Be careful what you wish for, Cincinnati Bengals fans. Yes, the Bengals are 2-0 for the first time in the Zac Taylor era, but Sunday’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars came at a great price. Star quarterback Joe Burrow left in the second quarter with a toe injury.
Reports indicate Burrow will need surgery to repair the ligaments damaged in his left big toe. The best-case scenario is he’ll miss three months, but it’s very likely his season could already be over.
| With Burrow | Without Burrow |
W-L Record | 40-30-1 | 6-8 |
Win Percentage | 0.570 | 0.429 |
Average Points Per Game | 24.5 points | 18.6 PPG |
Average Total Yards Per Game | 325.1 yards | 292.8 yards |
As the Bengals and WhoDey Nation come to grips with Burrow’s latest injury, BetOhio.com has broken down how the team performs without its undisputed QB1, offering insight for Ohio sports betting customers and Bengals fans alike.
Burrow has missed 13 games because of injuries since entering the league (the other game he sat out was in Week 18 at Cleveland in 2021, when the Bengals had already wrapped up the AFC North title). Those stretches of time missed with injury have come over two seasons, but there are several differences between the two seasons.
The first came in 2020, Burrow’s rookie season. Cincinnati somehow managed to win two out of the six games without him but still finished 4-11-1. They averaged 16.3 points in those six games – but 64 of those came in the two wins. The Bengals also averaged 264.2 yards a contest, but 540 came in Week 16, a 37-31 shootout against the Houston Texans.
The more recent, and more relevant, season was 2023, by which time legal Ohio sportsbook apps were up and running. That year, Burrow injured his thumb during a Thursday Night loss in Baltimore in Week 11. Current backup quarterback Jake Browning took over and guided the Bengals to a 4-3 record over the last seven games of that season.
The Bengals averaged 23.4 points and 347.9 yards a game. Despite not having Burrow, the Bengals stayed in the playoff hunt until a 25-17 Week 17 loss at Kansas City – a game Cincinnati led by 17-7 midway through the first half.
Cincinnati Bengals playoff chances are interesting, with a 2-0 record but without Burrow.
Assuming the best-case scenario, in which Burrow is out only three months, the Bengals would play 11 games without the NFL’s 2024 in passing yards and touchdowns. That includes games against the Detroit Lions (home, Oct. 5), Green Bay Packers (road, Oct. 12) Baltimore Ravens (road, Nov. 27) and Buffalo Bills (road, Dec. 7). Those games were going to be challenges for the team even with Burrow.
However, while there are other playoff contenders looming in the weeks ahead, Cincinnati should be competitive in the other seven games and Bengals Super Bowl odds are not over. Browning threw three interceptions in taking over for Burrow against Jacksonville, but the backup QB also threw for 241 yards and two scores. More important, Browning led the team on a 15-play drive that started at the Bengals 8 with 3:42 remaining and ended with him scoring the winning touchdown with 18 seconds left.
Browning, who would likely be the starting QB on a few NFL teams, will still have Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins as his primary receivers. A 6-5 record seems doable with what the Bengals have over the next three months, and that would put them at 8-5 and still very much in the hunt for a playoff berth should Burrow be able to return.
Oddsmakers, though, have doubts. Before the 2025-26 NFL season, FanDuel Ohio Sportsbook offered odds of -148 for the Bengals to make the playoffs. Those odds carry an implied probability of 59.7%. As of Monday, the odds are now +176, which equate to a probability of 36.2%.
And the team’s Super Bowl odds have lengthened significantly. Fanatics offered Cincinnati at +2200 prior to the season, making them that sportsbook’s 10th choice to win the Lombardi Trophy. Their odds are now +5000 and rank them among the middle of the pack with Fanatics Ohio Sportsbook as of Sept.15.
USA Today Network photo by Sam Greene/The Enquirer
Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters.
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