But then the regular season comes in and then you really see what is happening."
The Bengals believe that even with Burrow sidelined for potentially the next few months, if not the whole season, Browning can still lead the team to the postseason.
"I feel very confident in Jake," Taylor said. "I think Jake has proven his caliber in this league and he can help us win football games and contend for all the things that we want to contend for."
ESPN's David Purdum contributed to this report.