CINCINNATI — Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is staying optimistic about Cincinnati's 2025 season after quarterback Joe Burrow has been sidelined for several months with a toe injury.
"We found a way to be 2-0 right now, and we still haven't played our best football collectively," Taylor said in a press conference Monday.
Burrow needs surgery on his toe, a procedure that will likely keep him off the field for at least three months, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday morning. Images of Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury were sent to noted foot specialist, Dr. Robert Anderson, to be reviewed, Schefter said.
Burrow left the Bengals-Jaguars game on Sunday in the first half after he was sacked by Jaguars defensive tackle Arik Armstead. He was examined in the sideline medical tent and was limping before heading to the locker room.
Hear what Taylor had to say about Burrow's injury in the video below:
"There's not a lot we can do right now for Joe. I feel terrible for him," Taylor said.
Taylor confirmed Burrow has turf toe, which is a fairly common sports injury in which a person sprains the main joint of their big toe.
While the name sounds fairly insignificant, the injury can range in severity. That's because turf toe can describe a stretching of the plantar complex that can be addressed with some rest and ice OR it can describe a complete tear that could require surgery.
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"It's unfortunate that this happened, but again, that's part of football, and that's what's going to happen," Taylor said.
Burrow was downgraded to out after he was initially questionable following a play where he sustained a left toe injury following the sack by Armstead. It was the second time Burrow had been sacked in the game.
After he went down, Burrow immediately took his helmet off before trainers rushed out to him. It originally seemed as if they were tending to his left ankle, and broadcasters said his left ankle was taped up. Burrow was able to gingerly walk off the field into the blue tent before backup Jake Browning entered the game.
Joe Burrow heads to the locker room with help from two trainers. About halfway there Burrow needed help walking to the tunnel. #Bengals @WCPO pic.twitter.com/w6tFEuMldU
— Marshall Kramsky (@marshallkramsky) September 14, 2025
Though Taylor didn't have any updates on Burrow's status in his postgame press conference, he called the rest of the team resilient in the 31-27 win over the Jaguars.
"There's not a second where anyone flinched," Taylor said.
Looking ahead, Taylor said he has "a ton of confidence" in Browning.
"Jake has proven his caliber in this league ... that being said, we're always open to bringing in other people at this point," Taylor said.
Taylor said his plans aren't changing much going forward, and he has the same trust with Browning in the pocket instead of Burrow, saying Browning has the ability to call audibles on plays, just as Burrow has.
"Make no mistake, losing Joe is a big piece of what we do, but we have to, we still play a game in six days, that doesn't change," Taylor said.
Burrow has dealt with several injuries throughout his career, including a torn wrist ligament, which ended his 2023 season early.
As a rookie, Burrow tore his ACL, MCL and PCL in his left knee during Week 11. He later dislocated his left pinky in 2021 and sprained his MCL during Super Bowl LVI. He also dealt with a calf strain during training camp in 2023.
When asked whether the Bengals need to change their type of play to protect Burrow better, Taylor refuted that how they play now is what got the team to the AFC Championship and Super Bowl in the past.
"If people want to blame me for putting him in this position, I'm fine taking that," Taylor said.
The Bengals next take on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at 1 p.m. Cincinnati will also face a Vikings team led by backup Carson Wentz after J.J. McCarthy has been ruled out with a sprained ankle
