The Cincinnati Bengals have made a change at the quarterback position in the hopes of finding a better solution while Joe Burrow is sidelined due to injury.
The Bengals pulled off a trade for quarterback Joe Flacco, who will immediately take the reins of the offense after Burrow's original backup, Jake Browning struggled mightily over three starts.
The Bengals are hoping Flacco can weather the storm while Burrow is sidelined. If he can do so and Burrow returns late in the season, the Bengals will have an opportunity to make a run.
But is Burrow going to be back before the playoffs? Here's what we know.
Will Joe Burrow be back before the playoffs?
Burrow is expected to miss "at least three months" with his Grade 3 turf toe injury.
Burrow had surgery on Sept. 19 to fix the issue. If he returns at exactly three months, Burrow will be eligible to play in the Week 16 game against the Miami Dolphins, which falls on Dec. 21.
However, FOX Sports' Jay Glazer has cast doubt on that three-month timeline and believes Burrow won't be back before the postseason.
“They’re saying three months, I don’t see three months being an actual timeline,” he said. “I think more so [Burrow has] a chance [to return] if they make the playoffs, but only because it’s Joe Burrow. Somebody else, I’d say no. But he has that Mamba Mentality, maybe yes. It’s such a difficult injury to return from.”
As you can see, there's zero guarantee Burrow is going to be back before the end of the regular season, which means Cincinnati may have to get to the postseason without him in order to have a chance to make a run with the star quarterback.
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