Bengals' Super Bowl odds tank following Burrow injury

The Bengals repeated one message throughout training camp in light of the early-season woes that have plagued Joe Burrow's tenure: Start strong and avoid digging themselves a hole. Mission accomplished. The Bengals are 2-0 for the first time since 2018, but it came at a massive cost.

Burrow suffered a toe injury in the Bengals' win over the Jaguars that will require surgery and reportedly sideline him for at least three months. Catastrophe struck one of the NFL's best quarterbacks and a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

The Bengals were +1800 to win the Super Bowl before the season on ESPN BET and theScore Bet, tied for the sixth-best odds. Since the Burrow news, they've moved to +7500, tied for the 21st-best odds. Cincinnati was +260 to win the AFC North before the season, just behind the Ravens. It's now +1000, behind the Ravens (-400) and Steelers (+500). The Bengals are +210 to make the playoffs and -250 to miss them.

👉 Check out a full Super Bowl, conference, and division odds on ESPN BET and theScore Bet here

The Bengals' chances of contention are incredibly slim without Burrow. To be blunt, their season is over before it ever truly started.

Despite missing the playoffs because of a defense that allowed the seventh-most points per game last season, Burrow led the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns. He also posted a 72.1 quarterback rating, the third-highest behind Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Burrow's talent has carried the franchise in recent seasons despite its tendency to get entangled in contract disputes and an awful defense that's damaged its Super Bowl prospects.

Bengals fans aren't the only group mourning another lost year. The numerous Burrow MVP bettors didn't expect to rip up their tickets this early. More than 17% of the bets on the MVP market were on the Bengals passer, who had the second-best odds at +600 behind Lamar Jackson. Patrick Mahomes received the second-most bets with 6% of tickets on the Chiefs quarterback. Oddsmakers removed Burrow from the market, as he's effectively been eliminated from the MVP conversation.

While a three-month timeline could allow Burrow to return before the regular season concludes, it's hard to imagine the Bengals will be in playoff contention by then.

Jake Browning replaced Burrow in Sunday's win, throwing for 241 yards, completing 65% of his passes, and leading a game-winning drive. But he also threw three interceptions. Browning earned seven starts during the 2023 season as Burrow dealt with another injury. He went 4-3 during that span, but turnovers were his biggest problem.

The difference between 2023 and now is that the Bengals have become even more reliant on Burrow's heroics because of their putrid defense. Even with an incredible receiving tandem in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, Browning must play like one of the top quarterbacks in the league for the Bengals to make a playoff push, especially with a challenging upcoming schedule. He hasn't proven he's capable of reaching that level. Another wasted season is in store for Cincinnati.

Sam Oshtry is a sports writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.

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