The AFC has proven to be a difficult conference to get out of since Patrick Mahomes entered the league.
The Kansas City Chiefs have dominated the AFC for years, making it a tough path for other teams to make it to the Super Bowl.
One of the only teams to beat Mahomes in the AFC Championship is the Cincinnati Bengals, thanks to Joe Burrow.
Burrow has been among the best regular-season quarterbacks in the league since he was drafted, someone who is calm under pressure and makes the right throws when he needs to.
However, he suffered a turf toe injury in the Bengals’ Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
This injury is said to require surgery, which could take him out of commission for at least three months.
Losing a quarterback of Burrow’s caliber could be detrimental to the team’s success, which is what analyst Pete Prisco noted in a recent segment of the “NFL on CBS.”
“Their season’s done. The bottom line is: they’re done. If you lose a franchise carrying guy like Joe Burrow, your season’s over,” Prisco said.
“Their season’s DONE … If you lose a franchise carrying guy like Joe Burrow, your season’s over.”@PriscoCBS after latest news on Joe Burrow’s toe injury pic.twitter.com/OTqzylBgZH
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 15, 2025
Prisco didn’t necessarily take into account what backup QB Jake Browning can do, who helped the Bengals win the game against the Jaguars when Burrow went down.
Even if Browning plays well, though, his ceiling is far lower than Burrow’s, and with so much competition this year, it will be hard for the Bengals to bounce back from this.
It will be interesting to see what their outlook is like moving forward, and if the Bengals can find a way to stay relevant until Burrow gets healthy enough to get back on the field.
