Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) throws a pass in the first quarter of the NFL Week 2 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. The Jaguars led 17-10 at halftime.

The season is two weeks old and the ,Cincinnati Bengals are already looking forward to next season.

The Bengals lost quarterback Joe Burrow on Sunday to a Grade 3 Turf Toe injury, and he will miss at least three months. That turns the reins temporarily to Jake Browning, who is 4-3 as a starter when taking over for an injured Burrow. The question that has Bengals fans scratching their heads is "Why does Burrow get injured so often?"

The answer could be pretty simple. The Bengals do not invest in the offensive line, which is to the detriment of their franchise quarterback. Bengals coach Zac Taylor does not see it that way. He lets Burrow be Burrow and gives him the freedom to do what he does best. Sometimes, it just doesn't work out the way it should.

What Burrow does best is run a pass-heavy offense. He is constantly on the move with roll-outs and quarterback draws. He sits in shotgun with an empty backfield and has minimal protection as he puts himself out on an island. Most of the time it works. However, there are days like Sunday, when Burrow gets clobbered and knocked out of the game for an extended period of time.

Taylor said Monday he understands where the naysayers are coming from. He also said he is willing to accept full responsibility for keeping Burrow in harm's way.

“I get it, I understand where people are going to come from,” Taylor said. “It’s going to be very attacking of us and our style of play that’s got us to a Super Bowl and an AFC Championship and two division titles and won a lot of games for us. We are always evaluating how we can protect our players and put them in the best position possible."

"I take accountability for that. If people want to blame me for putting him in a position, I’m fine taking that. We’ll continue to put the best plan forward to put Jake (Browning) in a great position to go help us beat Minnesota.”

Minnesota will also be starting a backup quarterback as J.J. McCarthy is out with a high-ankle sprain. The question becomes what happens for the rest of the season, as the Bengals will play most of it without Burrow and compete in a division with Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers.

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: The Bengals threw Joe Burrow to the wolves with their offensive line woes

Reporting by Scott Salomon, Touchdown Wire / Touchdown Wire

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