The Cincinnati Bengals (2-0) finally ended their notorious run of slow starts with a thrilling 31-27 win versus the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, but their hopes of ending the season strong took a huge hit. Star quarterback Joe Burrow will undergo surgery for a Grade 3 turf toe injury and miss at least three months. Jake Browning, who helped Cincy stun the Jags in Paycor Stadium, will once again fill in for the face of the franchise. He inspires more faith than most backups do.

The Bengals are vulnerable, to be certain, but they went 4-3 with Browning as the starter during the 2023-24 campaign. Cincinnati was 5-5 when he stepped in for Burrow, who suffered a season-ending wrist injury in a Nov. 16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Now, the undrafted signal-caller out of Washington gets

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