As the Cincinnati Bengals and backup quarterback Jake Browning celebrated a wild 31-27 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Joe Burrow left the locker room on crutches.
The franchise star, who is one of the NFL’s highest-paid signal-callers, went down awkwardly when he was sacked in the second quarter, and exited Sunday’s game with a left toe injury.
The Bengals initially announced that Burrow was questionable to return, but eventually ruled him out toward the end of the third quarter.
In the hours that followed, it was confirmed the 28-year-old had been diagnosed with turf toe, and will require surgery.
Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers has already been lost to the same injury in 2025.
Burrow will be sidelined for at least three months, and is on course to return against either the Buffalo Bills on December 7, or the Baltimore Ravens on December 14.
The news cast a cloud over what has been the team’s best start since 2018, and put a dampener on a Browning-inspired comeback win.
But the long-time backup, combined with Cincinnati’s next man up mentality, at least gives the Bengals a chance to push on at 2-0.
Browning completed 21/32 passes for 241 yards and two touchdowns through the air after Burrow went down with 8:36 remaining in first half.
He also overcame three interceptions to engineer one of the franchise’s greatest last-minute drives, which culminated with a third-and-one quarterback sneak that gave them their first lead of the day with 18 seconds left.
“The resilient group found a way. It feels like that’s what this year is turning into already,” head coach Zac Taylor said post-game.
“Just a group that believes in each other and never flinches even when things are difficult.
Burrow is expected to miss at least three months with a toe injuryGetty Browning threw two TD passes and rushed in for another score in the Bengals winGetty He will now be tasked with leading Cincinnati in Burrow’s absenceGetty“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, and I’m really proud of them.”
While undoubtedly a true team effort, it’s Browning — an undrafted 29-year-old who spent five years waiting to throw an NFL pass — who Cincinnati must now turn to if they want to stay afloat this season without Burrow.
And he’s a man who needs no motivation to go out and prove himself each week.
Inspirational note-to-self helped Bengals backup save career
Browning’s impressive performance against the Jaguars came four years after he wrote a heartfelt confessional note that saw the struggling NFL signal-caller openly ask himself ‘now what?’ while acknowledging that he wouldn’t be ‘making any money’ on the Minnesota Vikings practice squad.
“There is always the possibility of a comeback, but I do not want to let the chance of that keep me from living my life,” Browning wrote in September 2021, after he was waived by the Vikings during final roster cuts.
“I am currently in the process of figuring out what my options are as far as volunteer coaching and hope to have made a decision within the next week or so.
Browning had almost run out of NFL options in 2021 after being cut by the VikingsInstagram: @jakebrowning72“Hopefully it is a situation where I can learn as much as possible… and keep my expenses low since I will probably not be making any money.”
In August 2023, Browning looked back at that brutally honest note he wrote to himself, after sticking with the Bengals through training camp to become No. 2 to Burrow.
“Two years ago I got cut from MN and was unemployed for a few days and wrote this out to figure out my next move,” Browning posted two years ago.
“Always trust your work!”
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Following his return to the field, some fans went back to that post and joked it ‘didn’t age well’.
Why did Browning go undrafted in the NFL?
Browning was initially a high school football star at Folsom in California, where he set national records for touchdowns in a season (91) and a career (229).
His numbers were surreal, and the teenager became the first player to throw for at least 60 TDs or 5,000 yards in three consecutive years.
Coming out of high school, Browning rated as a four-star recruit and committed to the University of Washington to play college football.
Instagram: @jakebrowning72After setting high school records, Browning reached the Rose Bowl with the Huskies[/caption]There, he threw for 12,296 yards and 94 TDs while leading the Huskies, and occasionally served as a college punter.
But his NFL prospect grade was only 5.4. ‘Below average’ was professionally attached to his young name and a pre-draft report on the NFL’s official site was less than kind.
“Browning is a college game-manager whose success is tied to his talent at receiver,” the scouting analysis read.
“Browning has moments where he can rise to the occasion, but he’s failed to sustain it over the last two seasons and he doesn’t have the size, arm strength or intangibles to fall back on.
Instagram: @jakebrowning72Browning spent as Kirk Cousins’ backup in Minnesota but didn’t see the field[/caption]“He is a late-round to undrafted prospect with an uphill battle to earn a roster spot.”
The pre-draft analysis rang true, and Browning became Kirk Cousins’ backup at Minneosta, arriving as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
Then the QB with 229 high school TDs and 94 college scores faced a life and career crossroads.
Browning told himself in a private note that playing football wasn’t everything and it might be time to enter the coaching world at 25 years old.
“I think part of that is coming from the feeling that I somewhat have some control over my life again,” Browning wrote.
Four years on, and the once-discarded QB now has a shot with a Bengals franchise that had Super Bowl hopes heading into the 2025 season.
Browning challenged himself, remained patient and kept searching for a real chance — and a Week 2 comeback for the ages proved he’s ready for anything else the NFL can throw at him.
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