Quarterback Joe Burrow has been a revelation since joining the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020. The only thing holding him back has been some unfortunate injuries.

Now, Burrow is set to miss upward of three months after suffering a foot injury. While the Bengals are 2-0, it is a devastating injury that could serious hamper their playoff expectations. Still, it isn't the first time Cincinnati has been in this situation.

While Burrow has operated as an elite quarterback, the Bengals haven't given him an offensive line to match. In fact, Cincinnati's offensive lines under Burrow's tenure haven't ranked higher than 27th in pass block win rate, via Adam Schefter of ESPN.

“Burrow has not played behind an offensive line that didn't rank in the bottom quartile,” Schefter wrote.

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The Bengals have given Burrow an explosive cast of weapons in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. They've even dove into the free agency bin for offensive linemen such as Orlando Brown Jr and Ted Karras. However, Cincinnati has failed to draft and develop O-line consistently with Burrow under center.

Amarius Mims is the only first-round offensive lineman the Bengals have drafted since 2020. During the 2024 season, he ranked 74/85 tackles with a 46.6 grade from Pro Football Focus. Jackson Carman makes for the only offensive line second-rounder, and he isn't even on the team anymore.

While backup Jake Browning was able to lead the Bengals to a victory in Week 2, Cincinnati knows their a much different team with Burrow on the field. A three month layoff will give them ample time to consider how to better protect their quarterback. They cannot afford long-term injuries if they're serious about competing for a Super Bowl.