CINCINNATI -- In a given 100-play sample size, 99 of them could have featured clean pockets for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Then there's that other play.
That's essentially how Bengals coach Zac Taylor framed the state of the team's pass protection in the wake of Burrow's latest big injury. In Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Burrow suffered a turf toe injury that placed him on injured reserve Tuesday. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, he is projected to miss three months while he recovers from pending surgery to repair the digit on his left foot.
This is the third time Burrow has been placed on injured reserve in his career. And it has raised questions about whether the Bengals are doing enough to protect their franchise quarterback. It is, no doubt, a conversation that features multiple angles.
But what's clear is the onus isn't being placed solely on the offensive line for what happened to Burrow.
"The line always takes all the blame for it," Taylor said. "I've got confidence in those guys, and we're going to continue to get their best going forward."
Criticism about the group has swirled dating to Burrow's rookie year in 2020, when he suffered a season-ending left knee injury that included multiple torn ligaments, including an ACL, after the pocket collapsed around him. Since that year, the Bengals have never ranked higher than 27th in pass block win rate, an ESPN metric powered by Next Gen Stats.
But that hasn't stopped the Bengals from leaning on Burrow and the passing game. Last season, Cincinnati had the second-most dropbacks in the NFL, trailing only the Cleveland Browns. Cincinnati led the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Even though the Bengals didn't make the playoffs, Burrow was an MVP finalist and wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase won the receiving triple crown with the most receptions (127), receiving yards (1,708) and receiving touchdowns (17).
That aggressive, air-oriented approach was referenced by Taylor on Monday. He pointed out the success Cincinnati has enjoyed over the years because of that offensive style, triumphs that include two AFC North division titles (2021, 2022) and an appearance in Super Bowl LVI, Burrow's second season in the league.
Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher also advocated for those methods.
When the Bengals started to build around Burrow, they immediately invested in receivers. Two draft picks, Higgins (2020) and Chase (2021), were rewarded for productive seasons with offseason contracts. Among Burrow, Chase and Higgins, their salaries account for roughly 32% of the team's 2025 salary cap, according to OverTheCap.com.
But Cincinnati has still found ways to invest in its offensive line. Since 2020, the Bengals rank 19th in salary cap allocation on the offensive line, per Roster Management System. The biggest investment was in left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who signed with the Bengals in 2023. Cincinnati also spent a first-round pick on right tackle Amarius Mims in 2024 to fortify the other edge. This offseason, the Bengals added rookie Dylan Fairchild and veteran Lucas Patrick to play offensive guard in an attempt to fortify the interior in a cost-effective manner.
"We've built this team organizationally and we've devoted resources to what makes us one of, we believe, the most explosive, best passing offenses in football," Pitcher said. "Over the course of time we've shown that we at least belong in that conversation.
"There is risk. No matter what you choose to do, you are going to incur risk."
But there is another component to the conversation about how well Burrow is protected: Himself. He has been sacked five times in almost 1.5 games, which is tied for 10th most.
Before the team drafted him with the first pick in 2020, Cincinnati had not won a playoff game since 1991. Last year, despite the Bengals having the worst pass block win rate in the league, Burrow finished a career-high fifth in QBR.
And he has been willing to take sacks and endure contact for the sake of creating big plays. When asked for a favorite example of those over the years, dozens started flipping through his head. One that stood out was a play against the San Francisco 49ers in which Burrow flicked his thumb while scrambling, signaling Chase to sprint across the back of the end zone, where Burrow found him for a touchdown.
There might be 99 of those plays. But then there is one that happened Sunday. Sacked while trying to do everything possible to move the Bengals down the field.
"You guys watch the same games I watch," Pitcher said. "That certainly feels to me like something that makes him great. And so how do you tell him to turn it on one play and off another play? How do you know that that's not the play that decides the game?"
