Life without quarterback Joe Burrow has been as difficult for the Cincinnati Bengals as we all expected.
Burrow suffered a Grade 3 turf toe injury in the Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Since then, the Bengals have lost four straight and are now starting Joe Flacco, who took over for the struggling Jake Browning last week.
According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Burrow has progressed to rehabbing inside the building, something he started doing last week, although he's still got a ways to go in his recovery.
"Joe Burrow was back in the building last week rehabbing, so Flacco got some time around the Bengals’ starter," Breer wrote.
Is there any hope that Burrow will be back at any point in the regular season? Here's what we know.
How long is Joe Burrow out?
Burrow had surgery to repair his Grade 3 turf toe injury on Sept. 19 and was given a timeline of "at least three months" to recover and get back on the field.
If that timeline holds, the soonest Burrow will be back is Week 16 against the Miami Dolphins (Dec. 21), which is three months and two days out from his surgery. That leaves zero room for setbacks.
However, FOX Sports' Jay Glazer has serious doubts about that timeline even if he doesn't suffer any setbacks and suggests we may not see Burrow until the postseason if the Bengals make it that far.
"I don't see three months being an actual timeline," Glazer said. "I think more so a chance [he returns this season] if they make the playoffs, but only because it's Joe Burrow. If it was somebody else, I'd say no. But he has that Mamba mentality."
The hope has been that Browning and now Flacco can keep the team afloat until Burrow gets back late in the season to help Cincinnati make a last-second run.
Clearly, that is far from a given and that's terrible news for Cincinnati.
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